Normalising Breast Milk

[Babieseverywhere]

I was nursing my tired toddler in the local library during a children's group, last week. A new mother to the group was asking his age and expressed her surprise that we are still nursing (he is not yet 2 years old) and asked me if I had an issue with giving him cow's milk.

I laughed and asked why would it be better for me to wean my child off my breast milk and onto cow's milk. She was equally perplexed as to why I couldn't see this as a natural progression.

It is amazing how normal it is to use cow's breastmilk as a healthy drink and an important part of our children's diet, yet using a mothers own breastmilk to feed their own child is seen as strange.

No real point to this thread, it just made me think how far breastfeeding's value has dropped in our modern western world.

I would guess that many people don't fully connect that milk in the supermarket is cows breast milk, which is why they don't see how illogical they are being.

Same as many people don't connect much of the food they consume with the animals that produce it.

I did feel differently about cows milk once I was breastfeeding. Not enough to make me go vegan tho...

For some reason cow's milk does weird me out a little now - it just doesn't make any sense to give babies/kids cow's milk and hold back on the human milk.

It does taste good though so I just tend to think of it as any other food, i.e. no different from eating steak etc.

TBH I havent really thought about cows milk as being cows breast milk until I read this thread! Thats a really good argument to use to people!

What really annoys me (and I have recently put this on another thread) is that people seem to assume that at some point breastfed babies wont be getting enough milk from their mums and that formula is always needed. The most comments I get are from my mum's generation - this seems to be a generation that was not encouraged at all to breastfeed so they almost see breastfeeding as being unnatural .

I constantly get:
"when will you know when she (my DD) isnt getting enough"
"when will you give her a dummy"
"You need to give her a bottle to give yourself a break"

Arrrgghhhh

Just a thought...maybe we should all start challenging people when we see them using a bottle - "Thats not formula is it?"

By the way, I'm not anti-formula feeding as I know its the only way for some mums, but I am pro-breastfeeding so no offence to those who are using formula

argh. was out at mum's this evening and ds wanted to feed. i have noticed her laughing everytime he does it, as if he is greedy or something. she said "it's time you were off that, you're almost 14 months." i just said "it's good for him. he likes it." to which she replied "he just wants to suck" and what the hell is wrong with that? she would prefer me to put a dummy in his mouth than to let him feed. it is madness.

realising I wouldn't drink human breast milk was the impetus for me going vegan. I had images of drinking monkeys milk and thought hey this is freaky stuff, never had dairy since.

I tend to assume that bottles are EBM, I find that those giving formula feel they need to justify their decision. I normally feel sorry for them, no-one should have to justify any decision they make no matter what area of life it is.

Disclaimer: I am one of the most insecure people I know, but I try to live by this.

realising I wouldn't drink human breast milk was the impetus for me going vegan. I had images of drinking monkeys milk and thought hey this is freaky stuff, never had dairy since.

I tend to assume that bottles are EBM, I find that those giving formula feel they need to justify their decision. I normally feel sorry for them, no-one should have to justify any decision they make no matter what area of life it is.

Disclaimer: I am one of the most insecure people I know, but I try to live by this.

Human milk tastes lovely!

Whilst I don't assume it's ebm in a bottle (it does look different and it's statistically unlikely) I tend to just feel a bit sorry for that mum. It must be such a faff.

Maybe if we could just try accepting other people's choices without feeling sorry for them (I wonder why she doesn't breastfeed) or them feeling sorry for us (I wonder why she's breastfeeding that toddler) we would all be a bit happier.

DS1 fed until 14m and then self weaned. DS2 is only 6months so am expecting he'll feed for a while yet but I'm not going to be particularly worried about giving him cows breastmilk when he does. It might even be semi-skimmed sometimes if we are out and that is what is available - it won't do him any harm.

I'm very pro breast feeding, co-sleep, still sling my toddler and do BLW - but they sleep in their cots for naps, go in the buggy if I've got lots to carry, eat with a spoon if its something sloppy or have even have babyfood jars if we are staying away from home (and the oldler one has on occasion had a fruit shoot when at a friends so he wasn't the only one with water )

All this black and white parenting is making us doubt ourselves and is pissing me off.

rant over as you were people .....

"Maybe if we could just try accepting other people's choices without feeling sorry for them"
Totally agree. I didn't intend for this thread to look at any aspect of formula at all.

I was looking at attitudes towards use of cows milk and/or human milk in an older child's diet. I suppose because the human milk tends to be delivered via the breasts the comparison is automatically shifted to formula and breastmilk.

LeonieDelt, LOL, your toddler sounds a lot like mine. He is 23 months old and very cute. I have strict rules about nursing in public. No demanding I feed toys on the other side (he is use to being tandem fed) or exposing my other side. No switching sides every 30 seconds or doing dive bombing attacks (i.e. when they run to you nurse for 10 seconds and run off playing again) I am normally more relaxed at home, not at the moment mine. Everything is a bit sore.

I think what stands out is that BF isn't considered normal - particularly once your child is past, say, 6 months old. My 9mo is mix fed now, she is bf morning, evening and through the night. I am lucky I suppose in that I have had no odd comments, if people ask and I tell them I am generally congratulated, which of course is lovely to hear

but

it does make me feel sad in a way that even mix feeding a 9mo is seen as something to be congratulated - in my ideal world it would be considered so normal to bf for as long as mother and baby/toddler/child want to that it wouldn't be seen as something worth commenting on at all. Does that make any sense?

(big kisses BE xx)

You make perfect sense Tigerfeet, as always

It would be wonderful if we got to the stage of being supportive to all parents, however they chose to feed and parent their children.

Just wanted to agree that human breast milk tastes very nice indeed

I wouldn't want to feed my babies anything that i wouldn't eat myself, I love food and it seemed strange not to have a little taste.

The interesting thing about human breat milk is that it is very sweet, and so IMO when weaning people can be a little more relaxed about sugars - breast milk (although the sugar content varies depending on teh age of the baby) is more or less the same sweetness as ambrosia rice pudding. Which is cheap, wholesome, full of lovely dairy, and my top weaning tip

Not to have all teh time, obviously

eww I think it tastes like sugary chalk!
Maybe that's just mine

I am currently pregnant for the first time so have no experience of bfeeding myself - I just flipped on to this thread while bored at work!

BUt - I am amazed at what you are all reporting! I have always, always just assumed that it is normal to just start weaning at 6 months-ish (with baby rice/porridge etc) and continue to breast feed, certainly with a night-time feed, until 1 year plus-ish or when the baby is ready for exclusively solids... or, of course, longer if the mother wishes (my youngest brother was bf by my Mum until he was 2 - just a night-time feed).

When do most people wean?!

If the child isn't ready for exclusively solids, do people really go from breast milk to other milk before weaning?!

I am so naive!

(ps - I am lactose intolerant, so have had no cows milk since I was 4! the idea of cows milk is a little odd, although I often WISH I could eat ice cream... I hear Ben and Jerrys is amazing!)

Legally blonde you sound very lucky to have such enlightened expectations! It makes me happy! (though obv that it is ime unusual) 6months is recommended age for weaning. Opinion differs re baby rice etc, puree vs baby led weaning. congrats on your imminent motherhood btw!

I think bm tastes lovely! Isnt i too am far too food orientated not to give it a taste! Am looking forward to hearing r4 food programme re artisan human cheese makers. Surely one day!

I have often wondered about the sweetness as we are told sugary drinks can rot teeth before they emerge from the gum. I guess this is not the case with bm but anyone know more about why? Am always on the look out for yet more evidence of how clever bm is!

Sorry for waffling

Mine is like non-alcoholic Baileys.

Congratulations on your pregnancy legallyblond!

I've just done some googling on breastfeeding rates and found the following on UK breastfeeding rates "Overall, only 35 per cent of UK babies are being exclusively breastfed at one week, 21 per cent at six weeks, 7 per cent at four months and 3 per cent at five months".

People go from bf to ff and then onto follow on milk or cows' milk after the age of 1.

As an aside, if you start weaning at 6 months, you don't need to start with the baby rice - you can go straight in with finger foods. Have a look at some of the Baby Lead Weaning threads, I think you'll find them interesting reading

I was congratulated by my GP on 'still' breastfeeding at the 8 week check up, which I was a bit shocked by.

Someone on another thread suggested that the term 'breast milk' was part of the problem, given the way our society views breasts, and it might help normalising it if it was called mothers' milk or something like that. Imagine if all the milk in shops was labelled 'udder milk'.

lol at udder milk!