What benefits are there of bf after a year or so?

7 replies

yellowflowers · 30/10/2011 22:42

Other than closeness and the bond blah blah what benefits are there of breast feeding a child after a year? I mean they will already have had cows milk and food and in our case formula as we mix feed, but are there continued health benefits?

OP posts:

Secondtimelucky · 30/10/2011 22:46

Ah, just posted on your other thread. Yes, loads, but I don't have the stats at my fingertips. Will look in the morning, or others will have them. Lots of immunity related things in particular.

Original poster

yellowflowers · 30/10/2011 22:48

Thank you. I've been saving all my questions for a flurry of posting!

OP posts:

pinksomething · 31/10/2011 00:18

Kellymom has some interesting info.

But basically the benefits that were always there don't stop at a certain age. Immunity, physical and emotional reasons, health benefits for the mum - it all carries on.

EauRouge · 31/10/2011 07:58

Added to all the health benefits, it is very handy as a parenting tool for calming scared children, stopping tantrums, comforting when they're ill etc. I'd have to think of something else if I wasn't BF.

zimm · 31/10/2011 11:16

For me it is it's use as a parenting tool. Instant calmer/silencer hugely useful when DD sick/teething. I'm lazy :-)

zimm · 31/10/2011 11:18

Oh yes and I am still losing weight through BF. Brilliant.

AngelDog · 31/10/2011 13:45

I agree - the benefits for us are weight loss and unlimited cake eating for me, calming, silencing tool, pain relief, reduces the severity of his eczema, gets DS to sleep, stops tantrums (or calms him down after them), feeds him when teething / ill and off his food and improves his behaviour massively. If he can't bf, I have a screaming demon of a child.

If my DH is looking after him for a few days when I'm not around he's not a screaming demon, but his behaviour gets noticably more fraught as the time goes on. He loves DH so I think it's a bf issue - if I'm around to offer milk occasionally, he's fine.

I get more fraught when I can't feed him too so DS and I 'argue' a lot more. Plus I can only nap in the day if I've bf him first. I expect it's the same with night feeds, and if I'm feeling very tired in the day bf at least gives me chance to sit down and close my eyes for a bit.

Flip