Breastfeeding beyond a year - is this true?

[rickman]

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I'm really not sure what she is talking about!! I really would have thought that if this were the case, certain HVs wouldn't be able to tell us quick enough!!

Am really chuffed you are still feeding ds as I'm still feeding mine too! I still remember us trying to get though a pre six-month growth spurt so big shout out to us!!

I've read that they benefit more from bf after one year as it is protecting them from bugs that they are more likely to come into contact with at a toddling age than they were as babies.

Maybe more likely to get the illnesses once you stop, but can't see why they would whilst you were still bf.

I'd keep on demanding to see the article. Then I'd write to the editor putting them right.

God it is amazing what lengths people will go to to try and pressurise a breastfeeding mother to give up isn't it?

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I think there was an article saying this recently, but it referred to babies who only had breastmilk up to age 1; ie they were not weaned until very late.

Not sure, as long as it works for both of us I think. We are ttc so if I fall pregnant that may resolve it but no definite plans to stop. How about you?

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Rickman - even when you have stopped, still tell her you are feeding!

There have been some decent published papers that have shown an increased risk of allergies with prolonged breasfeeding (I speak as a fan of extended breastfeeding, mind you). I think all the ones I've seen have shown a risk with exclusive breastfeeding though, i.e. delaying solids or formula. There's one here , for example. I really wouldn't worry

Probably one of the articles that has got the wrong end of the stick about a story that EXCLUSIVE bfing beyond a certain point might increase the likihood of getting allergies etc. Maybe print off loads from here to counter the any argument she has - at the very least you can say that your "articles" are evidence based!

You might like to show some of these to your mother, rickman ...

Article on the benefits of extended breastfeeding.

Factsheet on extended breastfeeding.

World Health Organisation information about extended breastfeeding - the sentence "infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond" might be something your mother should read!

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There was a small piece in the independent; there was a thread here about it and the article link is at the beginning of that.

Hello

I think you should definitely carry on. I was pressurised by family to give up when my DS was 18 months - and this may be just a coincidence but it was then that we noticed autistic type behaviour and he stopped trying to say proper words.

Interestingly my DS does have food allergies - but I wonder if he was getting the essential fatty acids or some other nutrient that he needed from me, and then stopping breast feeding affected his brain development?

Just a theory - but I can definitely confirm that stopping breast-feeding makes you put ON weight. I've gone up at least one dress size since. So carry on feeding!

Tamum, I just had a look at the paper you linked to and I think it's interesting, but I would quibble a bit with the findings.

Can't access the whole paper so I might have missed something of course.

From the abstract it seems the parents were encouraged to bfeed exclusively for as long as possible, then the outcomes were compared. There was a higher incidence of allergies amongst the children who were exclusivley bfed for longer.

I do wonder though, whether all this tells you is that some children with allergies are more reluctant to take solids - ie allergies caused late weaning rather than late weaning causing allergies.

I do wish there was some really solid evidence about all this - would save a lot of arguments and hassle!

I'm glad I saw this thread. My friend today told me that she'd heard on the news that bf after 6 months can increase their risk of allergies and affect their own immune system developing(like your mum said Rickman)and that maybe its not a good idea that I'm still feeding my dd- 12months as ds has asthma and slight eczema and chronic,allregic,rhinitis. I was not sure what to think but I think this has cleared it up!

Just seen another thread on it too. i'll show hwr it!