It is a myth that breastfeeding a baby after 12 months is of little value because the quality of breast milk declines after six months. The fact is that the composition of human milk changes to meet the changing needs of the baby as he matures. Even when a baby is able to take solids, human milk is the primary source of nutrition during the first year. It becomes a supplement to solids during the second year. In addition, it takes between two and six years for a child?s immune system to fully mature. Human milk continues to complement and boost the immune system for as long as it is offered.
(American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk 1997, 1035-39; Goldman 1983, 461-62, Gulick 1986, 51-54; Innocenti Declaration on the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. 1991, 271-73, Mohrbacher 1997, 164-68; Saarinen 1982, 567-71.)
In most periods of history and in most parts of the world babies have been breastfed for years rather than months - two to four years being the general norm (Mead, M. and Newton, N. Cultural patterns of perinatal behaviour in Childbearing: Its Social and Psychological Aspects, ed. S Richardson and Guttmacher, A. Baltimore, Maryland: Williams & Wilkins Company 1967.)
The World Health Organisation recommends two years or more.
Breastfed babies are dependent on mother for both food and comfort. This dependency frightens a culture that places a high value on self-sufficiency. A breastfed baby who will not be satisfied with anyone other than his own mother is looked upon as a liability, when in reality he just knows he needs his mum to develop in all dimensions.
What is there to be gained by abruptly putting an end to breastfeeding? You meet the need and it goes away.
Fewer illnesses are reported in breastfeeding children. Breastfeeding is a ready source of comfort and nourishment when a child is ill and can often take no other food. Breastfeeding provides a natural outlet for sucking that promotes proper oral development which has been found to improve speech.
Continued breastfeeding also has advantages for the mother. Lactation suppresses the nervous system?s hormonal response to stress, which is why many women recognise that they feel calmer and better able to cope with whatever comes along during the time they are breastfeeding. There is a decreased risk of breast cancer, with the greatest risk reduction seen in women whose total amount of breastfeeding for one or more children totals several years. It is convenient and cheaper.
How about you both enjoy it? And that there are more than 13000 research studies establishing the risks associated with giving formula.
MOTHERING YOUR NURSING TODDLER by Norma Jane Bumgarner is well worth reading.