whats the longest anyone has bf for? anyone still doing it with lo's at school?

[prettylovebird]

ok i know dd is only 7 months,but, i want to bf her forever, and just wondering what it will be like when shes at school or preschool

Worship away!

no no you have got this out of context, i have no problem with people bf or ff, its down to personal choice, what i have been objecting to is the ridiculous comments from some on this thread, and the inability to laugh at themselves.

ds1, 2.8 and bf (so physiologically only just into 'extended' really), started at kindergarten 3 weeks ago. Before then, the number of times dh or I had left him, just for an hour, with someone else (godparent/MIL) could have been counted on one hand. We settled him in for a few sessions. Not once was he upset at then being left. When I pick him up at the end of the morning, I get an unfriendly look ('oh no, end of my fun') and am then ignored, and when his keyworker and I tell him it's time to go home he runs away. I am convinced bf, and my commitment to letting him self-wean when he is ready, has contributed no end to his sense of security. As far as the speech argument goes... he is bilingual, extremely articulate and has very few problems getting his tongue around the sometimes very different sounds of two languages.

I really don't get why the 'it's unnecessary' argument is so oftrn used against extended bf. We could equally say that having a cuddly toy in bed, or a comfort blanket, or being read a bedtime story is 'unnecessary'. I think it must stem from the fact that cultural distaste and unease with bf is so deep-rooted that the only condition under which it is tolerated is when it is seen to fulfil some kind of 'necessity' = nutritional necessity when it is sole food. And what I call the 'self-destructing health benefits myth' seems to go hand-in-hand with this. As the Germans say, 'What mustn't/shouldn't be [culturally], can't be'. i.e. it can't be that bf is still providing excellent health benefits at 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. years of age when it's so terribly, embarrassingly Unnecessary.

Ahh, have to confess I havent read the whole thread. Skimmed read it. I try not to bother with these threads now as bf is long behind me but it riled me reading the 2nd post.
Sorry I have no sense of humour either with bitty comments. Love Little Britain though!

matilda, what are our "crap" reasons for continuing to breastfeed? I am genuinely interested

And the bitty sketch IS funny. My sister who bf til her kids were 4 thinks it is too.

Unlike a lot of the other sketches!

I think that whether or not you find something funny is a personal thing. You say you dont find other bits funny so you think they're not. Well I do. That doesnt mean I expect and assume everyone else will.
I actually dont find the bitty sketch funny or not funny (not fussed). I do find though people using the word 'bitty' in relation to bf children offensive.

and just cos your sister who bf till her kids were 4 thinks it's funny doesnt mean everyone else should

well in modern day society it is not a neccesity {sp} ie for nutrition to continue.
it is usually for comfort for both mother and child, and whilst i do not have a problem with that, i feel having to justify yourself, makes me wonder if you yourself really do have valid reasons.
that was my point. like i said it mattters not to me either way.

already made a mental note to do that, hunker!

Actually I never particularily enjoyed breastfeeding. Certainly dd found it comforting though. SOrry, did I just disprove your theory.

I think people kind of feel the need to speak up when they get called weird and strange. Also if we dont talk about it it will never be normalised and breasts will continue to be seen just for sexual purposes only.

Is that your only crap reason you can give?

Lay off herc, you guys. I'm a lightweight, only fed dd1 for 12 months, ds for 15 and dd2 for 18 months, but I'm a long-term bfeeder manque. Sadly my kids got bored before I could get my extended bf membership badge, but nobody insults these guys without crossing me.

[threatening emoticon]

Oh frogs, that does make you an extended bf!

Yes I think we feel a need to justify it, because people call it odd, weird, sick, unnecessary, say it makes them embarrassed, etc

I would imagine you would feel the same if something you were doing that you believed to be in your child's best interests was ridiculed and criticised?

I suppose one reason (which is crap) is through sheer laziness. So easy to comfort a child etc if bf. Before you jump on me dd could be comforted in lots of other ways and had to be as I was back at work full time when she was 5 months old.

actually most extended bfeeders get very tired of it at one time or another.
and I am certainly not justifying it to you or anyone, although the constant nasty ignorant comments and downright insults can become a little tiresome to say the least.

Puppy Monkey are you expecting us all to say "oh SIX oh yes well that is fucking DREADFUL"?

some of us think we should butt right out of people's decisions about breastfeeding and stop making ignorant judgements based on prejudice and hang ups

Puppymonkey - it's not so straightforward as that. I think it's already been explained on this thread that you dont just start feeding a six year old. I would also find seeing a 6 year old bf strange infact I'd probably find seeing a 4 year old now feeding strange. And I fed one of mine till this age.

But I recognise that's about me and our whole culture and I can see past this to realise that actually there is nothing wrong and in fact is fine.

It makes me smile a wry smile when people say "It's only for the mother when the child's over 3 weeks, 6 months, a year, 2 years, whatever". There really are people out there who think it's possible to force a child to breastfeed. Bless their ignorant little socks.

Bitty sketch isn't funny - never was.

hercules wind your neck in eh? your looking for a huge debate, and quite frankly i couldnt give a toss whether you breastfeed your children till they are 50 odd, whatever the f**k happened to freedom of speech????? i was merely suggesting that some people should lighten up ffs

I actually think it's an excellent thing that these things get discussed (preferablly without the ignorant comments and insults).

AND was devised by two GAYS! Like thats funneh!

Fhhhtt!