i thought they would delete it so i saved a copy of the page
this is what it said:
A mother's case study
Jenny Allen, 39, is currently breastfeeding her four-and-a-half-year old daughter and her 19-month-old Phoebe. Jenny sees nothing wrong with 'extended breastfeeding'.
Jenny is aware that her decision to continue to breastfeed her older daughter Milly causes controversy but sees that there is no reason for her not to do it. She feeds Milly usually in the morning and at night just before she goes to bed and argues that it comforts her daughter.
The NHS worker from The Wirral said: "I have allergies and I'm slightly allergic to cow's milk so I want to continue to breastfeed my children to hopefully protect their future health. The human immune system is not developed until a child is at least six years old and formulas can be so expensive!"
Jenny says she won't stop breastfeeding until both girls are ready to stop. "Milly herself has said in the past that she'd stop at four-years-old, then when she was four she said she'd stop at five. Milly sees me feeding Phoebe and wants the breast too."
Jenny argues that those opposing breastfeeding children past the age of two have a cultural hang-up. "In other cultures, people breastfeed children at four years old and upwards. When we were on holiday in Turkey I was breastfeeding Milly on the beach and I received nothing but smiles and encouragement. I don't breastfeed Milly now in public.
"But giving a toddler or small child a pacifier to suck on is not seen as a problem and a pacifier is a substitute to the breast, so what's the problem?"
Dr Hilary says...
Dr Hilary Jones believes that breastfeeding should not be extended. He said: "After the age of one breast feeding is bizarre, unusual and not necessary. After a year the mother gets more out of breastfeeding than the child does. This act is more for the mother's comfort than the baby's. The bonding process is over and nutritionally the baby no longer needs the milk."
Dr Hilary added: "Women breastfeed their children for longer for a variety of reasons. It can be to avoid renewing sexual relations with their partners, it's easier for some mothers to just give in to the child while other mothers prefer to pretend their grown up child is still a baby."
Extended breastfeeding can generate problems for the child, Dr Hilary added. "If the child's friends find out they may get picked on and it can delay the youngster from developing his or her independence. And as children get a little older, they are forming sexual feelings so it's very bizarre to be then placing a child to the breast."
Dr Hilary would dissuade mothers from breastfeeding for an extended period of time and with regards to Jenny and her children he thinks the older child may still be requesting the breast because she sees the younger child as a rival. However, says Dr Hilary, it's up to the mother to stop this behaviour.
The World Health Organisation says...
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.
The NHS says...
The NHS's breastfeeding website states that breast milk gives babies all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life and helps protect them from infection. It also reduces mothers' chances of getting certain diseases later in life. Breastfeeding also allows you and your baby to get closer, both physically and emotionally.
Bottle feeding does not give your baby the same ingredients as breast milk, which is designed to be easy for your baby to absorb and is perfect to help him or her grow and develop. Also, bottle feeding doesn't provide protection against infection and diseases.
Breastfeeding helps protect your baby against:
- ear infections
- gastro-intestinal infections
- chest infections
- urine infections
- childhood diabetes
- eczema
- obesity
- asthma
Breastfeeding helps protect mothers against:
- ovarian cancer
- breast cancer
- weak bones later in life
And women who breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy figure faster.
The Breastfeeding Network says...
The Breastfeeding Network supports the recommendations set out in the World Health Organisation's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (2003) which states that:
'Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.
'Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond . Exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible except for a few medical conditions, and unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production.'
La Leche League GB says...
La Leche League GB supports extended breastfeeding. Spokeswoman Anna Burbrdge said: "It's only in the last 100 years that extended breastfeeding has not been considered the cultural norm. It's relatively recent in today's society that it's seen as unusual to breastfeed children up the age of six and that babies are expected to wean earlier. A child's immune system is still developing between the ages of two-and-half and six, so their are many health benefits.
"Permanent molars appear at about six-years-old so this could be some indication of nature's way. Obviously, some children will want to wean earlier than others but what is there to be gained from putting an end to a perfectly healthy breastfeeding relationship.
"I realise people have concerns about children lacking in independence with extended breastfeeding. But a child who has grown up with a sense of emotional security and love of a mother rather than inanimate objects (such as dummies) will develop his or her own confidence and independence in good time."
The National Childcare Trust says...
The NCT's chief executive, Belinda Phipps,said: "Although the majority of the population (84%) are happy to see a young baby breastfed, people in the UK are still generally shocked to see a woman breastfeed a toddler or an older child.
"We know however, that the benefits of breastfeeding continue after six months when solid food is added to a babies milk diet. The fact that anyone is shocked at breastfeeding a baby or child should be the issue for debate - we need to work towards society, which supports mothers and welcomes breastfeeding in general.
"Less than half (42%) of women in the UK are still breastfeeding at six weeks despite the overwhelming evidence of the health benefits of breastfeeding for longer than this. Research shows that these rates are so poor partly due to the lack of support for breastfeeding women.
"Despite the fact that breastfeeding beyond one year is so natural and normal in other parts of the world, here in the UK, women who breastfeed a toddler - there may be 70,000 or so in the UK - feel isolated and unsupported. Feeding a toddler and child is very much taboo in the UK. For those women who choose to continue to offer the benefits of breast milk to their child there should be support not stigma. When to stop breastfeeding is an individual and personal decision made by mother and child."
"The NCT offers support to all parents, regardless of how they feed their babies - whether they breastfeed for two days or two years or formula feed. We aim to provide non-judgmental support and relevant information about baby feeding based on the best available evidence, to allow parents to make their own decisions."