Nell McAndrew article on extended breastfeeding

[treacletart]

here

I thought Nell's and Tanith's comments were fair enough.

Thought it was interesting that she mentioned she had had a boob job too and was still able to breastfeed. Good to hear that!
Good girl well done, now do a road show sponsored by MN of course!!
Nell McAndrew and Charlotte Church influence a nation of parents. I think I should patent that idea!

While I totally support bf, and understand that the WHO has stated that a baby should be exculsively bf until 24 months (sometimes not always possible), breastfeeding after this is just not right, espcially in a school age child, there is no need for it. I do understand that breastmilk has loads of benefits and this is part of the reason why many mums still bf, however could mums not express milk and put it in a sippy cup, or normal cup for the child, after all they are old enought to use one and would be using one anyway by this time.

Feeding off the breast is for babies only, and is really not right in an older child. I think that the mothers do not want to let go, and babify the child. Babies are weaned off the bottle and dummies by a certain age, the same goes for breasts too, its part of growing up and being independent. There are plenty of other ways of bonding with the child apart from bf.

piglet, really?
It is the norm to bf well into toddlerhood/early childhood in much of the world. I totally agree that it is not the only way to bond with a child - I mainly ffed, fwiw and have a strong bond - but it is a bloody good way of bonding and can be a lovely comfort for the child as well as a source of nourishment.

Um, could you please explain just why it's not right? We are mammals after all, with mammaries so why is it better to express and put into a cup (totally artificial item)?

Could you please explain (ideally scientifically), because vast swathes of the earth's population haven't realised it's not right.

piglet - WHO say ecl bf to 6 mths, and then to two years and beyond with other foods.

Saying 'it's not right' to bf after a certain age without giving anything other than your opinion is not very convincing

Of course there are many ways to bond with the child. Why should these many ways not include bf if mum and child want to??

piglet, did you mean it's 'not right for me' as that's a perfectly understandable assertion.

'not right' for any mother or child is a bizarre and unsubstantiated claim.

do you know- i'm so glad piglet came on and gave her opinion.
It has completely changed my point- she has argued it so well, and with such eloquence and with such incontravertable data.

errr. "it's not right"
see, a little light has gone on in my head and now i feel guilty for BF my kids past the age of one.

wish I'd been told earlier

Nothing to add, but just wanted to say thank you for posting the article - I'd have never seen it in the Mirror! So good to see it in a positive light.

Brilliant article all round! (I don't actually know who Nell is. Am going to google her.) Am hugely amused at DM terming it 'wet nursing'! But a lot of the DM comments - the majority, as of a moment ago - were very positive. There was the usual crap trotted out but they've all been voted down by readers, and there's loads of good and supportive comments. I get the feeling this article's been posted in a lot of pro-bf forums, or would it be too much to hope that public opinion has changed overnight?

it is just NOT RIGHT because piglet says so. OK? and she knows better than everyone who has, say, actually DONE it because she is er, ignorant, judgmental and intolerant?
oh no, hold on, I lost the thread there somewhere.

TOLERANCE piglet, how about a little tolerance. rather than intolerance, and ill-informed prejudice? just a thought.

tiktok - the problem is I don't think you really read what I wrote. I agreed with everything you said.

For the record, one more time, I am pro breast feeding.

I am not sure what I am supposed to agree I said that was wrong.

Piglet, where do you get your evidence for your statement "Feeding off the breast is for babies only, and is really not right in an older child"?

The WHO actually recommends that children are breastfed until at least two. The reason they say that is because there is not much research about breastfeeding beyond two, not because they think it should stop at that age.

And why on earth would a mother express and put breastmilk in a cup if she was around? What a waste of time and effort.

I am just voicing my opinion, that is what these forums are there for, I am not an expert just another mum with another opinion on this,and which a few friends who have bf believe too. These forums are not just for those supporting extended bf. No it is not right especially in a school age child, and especially past 5 years old.

Why is it 'not right' Piglet?

Sorry Thingone I disagree with you, an older child feeding at the breast is just not right, seems like it is for the mums benefit not the childs really, and your answer has just proved that really

But why is it 'not right'?

In my opinion I associate bf with babies and very young children, and school age children, espcially middle school children it is just not right. YOu would not have an older child with a bottle or a dummy would you, its something you wean them off. I was watching a programme about extended bf and a nine year old girl was bf with no intention of stopping.

What do you disagree with me about piglet? I asked you two questions and corrected a factual inaccuracy.

Where do yuo draw thel ine Piglet.
At what age does it start becoming 'just not right'?
FWIW,I find the idea of a 9 year old breastfeeding pretty bizarre.

Yes piglet you are allowed an opinion. You are not expressing an opinion, you are making sweeping generalisations with no evidence to support them.

A bottle or dummy are different things entirely. They are artificial and not comparable to the natural process of mammalian feeding.

piglet, one of my good friends bfed her daughter. Now, this friend bought a breast pump, put it to her breast, tried to express and got - nothing! Not a drop! Now she knew there was milk there, her baby could get it no problem, was thriving etc but expressing was simply not a option. Should she have stopped breastfeeding just because she couldn't express?
And why on earth is a sippy cup a better vessel for a toddler than a breast? My ds3 would have no truck with bottles or sippy cups or anything that he cleverly guessed was meant to be a booby-substitute. As a result he cleverly managed to get me to bf him till he was 2.8
Just because something is not the cultural norm does not make it wrong. Our grandmothers and mothers unwittingly got it wrong when they replace breasts with bottles. Those of us swinging the pendulum back the other way may just be right!

At the end of the day its up to you as mums if you still want to continue bf until a certain age, I am not here to make you feel bad just to voice another opinion other than those currently on this thread. Harpiscord, you talk about being tolerant, but you have to also be tolerant about other peoples opinons too, they may be a lot different to your own, and I expect that i am not the only one that has these views.

well Piglet there's a pretty big leap between feeding a 2yo and feeding a 9yo - I can't really see the link in your argument condemning anyone who feeds past 24 months on teh basis that feeding a 9yo is wrong.

FWIW I certainly won't be feeding DS at 9 years. I doubt I'll be feeding him in 12 months tbh, but I wouldn't presume to tell anyone else when to stop.