Why do people breastfeed past 1year old?

[Mommabear20]

Not a bashing thread, I'm genuinely interested in peoples reasons!

My DD was formula fed and once she was a year old and could drink cows milk, she stopped formula completely and no longer uses bottles at all.

So my question is, if you have breastfed your DC past 1 year when it's no longer needed for their nutrition, why do/did you continue?

@TheFishWillSeeYouNow

*Yes but isn't that WHO recommendation intended for places/countries where infant mortality and malnutrition are a big problem? It's not necessary in the UK where we have access to safe drinking water, many type of milk, plenty of food etc'

That doesn't mean they are no benefits to those who don't live in the Third World which is why the NHS also recommends it.

It's fairly obvious that human milk for human babies is going to be better for them than any other type no matter where they live.

[quote Lifeisnteasy]**@onreee* I did breastfeed, but only for 6 months. Stopped for a number of reasons. You don’t need* personal experience of something to contribute to a thread numerous people on here were asking why people use formula so I responded. And also to the poster who asked whether it makes a difference to the bond.[/quote]
Who’s been asking for details about the precise benefits of breastfeeding on this thread? Literally no one.

It is a complete no brainer that breastmilk is going to be better for babies than cows milk (not formula, which is not what the question is about). And boring on about negligible benefits at a population level completely ignores the fact that some mums and babies just like it, find it easy, don’t see why they should stop. As I said before, no one bfing a toddler is doing it because they don’t want them to become obese, it’s all a total straw man.

@FolkSongSweet many of the mums on here have said one of the reasons they’re doing it is the health benefits

@Parker231

It doesn’t work like that - you can be obese whether you were bf or ff. it’s not that simple or straightforward.

😂 yes I know that but it is a trend that’s seen, purely from a statistical point of view, everything’s available for you to look too. Certainly not negligible though.

@Lifeisnteasy all the posts I’ve read have had multiple other reasons too, and the health benefits (which do exist) are just part of the thinking. If there is anyone I’ve missed who is doing it purely because they think it will stop their child being obese then I’d be shocked.

In any case there are also health benefits beyond quibbling about population level obesity statistics - eg when my child is sick she only wants to breastfeed so it’s a great way of getting fluids and nutrients into her. It also gives her comfort, calms her down and helps her sleep, which is a real help when she’s ill and distressed and definitely minimises the effects of illness (as I know from how it went down when I stopped breastfeeding my first). As most parents know who have actually breastfed past a year, it’s not just about the milk, but about the whole relationship and that has a host of benefits for both parties.

Yeah but why click on it in the first place? The question was why do people extended breastfeed I just don't get the appeal, especially for those who wanted to but couldn't. It's just going to annoy you 🤷🏻‍♀️

It should be this contentious, it's just infant feeding.

@Lifeisnteasy

I mean, yes breastfeeding is ideal for mother and baby. Babies are going to prefer a nice fleshy breast to a bottle comfort-wise, human milk will be more nutritious for them

It's not worth getting wound up about, it's true, and we all know in the grand scheme of things it's rather unimportant

@onreee

Yeah but why click on it in the first place? The question was why do people extended breastfeed I just don't get the appeal, especially for those who wanted to but couldn't. It's just going to annoy you 🤷🏻‍♀️

It should be this contentious, it's just infant feeding.

@Lifeisnteasy

I FF one child, I bf the other.

I explained why I carried on bf past 12 months much like others.

I also said a couple of comments were unkind to ff mothers - they were.

Plus the comments like this

Babies are going to prefer a nice fleshy breast to a bottle comfort-wise

This is such sanctimonious crap!

Usual tedious attempts at divisiveness and usual goady suspects aside, it’s been really lovely to see so many positive experiences of feeding over a year and natural term weaning.

Not sure what you hoped for with this thread OP but I hope you’ve found it interesting, I have.

I’ve really enjoyed reading so many positive stories too. Bfing over age 1 often isn’t discussed and for obvious reasons isn’t nearly so visible so it’s nice to hear from others who have done it.

Thank god I know now that the health benefits are negligible 🤣

Because it gives all the nutrients baby needs.
Bonding between mum and baby
Better for environment
Building antibodies/immune system
Soothing for baby

We live in a society that does not sufficiently support women to breast feed. Makes women feel uncomfortable for breastfeeding publicly
Sexualises breasts.
Promotes the use of formula.

In many cultures breast feeding is the norm up to five years but not in western countries instead it's seen as a weird hippy thing to do.

It was part of our routine.
It helped both DDs to sleep.
It still provides nutritional and immune system benefits after 1y.
1 of my DDs had a cow milk allergy, so BF was particularly good for her.
It was a comfort for them.
It was a bonding experience.
It just felt right, and lovely.

BF to 2.5y and 3.5y.

Cows milk is for cows - you do realise that the only way a cow lactates is by being pregnant and that that milk is meant for their children who are then taken from them.

If the calves are male they are killed very soon for meat and then the female calves are grown then are impregnated by a bull being masturbated and then a farmer shoving semen forcefully into a cow's womb which is essentially sexual assault (interestingly bestiality laws were changed so that farmers can do this but if anyone else does this they are arrested as unless its for money via the dairy industry its considered perverted..)

The calves are aken away from their mothers and are fed artificial shit so that their mother's milk can be sold to humans.

Breastmilk is meant for human kids and so can be fed to human kids for many years if necessary.

So why would anyone give another animal's milk to their child? Wy give them cows milk other than you've been told that the dairy industry is a perfectly normal part of Western life?

Oh and if you cant breast feed you can also give them vegan formula milk so you aren't taking part in the torture that is the dairy industry.

No, the recommendation is for all countries.

Was trying to quote tweet about WHO recs there.

Because it's natural. Natural term is up to age 4/5. It's good for babies and moms. It's bonding and gives comfort to the baby/toddler - especially when sick or hurt.

Balanced nutrition, contains less sugar than formula of juice. Boosted immunity. Reduces the risk of common childhood illnesses like earache. Benefits for mom include reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

It's easy (by then) and no preparation involved. You don't have to go hunting for formula on holiday.

Baby's like it. I mean if you can why wouldn't you? The only issue there is with it by this point is usually other people and their views and that's not a reason to stop for me.

Because breastfeeding continues to be nutritionally beneficial and supports the immune system of a child until ATLEAST 2 or beyond. WHO recognise this. 200,000 children a year would be saved if all children were breastfed due to extra nutrition and immune benefits.

Also it's free, always accessible and can calm and meltdown and will send the toddler to sleep quickly and efficiently. It's great for attachment and bonding. By 1 a child can latch and feed so effectively it's practically zero effort so there's not really a cons. The hard bit is at the start.

As a final bonus the longer a woman breastfeeds for the more she lowers her risk of a whole range of cancers and other health conditions.

A child being breastfed doesn't preclude them from drinking any other milk once they reach toddlerhood. My child is 2 and is allergic to milk (anaphylactic) so can't just drink cows milk. He does still have oat milk sometimes from a cup or sometimes he'll breastfeed. It's up to him.

Because the child doesn't want to give up and soothes/settles with it. I feel guilty, it's like taking its comfort toy like a teddy bear from them. I also like the closeness I get as I get to give cuddles, play with his hair, his cheeks and have him close by in my arms.

@LittleBearPad

I don't care what you do but clearly you're very sensitive. Of course babies prefer their mothers breast to a bottle. Obviously if they only had a bottle it won't matter because they won't know any different. I am maki the point that yes, breast is natures ideal, formula is the best alternative. Not sure how that's sanctimonious or why that offends you, especially if, as you claim, you have breastfed one of your children.

My baby has breast and breastmilk in a bottle. Try shoving a bottle in his face when he's screaming - it is not the same as offering the breast.

Once again, I do not care what anyone does, only on Mumsnet is this a controversial thing to say. I don't know why anyone is upset either way, especially if you're happy with you're feeding choices.

I breastfed my youngest until he was 14 months old (although only the last feed before bedtime by the end!). It was something we both enjoyed and I missed it terribly after we stopped. The reason I ended it was because he began to think it amusing to (gently) bite me! I knew that he thought this was ‘fun’ because he would give me a little grin as he did it 😀

Antibodies. My family caught a bug, my body had prior experience of similar infections and produced antibodies to fight it off. My sons body had no prior experience and he would probably have been more ill except I was able to give him my antibodies in breast milk which helped him fight it off too. Repeat god knows how many times over the 3 years I breastfed him.

Easiest way to get them to nap/go back to sleep. Good source of food and comfort when ill/teething. Lockdown happened and there was nothing better to do

I bf all 3 of my babes way past a year and I did it because there were so many benefits for them and me. Health benefits, bonding benefits, comfort benefits, sleep benefits. There are a myriad of ways to raise your kids, there are no right or wrong ways just what works best for different families. My kids certainly suffered no ill effects from breastfeeding past babyhood and neither did I!

I continued because it worked for our family. He slept brilliantly and if he was poorly or woke up at night he went straight back to sleep.

Because we wanted to.

Also. Stopping bottle feeding is ime much easier than stopping breastfeeding. Bottles can be left in the cupboard and eventually forgotten about but my boobs are always with me 😂