📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

When does extended breastfeeding become weird....

Options
1356745

Comments

  • meritaten
    meritaten Posts: 24,158 Forumite
    I breastfed my oldest son for over three years and he only self-weaned when I was pregnant with No2 son.
    I find it wierd that society seems to think that babies should be weaned off the breast so early! its not just about nutrition its about the comfort and wellbeing of the baby.
    Yes, I got loads of flack by wellmeaning people. one nurse actually told me that I was an 'unnatural' mother only to be pulled up by the lovely doctor who was attending me in A&E.
    my own doctor seemed to think it was totally natural - while my HV (a right ninny anyway) told me that he would grow up with a 'breast fetish'.
    you breastfeed as long as both you and the baby are comfortable with it - its no-one elses business anyway!
  • Gillyx
    Gillyx Posts: 6,847 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    :rotfl: I think most men have a "breast fetish" even the bottled fed ones...
    The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.
  • I find the idea of a child over 1, or who can walk/talk breastfeeding weird.

    But you do what's right for you. I'd never comment on it. Once you've stumbled upon this article there's nothing left to shock you breastfeeding wise. It's NSFW, possibly NSFL...:eek:

    http://lifeissavage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/breastfeddad.jpg
    "If you don't feel the bumps in the road, you're not really going anywhere "
  • jojo_2012 wrote: »
    I find the idea of a child over 1, or who can walk/talk breastfeeding weird.


    I also find it weird if the child is 1 or over, thats just my personal opinion, but I would never ever make anyone feel uncomfortable doing what they see best/comfortable for their child.
    :D NEVER REGRET ANYTHING THAT MAKES YOU SMILE:D
  • onlyroz
    onlyroz Posts: 17,661 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    You should do what's right for you and your child. I would have carried on for longer than I did if it hadn't been so painful (I never got past the teething stage with either of mine).
  • melb
    melb Posts: 2,887 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If it makes a mum still feel needed then carry on but i would be amazed if a toddler still needed breast milk for nutritional reasons unless it was being fed an inadequate diet which is unlikely in the developed world. If a child is old enough to ask it's probably too old! My attitidue was minimum time to achieve maximum benefit and this was between 4 and 6 months. After that it's time to share the load!
  • ziggy2004
    ziggy2004 Posts: 391 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    melb wrote: »
    If it makes a mum still feel needed then carry on but i would be amazed if a toddler still needed breast milk for nutritional reasons unless it was being fed an inadequate diet which is unlikely in the developed world. If a child is old enough to ask it's probably too old! My attitidue was minimum time to achieve maximum benefit and this was between 4 and 6 months. After that it's time to share the load!

    My toddler chooses not to eat an adequate diet and still gets most of her nutrients from breast milk. Now I could of course try and force feed her or just withdraw a perfectly good source of nutrition because some other people find it weird but luckily for her I could not care less what uninformed others think is appropriate.

    Babies ask to be fed from birth just because they can use a word instead of asking in a variety of different ways does not mean that they loose the need for it. What an incredibly odd thing to say. Just about as odd as those people who think you cannot breast feed a child who has teeth ( great for those few children who are born without teeth they should just go straight onto steaks and chips then ...)

    Breastfeeding is the biological norm not just till 4 ( really ?!?!?!) or 6 months but for as long as a child needs the extra nutrition or comfort from milk. Cow ( or any other) milk can be part of a diet but does not need to be.
  • shirlgirl2004
    shirlgirl2004 Posts: 2,983 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    melb wrote: »
    If it makes a mum still feel needed then carry on but i would be amazed if a toddler still needed breast milk for nutritional reasons unless it was being fed an inadequate diet which is unlikely in the developed world. If a child is old enough to ask it's probably too old! My attitidue was minimum time to achieve maximum benefit and this was between 4 and 6 months. After that it's time to share the load!
    How many times do we hear parents of toddlers bemoaning the fact that their child is a fussy eater or doesn't eat? If those children were being breastfed (as nature intended) then there would be no concern. My babies were old enough to ask from birth! Communication with children doesn't have to be verbal. Even when they were past the tears stage and before they could talk they used sign language so I'm confused at what age you mean.

    Please explain why drinking the breast milk of cows and goats is OK and drinking human milk isn't when were are talking about young humans. Would it be OK if it were in a cup? Is it the fact that it is coming from a breast? What is the problem with skin to skin contact between human species? If I were putting my child to the breast of a cow I could understand the concern!
  • doodoot
    doodoot Posts: 554 Forumite
    I think that it should be halted as soon as the child is able to hold a cup or bottle to their own mouth.

    Any later than that seems wrong to me.

    I breastfed both of my sons but I have to say that seeing mothers with a toddler under their top is plain wrong to me.

    I once saw this happening in Costa and the child must have been 3 at least...I'm sorry to those who approve but it made feel very uncomfortable. :o
    Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.
  • onlyroz
    onlyroz Posts: 17,661 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    doodoot wrote: »
    I'm sorry to those who approve but it made feel very uncomfortable. :o
    If it made YOU uncomfortable then it is YOUR problem.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599.2K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177K Life & Family
  • 257.5K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.