Why do some moms breastfeed till 5-7 yrs? Isn't that kind of wrong?

Question

I am currently pregnant and have been reading up on different options. In the process I have come across articals and a lot of women saying they breastfeed to 3-4 years old and some to 5-7 years old which is the world average.

I understand you get a 'bond' but why on earth would you do it for that long? The child will remember that, and isn't that kind of sick after they are old enough to talk?!

I know this is my own opinion, but I think it's wrong because I remember things when I was 3-4, I am glad I don't have to remember sucking on my mom's b*****s as some of my childhood mealtimes!!

Just curious why people would do that.

Answer 1

Personally, I think when the kid is old enough to walk in the front door, walk over to you, and pull your shirt up, it's probably time to stop.  I have no problem with nursing infants but when you start talking about toddlers and little kids, it just seems unnecessary in this country.

Answer 2

Why do some mom's don't breast feed at all?

Why do some mom's choose to not properly strap their child in the car seat?

Why do some mom's ask dumb question's?

Why do some mom's post rude answers?

Why so some mom's become mom's?

***EDIT*** Who said anything about you being a bad mom or mean?????? I answered your question like this because the reason why mom's breast feed until the kid is 5 or 8 or whatever is because they CHOOSE to, just like every question above, the asnwers if BY CHOICE!

Answer 3

In ancient times 3-5 yrs was the NORM.

Now BF'ing is "socially" acceptable up to 24 months, which is BS. Women and babes should breastfeed as LONG as THEY feel comfy. There is nothing unhealthy about extended nursing, babes wean themselves. People have forgotten that fact.

You are not a bad mom for asking this, but rather than say the you think its "wrong" how about just owning the fact that you may be uncomfortable with it.

Wishing you a healthy pregnancy and peaceful, empowering birth!

Answer 4

It takes 10 years, for the human immune system to be fully ready to take on all the day to day bugs and germs that roam the world.

It takes 7 years on average for the human gut to stop producing the lactase required to digest Milk properly.

It takes 2 years, before the stomach and gut are developed enough to start breaking down solid foods, and the enzymes that they consist of.

It takes between 4 months and 14 months to start cutting milk teeth.

Breastmilk is Biologies answer to a childs needs for food, warmth, comfort, health and development.

A child may grow out of it requiring it for food and development, however, being that a womans breast also provides warmth, comfort, and health, why would you think otherwise about breastfeeding for so long?.

Once upon a time, a man said infant should not sleep in the same room as their parents.

This brought about a generation of mysterious infant deaths, usually resulting in the mother being blamed for mistreatment.

Then we were told formula was better. Now we have a generation of Health problems, some of which are a result of Dairy. Others are a result of Plastic which turn toxic when heated.

As to your question. The only reason why they would think it sick, is because YOU put that in their head in the first place. Children are a blank slate, and do not know sick, or wrong, this is what your job is. To teach them. Once upon a time people were taught b*****s were taboo, they should be hidden, and thus was the rise of infant formula, and the decline of the breast feeding mother.

Who cares what others think, the only way you will ever understand the reasoning is by doing so yourself. And seeing how much healthier your children are. But i've already made up my mind that you are the close minded sort, who would deem something unnatural, and wrong without and actual facts or knowledge on the matter.

To everyone else. This is why children of today are growing up to be angry, and to victimise and persecute others. Do your jobs properly and raise tolerant children who seek to understand the whims of others, rather then judge, and persecute.

Just remember, back in Jesus's day. Breastfeeding till 5 was the norm.

@Jillian,

well said! Theres also the fact you can't count on bottles NOT TO BE TOXIC when heated. there are alot of kids who will now suffer cancers and other problems now because they were fed from those plastic bottles which turned toxic when heated.

Answer 5

Kimberly G,

Why do you think they are called MILK TEETH?  Many mammals are born with teeth, most nurse long after milk teeth erupt.

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Slee...

The guinea pig is born with teeth

http://www.monkeymiadolphins.org/questio...

The teeth will start erupting in the first 5 weeks of life. Dolphins can be aged by the rings in their teeth.

'[...]

In the wild, mothers nurse their calves for at least three years, but nursing up until the age of ten has been reported

http://www.fws.gov/species/species_accou...

They nurse underwater for about three minutes at a time from a nipple located behind their mother’s forelimb. Born with teeth, calves begin eating plants within a few weeks but remain with their mother for up to 2 years.

http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_AMAFJ010...

porcupine

Newborns are born with teeth, eyes open, and soft quills that harden within an hour.

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcou...

Infant sloths are born with teeth, hair, claws, open eyes, and they weigh from 340-400g. They are born with the ability to vocalize and can grasp on to objects firmly. They generally begin eating solid foods between fifteen and twenty-seven days of age and have been witnessed hanging from tree limbs within twenty to twenty-five days of their birth (Meritt, 1985).

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.ht...

In a group of 21 species of non-human primates (monkeys and apes) studied by Holly Smith, she found that the offspring were weaned at the same time they were getting their first permanent molars. In humans, that would be: 5.5-6.0 years

http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=94

Lambs suckle the ewes’ rich milk frequently at first, but begin nibbling tender plants at about two weeks of age. They are weaned, or have ceased to nurse, at about five or six months. They grow rapidly from 4.5 kg when born to about 29 kg by the end of their first summer.

Answer 6

No no no... That is an unhealthy relationship between child and mother. I am currently breastfeeding my 7 month old and I just read up on how many mothers breastfeed this long. Only 36% of mothers breastfeed this long. I planned on stopping at one year, but I doubt it will work out. I'll bet i'll still be nursing him until 1 and a half or 2... But no more than that!

Good luck to you and congrats on the baby!

Answer 7

Most breastfed babies won't take a bottle- babies aren't stupid they know teh difference. besides some women don't believe in using bottle because it's not the way teh body was naturally designed. Also, breastmilk is best straight from the source. sucking from the breast sends signals to the mother to produce antibodies, sucking from the b*****s also strenghtens the jaw in a way a bottle does not. it is reccomended that children do not have bottles after the age of one year becausee of the effects it may have on the child's teeth and jaw. Breastfeeding is reccomended by the World Health Organization for at least two year and beyond. Also, pumping breastmilk is very hard and by the time the child is a year old or so it gets hard to pump it andd a child is much better at getting it out. The American Academy of Pediatrics reccomend a MINIMUM of one year. Breastmilk changes it's com[position over time to suit the needs for your child and breastmilk is especially good for the picky toddler who won't hardly eat a healthy thing. Why not the breast instead of the bottle? people only view it that way if they see the breast as a sexual thing, which it in no way or form is a sexual thing. The human body was designed to natural self wean from the breast just like any other mammal, but because the human has a longer gestation, bigger brain capacity, longer lifespan it takes humans longer than it would for a cat or dog or so. Just because cow's milk is "ok" to give after one year doesn't mean you should or have to, you can keep going the healtheir route. i don't know why so many americans say you shouldn't breastfeed after one year when it's just the MINIMUM reccomendation. most children who are breastfed from 3-4 years and beyond don't remember actually sucking on their mother's breast, they remember the closeness they had with their mother, which i wish i rememeber as a child. even if they did remember it well they wouldn't be ashamed or gross out because most of these children aren't raised to be oversexualized. when i was a baby my mother was nursing me and my sister who was almost 4 asked if she could try and my mother said yes. she remembers that perfectly but it doesn't bother her and it never did and she is a normal healthy human being. my neighbor was breastfeeding her 3 year oldd and 1 year old. the 3 year old weaned herself and is a wel behaved normal little child. When both mine and my son's doctor ( we go to the same practice- different doctors) found out that i was still nursing him at 15 month they were very happy. because not only is it good for the toddler it is good for the mother's health too. the longer a  woman breastfeeds for the less risk for breast and other reproductive cancers

I used to think the same way that you do, in fact when i first had my son my goal for breastfeeding was 6 months.Until a doctor and lactation consultant ask me. "why only 6 months" and then it hit me. yeah why. so i made it the minimum reccomended year. Now i am still nursing him at 17 months old. i thought the same way you didd until i did some deep research and found out what i was thinking was not the norm. adnd the rest of the workd is a completely different place. Now, i may not breastfeeding my son until he 5 but i completely understand why a woman does and that's it's not a bad thing, it's a great thing.

        Another poster said that it's 90% for the mother and i will tell you as a person who is "extended breastfeed" it is not. I'm 21 years old and im not dying for someone to suck on my boob and sometimes i just wish he would wean already. I do it for him and him only. Right now i don't even care about the benefits for me. it comforts my son, makes him feel secure, it nourishes him, and it does make me feel closer to him

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/eb...

Answer 8

you may be surprised, perhaps if you had been breastfed that long, till 3 or even 7, maybe you would have warm fuzzy memories of it. it would likely NOT be such a source of disgust for you like it is now.

Answer 9

Since I am not at level 2 and able to rate answers, I'll have to just reply and say that I agree with Kimberly G.

Edit: I also agree with kristinatx4!

Answer 10

It is not wrong! In fact, I think the real question should be, why don't western cultures breastfeed for longer? In the west, b***s equal s*x organs. Thus, people think it's "unhealthy" or "unnatural" for older children to be breastfed, when it is one of the most natural things for humans and animals to do. Another reason is that in the west, formula and cow's milk make it easy (convenient) for women to not breastfeed for long, or at all.

I nursed my son for 1.5 years and will nurse my daughter for at least a year and/or until she no longer wants or needs it.

Answer 11

it's  the world average because they don't have food (or money for food) to feed them anything else.  we're fortunate in our country to be able to switch them to food when they cut teeth, which is what any other animal does!

Answer 12

For the same reason that you make any parenting decision that you make . . . because they think that it's in the best interest of the child.  Some woman believe that weaning a child to cow's milk isn't good for them, and weaning before they're ready can cause unnecisary harm.  They usually have researched the subject and made an educated decision.  I can assure you that no mother does it because it's just so much fun!

The American Academy of Pediatrics states:

"Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychological or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."

Some parents practice what's called "child-led weaning".  Its a parenting style that allows the baby/toddler/young child to wean when they decide they are ready.  It may not be for you, or common, but there's nothing wrong with it.

***Every mothers nursing relationship with their child is a personal one.  If there is no evidence of psychological harm, then what do you care?

Challenge for you:  google extended breastfeeding and see if you can find one negative remark from a reputable source . . .

EDIT:  Why does it matter if its from a bottle/cup or the breast?  

Contrary to popular belief, the b*****s are not s*x organs, they're mammary glands, their sole purpose is to produce milk.  It doesn't make any sense to add all kinds of tools and contraptions to the process when there is nothing wrong with the natural act in and of itself.

Answer 13

I don't think it's wrong at all. And yeah, you have to remember this is the WORLD average.

Also remember the AAP recommends breastfeeding for AT LEAST the first YEAR. Most babies will be talking and having teeth at a year.

That said, most babies, who also get some other form of milk and solid food, wean themselves around 2.  

Answer 14

Aug 29, 9am

"Mystic I didn't say anything about breastfeeding being bad."

"but I think it's wrong because I remember things when I was 3-4"

"The child will remember that, and isn't that kind of sick after they are old enough to talk?! "

Ok so you didn't say it was "bad" you said it was "wrong" and "sick" to breastfeed after the kid could talk (6 months?) or could remember (generally accepted as around age 3).  You called it sick and you wonder why people are getting upset?

Let me be very clear, in case I am being confusing.  There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding your child regardless of their age as long as they still have a need for it.  There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding regardless of milk transfer -milk transfer is not the only benefit of breatfeeding for a child.  Breastfeeding allows the proper development of the jaw muscles for one thing -which is something a bottle, cup, or pacifier does not do.  

Suckling at the breast is normal, the human body is built to suckle for at least 2 years, and probably more like 3-5 years.  When a child suckles at the breast they pass disease causing microbes directly to mom's breast.  Mom's breast independently of the rest of her immune system makes antibodies specifically for the child.  Given that a child's immune system isn't mature until 6 years of age and that toddlers tend to l**k shopping carts and shoes this immune support is needed -whether you live somewhere with access to medical care or not.  Some anthropologists believe that the immunological factors were the primary reason mammal b*****s make fluid, it wasn't until hundreds of years later it started to make milk.

Of course not only does the transfer of microbes not happen during pumping but storing and heating milk (which you need to do or else all the fat is separate) destroys many of the immune factors, and nutrients.

Human children have the NEED to suckle for many years after birth, and I would rather that a loving parent meet a child's needs than an object.  In general normal healthy babies do not suck pacifiers or thumbs.  They also don't have security objects or transitional objects.  Babies are born with mothers and mothers are pretty much all a child needs.  Yes you can use mommy replacements -but its always at a cost.

And of course breastfeeding is beneficial for moms as well.  It reduces the risks of many cancers, it also reduces the severity of certain chronic illnesses in the mother (such as diabetes and allergies).  If every woman that gave birth in Britain each year breastfed for 1 year then 1,000 fewer women would get cancer EACH YEAR (according to one article, I haven't done that math).  Now assuming that every woman that they breastfed until the baby self weaned and assuming 3 is a real average for that.  That would be 3,000 fewer cases of breast cancer each year in Britain alone.  How many lives would be saved?

And trust me, most moms don't breastfeed because they "enjoy" it, any more than they "enjoy" changing diapers.

Breastfeeding isn't a "good" thing, breastfeeding is nothing more than a normal thing.  It is normal at 3 days and it is normal at three years.  It doesn't give a "special" bond or "extra" immune support.  It gives a normal bond and normal immune support.  Breastmilk is not a "special" thing either -its just normal/average.

There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding at any age.  

More discussion of nutrition and anhropolgical views: http://www.babyreference.com/BeyondBreas...

Breastfeeding throughout history and internationally: http://chestofbooks.com/health/children/...

http://www.bobrow.net/kimberly/birth/BFL...

"The truth is, breastfeeding is nothing more than normal. Artificial feeding, which is neither the same nor superior, is therefore deficient, incomplete, and inferior. These are difficult words, but they have an appropriate place in our vocabulary."

The lactation consultant says, "You have the best chance to provide your baby with the best possible start in life, through the special bond of breastfeeding. The wonderful advantages to you and your baby will last a lifetime." And then the mother bottlefeeds. Why?

In part because that sales pitch could just as easily have come from a commercial baby milk pamphlet. When our phrasing and that of the baby milk industry are interchangeable, one of us is going about it wrong...and it probably isn't the multinationals. Here is some of the language that I think subverts our good intentions every time we use it.

Best possible, ideal, optimal, perfect. Are you the best possible parent? Is your home life ideal? Do you provide optimal meals? Of course not. Those are admirable goals, not minimum standards. Let's rephrase. Is your parenting inadequate? Is your home life subnormal? Do you provide deficient meals? Now it hurts. You may not expect to be far above normal, but you certainly don't want to be below normal.

When we (and the artificial milk manufacturers) say that breastfeeding is the best possible way to feed babies because it provides their ideal food, perfectly balanced for optimal infant nutrition, the logical response is, "So what?" Our own experience tells us that optimal is not necessary. Normal is fine, and implied in this language is the absolute normalcy--and thus safety and adequacy--of artificial feeding. The truth is, breastfeeding is nothing more than normal. Artificial feeding, which is neither the same nor superior, is therefore deficient, incomplete, and inferior. Those are difficult words, but they have an appropriate place in our vocabulary.

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Proper nutrition

Proper immune function

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HUMANS ARE MEANT TO DO.

Just because a 1 year old can live on cow's milk doesn't make it a good idea.  I could live on McDonalds (maybe) but that doesn't make it a wise choice.

And of course every 6 months of breastfeeding during a woman's lifetime cuts her risk of many cancers, and other diseases.  That's ok though I mean its not like breast cancer is a major problem or anything.

It has very little to do with "bonding"

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Edited to add:

Even assuming that breastmilk from a cup was the same as breastmilk from the source (which its not, breastfeeding even in the absence of milk has benefits just ask why the moms who adopted, have no or few mammary glads, etc and have low or no milk supply still breastfeed) do you have ANY idea how much work it is to pump breastmilk?

Some women can never pump a drop.  Most women will have to pump 2-3 times for 10-20 minutes to make the same amount of milk a baby/toddler will consume in 5-15 minutes.  If you are going to exclusively pump many women have to pump at very strict intervals to maintain their supply.  Not to mention the expense of bottles, liners, storage containers, blah, blah, blah.

Why take something that is working and make it difficult and time consuming.  

Its also not like someone hands you a 2 year old one day.  You will find that your baby changes very slowly.  Your baby is very much the same the week before they turn one and the week after.  The week before they turn two and the week after.

-------

American Academy of Pediatrics

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

# There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer.197

# Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk but should receive iron-fortified infant formula.198

Extended Breastfeeding Fact Sheet

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/eb...

Breastfeeding prevents cancer

http://www.prematureoptimism.com/linkBlo...

Answer 15

Extended nursing is 90% about what the moms needs not the babies/kids.  

Answer 16

The breast and our ability to breastfeed is a wonderful thing. Many people may think it is "sick" to give your child breast milk after even a year of age, but there are many benefits to breastfeeding as I'm sure you already know.

The crazy thing, in my opinion, is that in places like Africa, where money food and clean water are scarce, formula is recommended as a good way to feed their children. They have to spend most of their money on formula when they could be giving their children the best thing they can offer: their breast.

Here in Toronto, where I live, I won't be breastfeeding my daughter at age 5 but if I were in a third world country, my child would be at my breast for as long as they are willing to. And I'd teach her that it is food and I'm sure she would not be grossed out.

Another big problem is how the breast is sexualized in our society. b*****s were made to provide nourishment...It's a shame how breastfeeding is looked down on in society.

I hope this makes sense to you.

Best wishes and congratulations :)

Answer 17

I wish I could answer that- I read about that too and just think those women are weirdos. Once your child can ask for it it's time to let go! Just my opinion but I think it's nasty too.