Health, Taken Seriously

I used to thinking that nursing a toddler was weird.  It made me uncomfortable.  I only planned to nurse by firstborn until he was one.  But when he turned one, he wasn’t eating much food and was still nursing six times in a 24 hour period so obviously weaning wasn’t going to happen right away.  I ended up weaning him between 15 and 16 months of age.

However, I was really unsure what to wean him to.  I had major problems with cow’s milk (ethically and for health reasons) so I gave my son soy milk.  When my second son was born, I started to have some concerns about the safety of soy milk, especially in the large doses that children tend to drink.  So if my second son wasn’t going to drink cow or soy milk, what would he drink?

Fortunately, I have several friends that nursed their children past the age of one.  This seems taboo in our culture, so I was especially appreciative of knowing these courageous women that were doing what they thought was best for their child.  Because of them, I decided not to wean my second son around the time he turned one.  I give him water to drink during the day and then he nurses once or twice (we weaned to once a day around 17 months).  I know it’s not a lot of breast milk, but as children age, breast milk becomes more concentrated so I still know he’s getting lots of nutrition from nursing once.  I especially like knowing that he’s getting omega-3 fatty acids.  Since children can’t have nuts (walnuts) or fish until two years of age, once they wean from mom’s milk until the age of two, their diet is mostly void of omega-3’s (unless they eat omega-3 fortified eggs).  Nursing him just once a day guarantees that he’s still getting an excellent source of omega-3’s for brain development.  It also gives me peace of mind that he’s getting solid nutrition on the days when he doesn’t eat well.

Here is a blip from one of my friends who is currently nursing her toddler.  I’m proud of her for doing what’s best for her child and disregarding the glares and comments she gets from friends and strangers.

Niko is 14 months old and we are still breastfeeding.  In recent weeks, I have had a few acquaintances comment on the practice, displaying their obvious disgust and disapproval.

Anyway, just a few pointers for those of you who are anti-breastfeeding (past the newborn stage) or who just don’t “get it” when they see a mother nurturing her child:

1) The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending breastfeeding for “AT LEAST one year.
2) The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends nursing for a minimum of two years.
3) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) advises that women nurse for a minimum of two years as well.
4) Even after six months, breast milk still contains protein, fat, and other nutritionally important and appropriate elements which babies and children need.
5) Breastmilk, no matter the age of the baby, still contains immunologic factors which help protect the baby. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk which protect the baby against infection are present in GREATER amounts in the second year of life than in the first.
6) In some countries, breast milk is banked and given not to newborn babies, but as part of a treatment plan to SICK ADULTS because of the immunologic properties within it.
7) Nursing beyond one year is common in many parts of the world.

Sites worth visiting:

• http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html
• http://www.kellymom.com/newman/21bf_toddler.html
• http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct07p196.html
• http://www.llli.org/NB/NBextended.html
• http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpweaning/0,,3×5j,00.html
• http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug90p99.html

Filed under: Children on June 13th, 2009