Child personality verses brestfeeding period.

[RachaelM]

Hi again, my doctor advised me to stop breastfeeding my son at the age of 2 years. His argument was that long breastfed babies tend to be too attached to their mothers and it may affect how they function as they grow up. i am really confused. please advise and let me know when to stop breastfeeding or how long i should continue.

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Hi Rachael,

I breastfed four of my bubs for over 2 years and none of them had any "attachment" problems. In fact I'm a strong proponent of breastfeeding for as long as your child wants to and let your child tell you when he/she is ready to stop. Usually by the time they hit the age of 2, they are only breastfeeding first thing in the morning, before going down for nap, and before going down for bed, and possibly here and there during the day, but it's not so much for nourishment as it is for comfort.

There are some cultures where breastfeeding is very common as late a 7 or 8 years of age. However my children always weaned themselves sometime between 2-3 years of age, and mostly around 2 1/2. Every child is different so just take your child's lead. My last bub weaned just after she turned 2, and I was so sad. She simply had other interests (maybe having 4 other siblings played a part) and breastfeeding became less and less important to her.

Sometimes I'd offer the breast and she'd suckle for 30 seconds and then she was done. I was the one who wanted that relationship to last, but she was done.

There's a wonderful page on this website entitled The Pleasure of Extended Breastfeeding. Here's an excerpt from that article:

"My three keen nurslings have, to me, well proven the benefits of an extended breastfeeding relationship, with a physical resilience and emotional independence that comes, I believe, from the access to loving arms and the secure base that breastfeeding provides. Over the years I have also learned about the more tangible advantages of extended nursing."

Extended breastfeeding actually benefits both mother and child. One doctor told me that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of developing breast cancer, but truly, in my 30 years of supporting breastfeeding women, I haven't seen a problem with a child becoming too attached to their mother because they breastfed longer than 2 years of age. For me, it was pure joy to breastfeed my little ones until they were ready to be done and they all are very well adjusted, including my oldest son who is in his first year of college now.

Warm regards,

Kate

[aussiemidwife]

What a wonderful post Kate - informative and factual. RachaelM your doctors advise is contrary to the world health recommendations of breastfeeding for two years and beyond and is not based on any scientific evidence that I've read. In fact research shows that extended breastfeeding can enhance a child's emotional development.

[RachaelM]

Thanks very much for your wonderful response Kate, now i will let my son enjoy breastfeeding a long as he likes.I love this forum!!

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Mumof2IVFMiracles just made a great post on the "How long is too long" thread. Thought you might like to see it.

Warm regards,

Kate