She nursed each of her first four children, including three through a subsequent pregnancy, until they were at least 3. Flanagan clearly believes that long-term nursing has health benefits. They are comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with themselves. Forced independence may work in the short term, but in the long run it's not lasting. As a breast-feeding researcher and pediatrician at the Venice Family Clinic, UCLA professor Wendelin Slusser straddles the two worlds of science and clinical practice.
Breast milk is still good food.
That's one of the roles of a parent. But finding the endpoint of a good thing is one of medical research's most difficult challenges, says Goldman of the University of Texas. In the final analysis, many say that while useful, much of the medical research on breast-feeding currently underway approaches the question from the wrong direction.