“Extended breastfeeding”
By: Tamsyn Elisabeth Fortune-Wood
Tags: Breastfeeding

Me Feeding my 18month old son half way up Snowdon. Copy right: Tamsyn Fortune-wood

First let’s look at the recommendation the WHO recommend breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months then breastfeeding alongside other foods for up to 2 years and beyond (World Health Organisation, 2019). In the UK 81% of mothers start breastfeeding this drops to 0.5% by 6 months in country’s such as Norway 70% of babies are breastfeed by 6 months (Royal college of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2018) this is a huge difference.

My boy is 19months and I can see why it is so hard to continue breastfeeding.

First let’s look at the language around breastfeeding after your baby turns 12 months the phrase extended breastfeeding already makes it sound like an extra. You’ve watched the movie but now you might watch the extended cut but the extra you get out will be minimal. This is far from true; breastfeeding is not only still beneficial past 12 months it is completely natural.

Second there is a feeling that it is down to you to decided when you will stop breastfeeding, now let me make something clear I don’t breastfeed I haven’t breastfed since I was about 2, my son breastfeeds and he will decide when he is ready to stop. The natal weaning age of children across the world is 2.5–7 years (Dettwyler, 1997) and although this is a older reference in my mind it shows that if children are left to there own devises then the uk average of only 0.5% of babies only breastfeeding till 6months (Royal college of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2018)

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So, breastfeeding after 12 months is not extended breastfeeding it is just breastfeeding nothing magical happens when your child turns 1 your milk doesn’t suddenly stop having all these amazing health benefits to your child and the comfort element is still really valid.

My next bugbear is the questions that will come your way from others. “when you going to stop then”: doesn’t he eat solid food yet” “aren’t you worried he will never want to stop” “you’re making a rod for your own back” “after 12 months its for the mother not the child” and worse of all “that’s almost abusive” these are just some comments that I have personally had or herd people say about others who feed toddlers

This can make you feel just as nervous to feed in public as you did when your baby was first born, for some it might be even more nerve wracking. You also start to feel like you have less people to talk to as If you have a bad night of sleep because your toddler has woken for a feed you feel unable to express this for fear of the common responses “well you should just stop feeding” “You’ve only got yourself to blame for babying him” this makes it hard to talk about any struggles a mother of a toddle has.

On top of general society, the knowledge of health care professionals seems to be greatly lacking in the health benefits of breastfeeding past 12 months and I have herd some ridicules advice given to mothers around breastfeeding at this stage and never encouragement

I Sadly do not know how we can fix the UK’s skewed morel compass when it comes to continued breastfeeding, but I will continue to be an advocate challenging those who would make these comments and supporting others to finding accurate sources of information. I also feel that by continuing to talk about this subject hopeful mothers of toddlers realise they are not alone and that they as not doing anything odd, but it is the rest of our society that has got it wrong.

And as always however you chose to feed your child you are amazing, you made life!

References

Dettwyler, K., 1997. A natural Age of Weaning. [Online]

Available at: https://www.health-e-learning.com/articles/A_Natural_Age_of_Weaning.pdf

[Accessed 18 April 2019].

Royal college of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2018. RCPCH position statement on Breastfeeding. [Online]

Available at: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/position-statement-breastfeeding-uk

[Accessed 19 April 2019].

World Health Organisation, 2019. Breastfeeding. [Online]

Available at: https://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/

[Accessed 16 April 2019].

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