You’re still breastfeeding?

As a parent you tend to hear more of people’s opinions than you wish, especially when it comes to parenting advice.  How about you raise your child and I will raise mine.  Some of the comments that I have heard about breastfeeding put me in awe how closed minded people can be.  Breastfeeding is very natural and I don’t think the amount of judgment that comes from it should have.  Even my own mother I have seen stand in front of me to block the view of people starring while I breastfeed my daughter. I don’t use a nursing cover; mainly because they are hot and uncomfortable and such a distraction. I notice now that my little one is getting older, 16 months now, that the stares are starting to become more noticeable.  I get more comments from men, “Yum I wish I was there” or “I’m jealous”.  It is comments like these and the way people act in regards to breastfeeding that I think is a big Booby Trap, which deters moms from breastfeeding at all, let alone extended breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding beyond infancy (1 year) has many health benefits for baby and you.  As Dr. Sears states in one of his articles “the incidence of many illnesses, both childhood and adult, are lowered by breastfeeding  -- diabetes, heart disease, and central nervous system degenerative disorders (such as multiple sclerosis) to name a few”.  If I can breastfeed my child past one and all the benefits are for her that is enough for me. Making her smarter, making her less susceptible to illness and diseases, more sociable, and less likely to be obese, I would say, “where do I sign up?” Not to mention all the good things it does for me, the mom. It also reduces the risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancer, and Dr. Sears says extended breastfeeding has some opinion on our side also, “The World Health Organization (WHO) officially recommends mothers breastfeed until three years of age. (Yes, you did read that right!) Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers should breastfeed at least until one year of age and then as long as baby and mother mutually want to.”

There are many difficulties that come with extended breastfeeding aside from the stares, rude comments, and opinion’s.  Nursing a toddler is definitely different than an infant. A toddler is exploring everything around them especially you! I love my daughter to death and wouldn’t stop nursing her even if I was told to; I am waiting until she is ready to stop.  She has learned quite a few habits that make nursing in public more difficult the older she becomes. She likes to play whether it’s with my other nipple while she is nursing or with the one she is sucking on. Both can be difficult to deal with when holding a 25 pound toddler in your arms grocery shopping. I have found that giving her something small to hold in her hands and to look at, or to engage her in conversation tends to work best in distracting her.  It also helps with all the distractions in the world around us.  There are not many places that have a nice quiet room for us to sit while she nurses, and I would never nurse her in the bathroom, because I wouldn’t eat lunch there, so why should she? Also with extending breastfeeding comes older babies, older babies have teeth.  I have read many articles that say if the baby has the proper latch you have nothing to worry about because your breast is far enough in their mouth they cannot bite. Biting was the one thing I was most nervous about when breastfeeding as my daughter got older.  She generally does not bite while she is nursing, it is when she is unlatching, or when she is bored she will bite to see if it gets a rise out of me. There are a couple things I have found that help with biting.  One, don’t get excited, because then your baby will get excited. I calmly let her know that she is not being nice and she’s hurting mommy. My daughter uses sign language so I sign and speak to her with most things.  When I say/sign “nice” and “hurt” to her I generally get her attention and she will say sorry and give me a kiss and then the biting will stop.

The difficulties are far easier to get through during breastfeeding than peoples comments can be, sometimes they can stick in your head more than anything. Lack of education may be the number one reason why people act the way they do when it comes to breastfeeding.  I have found passion in trying to teach and people, maybe just one person at a time will help spread the word and help another mom that is breastfeeding. The thing I try to remember is I am doing what is best for my baby and me. No one else’s opinions matter when it comes to mine and my baby’s health.

Sears, Dr. "Ask Dr. Sears: Extended Breastfeeding -- Handling the Criticism."Parenting.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2013.