Extreme Breast Feeding ( until 7)

[Anonymous]

Years, that is.


http://www.momlogic.com/2009/02/extreme_breastfeeding.php

[Anonymous]

Is the kid sucking on your boobs or her mom's boobs?

If the later, why do you care?

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on being about the 134th person to post this on this forum.

I think even the vast majority of extended breastfeeders would say this is very unusual and beyond pretty much everyone's comfort zone.

[Anonymous]

Ehhhh.... I recently learned that my dad bf until he was 7. He's in his 70ties and grew up in in another country considered third world at the time: water had to be boiled before drinking, no running water, no formula. His family was so poor they could afford meat once a week if that. His biggest wish growing up was to have shoes...

So perfectly understandable why my grandmother choose to bf until 7. My dad says he gave up bfing when a neighbor came over and saw him; "Why is that big boy still breastfeeding?" Was so ashamed, gave it up that day.

I bf'd both my kids til 3+ until they weaned themselves.

[Anonymous]

DC is self weaning at 13mo and I'm soooooo sad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ehhhh.... I recently learned that my dad bf until he was 7. He's in his 70ties and grew up in in another country considered third world at the time: water had to be boiled before drinking, no running water, no formula. His family was so poor they could afford meat once a week if that. His biggest wish growing up was to have shoes...

So perfectly understandable why my grandmother choose to bf until 7. My dad says he gave up bfing when a neighbor came over and saw him; "Why is that big boy still breastfeeding?" Was so ashamed, gave it up that day.

I bf'd both my kids til 3+ until they weaned themselves.

Thank you for sharing this story. I have to say the first time I saw that post, I hadn't had my baby and was so sure it was gross and wrong. But then I actually breastfed a child and realize that, while it's not for me, it isn't exactly what I thought it was, either.

Our society has made a feeding instrument into something sexual. It's not the other way around - we aren't feeding babies with a sex toy! We are feeding babies with our breasts, which is what our breasts are designed to do. If we think about the breast as a bottle, then yes, 7 seems old for it in our culture, but not in a freaky / sexual / gross way. But add in the sexy boobies factor and people completely see this in a different light.

I don't know when I will wean my son, who is still nursing at nearly two. I've heard that babies will "self-wean" after three, but sometimes as late as 7, if left entirely to their own preferences. I imagine if, sometime after three, he hasn't started to self-wean, I'll gently lead the way. But honestly, we are playing it by ear.

BTW, while the blog post appears to be new, the clip is way old. Over 2 years.

[Anonymous]

I feel awful for the children identified so publicly. Their mothers are sacrificing their children on the alter of their beliefs (about breastfeeding).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel awful for the children identified so publicly. Their mothers are sacrificing their children on the alter of their beliefs (about breastfeeding).

I dunno. I watched the clip. This family looks perfectly happy to me. The girls seem like any other girls of their age that I've met. They don't seem to be in any way ashamed of the way they've been raised. Their father also doesn't seem at all ashamed or creeped out at all. This family doesn't seem to be sacrificing children on the alter of their beliefs about anything.

Maybe you should watch the clip and actually listen to the interviews.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing this story. I have to say the first time I saw that post, I hadn't had my baby and was so sure it was gross and wrong. But then I actually breastfed a child and realize that, while it's not for me, it isn't exactly what I thought it was, either.

Our society has made a feeding instrument into something sexual. It's not the other way around - we aren't feeding babies with a sex toy! We are feeding babies with our breasts, which is what our breasts are designed to do. If we think about the breast as a bottle, then yes, 7 seems old for it in our culture, but not in a freaky / sexual / gross way. But add in the sexy boobies factor and people completely see this in a different light.

I don't know when I will wean my son, who is still nursing at nearly two. I've heard that babies will "self-wean" after three, but sometimes as late as 7, if left entirely to their own preferences. I imagine if, sometime after three, he hasn't started to self-wean, I'll gently lead the way. But honestly, we are playing it by ear.

BTW, while the blog post appears to be new, the clip is way old. Over 2 years.

This is so true. Personally, it creeps me out. But I realize that is MY issue, and that it is because I have this cultural view that breasts are sexual and it is somehow dirty. Logically I know it is wrong, so I would never say anything and in fact I'm ashamed to admit I even feel this way. It impacted my own ability to bf. I bf both my boys for a year, but I never felt comfortable doing it in public. I secretly envy women who can do this, because I wish I could shake off this personal hang up. But I never did. Probably never will. But seriously - more power to you ladies who can. I envy you.

[Anonymous]

I breastfed all of mine for about a year. And they self-weened. They just lost interest in nursing. They were too busy to tolerate being held still to eat. We went straight from breast to cup. Never needed bottles.

I don't think it's necessarily "creepy" to extend breastfeeding. But I think the moms are fooling themselves if they believe they are doing it for their kids. Unless you live in a country where food and clean water are scarce, your child doesn't need breast milk after about 2. They are getting their nutritional needs met by food at that point.

[Anonymous]

I'm a big supporter of breastfeeding but like most things in this world, everything in moderation. I think breastfeeding for a year or two or longer if it is working is fantastic, I think most people would agree age 7 is pushing that limit. When you think about it women used to have a lot more often and more of them, so by the time you have a 7 year old many of them would have possibly a 5, 3, and infant. We aren't really built to feed all of them that long so it seems like even nature sort of has a cut off point and it's likely the 7 year old wouldn't be getting BF at that point.

[Anonymous]

Do you guys honestly think that nutrition is why this woman was still breastfeeding at 5? At 7? Obviously the girl eats other things. This is not a FOOD thing. It's a comfort thing - mostly for the girls, probably also for the mother. The video says that the older girl nurses when she ASKS for it - which I know creeps a lot of you out because if they're old enough to ask, they're too old to nurse as far as you're concerned. But it's not something that the mom forces on her children.

I'm sorry if that sounds angry to you, but I think that so much effort has been put into making breastfeeding acceptable by turning it into a food thing that often it is shameful or selfish to even mention the positive emotional effects for both mother and child. My daughter is 15 months and she loves food. All food. She is still nursing twice a day, and I am sure that it's more of a comfort thing than a nutrition thing at this point, if for no other reason than that I can't imagine that I have much milk left due to her only nursing once or twice a day.

Yes, the nutritional aspect is important. No, it's not the only one.

[Anonymous]

on the ASK thing...

you're fooling yourselves if you think it suddenly becomes gross to feed a child once they have words for asking. they've been ASKING for it since yhei were born! They cried, smacked their lips, signed and now they talk! there's no difference!

you people should be ashamed of yourselves for being so harsh on other's choices when they don't impact you at all.

[Anonymous]

I didn't breastfeed - but I think it's so funny that people support using pacifiers because of comfort (see the paci thread) and say "older kids need the comfort - it's ok" but why is it not ok to breastfeed?

I've see 5 years olds with binkys and I'm sure there are 5 years olds that BF. If it comforts your child...so be it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:on the ASK thing...

you're fooling yourselves if you think it suddenly becomes gross to feed a child once they have words for asking. they've been ASKING for it since yhei were born! They cried, smacked their lips, signed and now they talk! there's no difference!

you people should be ashamed of yourselves for being so harsh on other's choices when they don't impact you at all.

Are you new to DCUrbanMoms? Everyone on here is harsh because everyone thinks they are better than everyone else. I formula fed and you wouldn't believe what some people write on here about mom's that formula feed. Last week there was a thread where a woman wrote it was selfish to use formula and not to give your kid the best, regardless of everything else going on with the mom. And don't even get these ladies started about CIO, WOHM, etc. People are mean. I just like to think it's because their lives are so crappy that they need to take it out on people they don't know. I agree that they should be ashamed.