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How Old is Too Old to Breast-Feed?A hot topic on a national debateRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - The question of how old is too old is being debated as TIME Magazine images of moms breast-feeding their three- and four-year olds circulate on the Internet. Nursing a baby until he or she is a preschooler is more common in Alaska than some might realize. "I see a lot of moms who are feeding past the second birthday, sometimes to the third or the fourth birthday," said Sarah Stevens, a lactation consultant at Midwifery and Women’s Health Care in Anchorage. But Stevens said societal pressures force moms to feed behind closed doors. "Mothers who practice extended breast feeding are sometimes perceived as a little bit different, or treating their child differently, and children who do extended breast feeding are sometimes perceived as different, but I think at home it happens a lot more frequently than we are aware of,” said Stevens. Deadra Hall breast-fed four-year-old Cannon until he was two-and-a-half years old. "My family was very supportive, but I'd still get looks if I was out in the community and I decided to breast feed, because I didn't go to a bathroom - in fact I wouldn't go to a bathroom - I wouldn't try and hide it", said Hall. Lactation specialist Sarah Stevens said there is no right answer to when a child should stop breast-feeding. "I don't think that there is an age that is too old; obviously nobody is coming home from the prom or coming home for lunch from high school to breast feed. Most kids wean by themselves by the time they are two or three,” said Stevens. Mom Deadra Hall said extended breast-feeding helped reinforce the bond between her and her son Cannon. “It was a factor for me in the sense that I wondered if it was more about my need to bond with him that continued it or whether it was his need to bond with me, and so I struggled in that because of societal pressure saying he's getting older it's time to let go," said Hall. |
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Sherri Holley said on Friday, May 11 at 2:29 AM
I nursed my sons until they were 3 1/2 yrs old. I told people that I would stop breastfeeding when their wives told me to stop!
90448325Dude said on Friday, May 11 at 6:41 AM
NEVER TOO OLD :)
90473326Anonymous said on Saturday, May 12 at 12:38 PM
Very weird. Maybe there is a sexual satisfaction from this by these women. That is ridiculous.
90618196JulieB said on Monday, May 14 at 2:40 PM
I breastfed all 4 of my children. The first 3 to about a year, and my youngest until he was 3.5 years old. I didn't plan it that way, it just ended up happening. I was discreet about it, but certainly not ashamed. I think it's whatever works for your family that matters. The thing that bothers me about the Time cover besides the obviously provocative pose, is the "Are you mom enough" bs. Trying to pit breastfeeding vs non-breastfeeding moms against each other is wrong, and needs to stop. A mother's job is to nurture and nourish her children, and whether that is through the breast or through the bottle is a very personal choice.
90790756Sherrill Schroeder said on Monday, May 14 at 10:00 PM
To anonymous, there is nothing sexual about breastfeeding a baby/child. America is one of the only countries that don't let the child self ween. Are 'we' the only right ones who force a child away from a natural comfort? Or could it be that 'we' have sexualized the breasts into a man's play thing instead of what God intended them for? Which is to nourish a child. For you to even state that women get a 'sexual satisfaction' for breastfeeding, is completely outrageous and disgusting. Breastfeeding is a loving caring time that I bond with my child. A quiet time where we can just hold each other and enjoy being close to each other. I breastfed my 3 girls and will breastfed anymore that come along. If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!!
90864985Barbara said on Wednesday, Aug 1 at 7:13 PM
No need to breastfeed at 3 and half years old. That is completely uncalled for. I can see up to 6 months or so, but not past that.
98225296Woman in AK said on Friday, Apr 5 at 5:56 PM
I breast fed my son until he was 2 and 4 mo old. A year later he still misses nursing! I chose to cut him off but did it slowly. He is still super attached to my breasts and says he "loves them". They are a comfort to him which is what they were designed for. They were his first relationship of love since it is the breast that provides the nourishment of his first and most basic instinct - hunger. He is just now beginning to understand that they are a part of me as he asked if he could put my breasts in his pocket and take them to preschool with him. There is nothing sexual about breast feeding. That is a disgusting thought and comment and that person should be ashamed. In fact, I sometimes found it physically irritating to nurse my son and I bared the irritation because it gave my son food and comfort. And only up to 6 months? That is crazy! A year is highly suggested by pediatricians and longer if possible. 3 years old is actually the international AVERAGE!
117674132Erika said on Thursday, Apr 18 at 12:07 PM
Read up on health benefits for child AND mother, besides bonding! The most peaceful view for me is to see a nursing mother with baby.
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