'Breastfeeding is the normal way to feed your child'
That's always worth repeating, eh?
There'll come a time when you are 'still' feeding when the child is old enough to ask for it verbally. People seem to think it's a bit icky - as if there is beginning to be some sexual link there. What a shame that breasts are seen only as sexual objects. After all, milk was what they were designed for!!
Breastfeeding is NOT a sexual act but simply a feeding act. It can be pleasurable to the mother, but it is not sensual pleasure, just a good feeling of being close to your baby.
Many folks really dislike the term 'extended breastfeeding', as it suggests abnormality...
You may prefer the term Sustained Breastfeeding, or even Full-Term Breastfeeding.
"Why is it, when someone steps out of line, there is a rush to bring him in again, instead of an interest in finding out where he is going?" Barrie Stevens
For more information on the benefits of feeding toddlers and discussions on this, see these pages on KellyMom (and here), Dr Jack Newman, La Leche League.
Kathy Dettwyller's opinions are given here, also in an article from 1997 here. She has written a letter "To whom it may concern" for mothers to use in their support if necessary.
See also the excellent LLL book, Mothering your Toddler.
Here is an interview with Ann Sinnott, author of Breastfeeding Older Children.
A lovely inspiring story here from the Green Parent magazine.
You will hear some people (eg the 'Supernanny', Gina Ford) saying that it's just an emotional crutch, or a way of controlling Mum. So can lots of other types of behaviour - eg refusing to eat, all sorts of toilet training troubles... Can you think of others? How can we get past these difficult times?
In fact, most of a two-year-old's life seems to be all about controlling Mum!! Feeding can be the one part of the day when you remember how much you love them, really!
Milk no good?
What about your breastmilk's levels of Iron, Vitamin D etc. We hear from the frequent adverts for follow-on formula Milks that they have supplemented their products with various things - suggesting that mothers of children over 6 months are not providing properly. A mother who eats a balanced diet can provide very good milk for her child right to the end of her breastfeeding relationship. Get some good advice if you are concerned about your diet, it's important for lots of other things, not just breastmilk.
Just to repeat myself, the iron level of Breastmilk is lower than formulae if it's measured in a lab. This is not a disaster - the iron in breastmilk is a different form - which is much more readily absorbed by the child. So you need less iron of this form in your milk. (Indeed, too much Iron is not helpful for your child's tum.)
See advice here on how to make sure you have a good diet in terms of DHA & other fats, and how to make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D by getting some sun!
Your milk is an excellent source of antibodies and other factors which aid the normal development of the immune system in your child. Here's an article about the Thymus, and how it differs in children who have been breastfed.
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One of the very common issues with older breastfed children is that they like to twiddle, and whilst feeding they'll twiddle the nipple on the other side. This may be annoying to Mum! The milk let-down will be stimulated by the twiddling, which is one reason why they do it. Some advice here.
If you would like to avoid some of the common causes of early weaning, you may find this article useful.
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You may have seen the documentary Extraordinary Breastfeeding. You can read more about it here from one of the subjects, Veronika Robinson.
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Finally, if you really want to shock, try cooking with breastmilk (not from cows!).
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