7 Arguments Against Breastfeeding Past Two Debunked
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Photographer credit - Nicole diGiorgio, Sweetness and Light Photography- Pictured here is Paala Secor /blog
Breastfeeding is amazing. So amazing that it not only provides nourishment, it provides comfort and security too. It's a natural pain killer, antibiotic, medicine, and more. The benefits don't stop because the child had a birthday. That is why The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until the age of two OR beyond. [1] Breastfeeding is already a highly debated and controversial topic to begin with, but many people can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that some mothers would continue breastfeeding their child after age two. Some people even have a problem with a mom choosing to breastfeed past six months! There is absolutely no evidence based information that breastfeeding past a certain age is harmful, only evidence showing that it's beneficial. I have heard all the arguments against breastfeeding and I have listed most of them here along with debunking those arguments and proving them to be a non factor on why a mom should stop breastfeeding past a certain age.
* "The kid will get bullied at school."
Funny, because I do see bullying going on, and it's usually by the people saying that the kids will get bullied, except they are bullying the mom. They seem so concerned about the child being bullied, yet all the while, they are doing the bullying themselves. So they are absolutely right, the uneducated people of the world may bully the kid, but since when do our fears about what other people think or what they might do or say, keep us from living the life we want to live?
* "She can just pump and cup feed."
That's usually one of the main arguments people try to make against moms who nurse past one or two. Which time and time again as been debunked. Breastfeeding is not just about the milk. Think of it as a bottle. A toddler being attached to a bottle, isn't the milk they are attached to it's how they are getting it and with exclusively breastfed kids it's directly from the breast. So pumping the milk would be irrelevant. Some women do not respond well to a pump. It either causes them pain or they don't get much out. It could also have a negative effect on their supply since nothing in the world could duplicate human suckling exactly.
* "The kid will need therapy because this most certainly has to be traumatizing."
What exactly is the traumatizing part about allowing the breastfeeding relationship to continue? Breastfeeding only works if it's mutually desired. Which means both mother and child are choosing it. Unless a mother is force feeding their child breast there is nothing traumatizing about it. It's natural and it's the way nature intended babies and kids to be fed.
* "That just can't be normal or right!"
Actually it is normal and it is the right way. We as a society have changed our outlook and views on what is considered to be, "Normal." Biologically speaking the natural weaning age is seven or eight. Over time it changed, but it's actually a very normal way of life. It may not seem normal , but it very much is.
* "There is no benefits breastfeeding a child after age two.
"That is incorrect and there is a massive amount of information proving that breastmilk will still benefit no matter the age. Even body builders are getting in on breastmilk benefits and paying a pretty penny to get their hands on some. Just because a child can get their nutrients from other food sources it does not mean that they wouldn't still receive the amazing benefits breastmilk has to offer.
* "Once the kid can ask for it they are too old to breastfeed."
I'd love to know how this conclusion was made. I'd love to know what scientific based evidence this argument has. I will wait. Whether or not the baby, toddler, child can "ask for it" is not relevant. Do you know babies, yes babies "ask" for their milk as soon as they are born? Being able to communicate their needs and or wants is not a valid argument against breastfeeding. In fact, that is all the more reason for a mom to continue breastfeeding, if she so chooses because clearly the child still needs that comfort and security met.
* "Breastfeeding past two is sick and perverted."
Where do I start with this argument? First of all there is nothing sick, perverted, or sexual about breastfeeding. I would have to question someone's intelligence and mindset to see anything sexual about a child breastfeeding. If the end of the world came and the only way that child could be nourished is from breastfeeding, would you still feel that way? I think not. People who think there is anything sexual or perverted about breastfeeding are the problem. That way of thinking is terribly wrong and hurtful. The biological purpose of a breast is to sustain human life and provide nourishment that no other milk can provide. Now can breast be sexual? Sure, but that is subjective. Some people find elbows and feet sexual, but do we call a mom perverted for touching elbows with her kid? No. So knock that off.
At the end of the day, whether a mother chooses to breastfeed for six days or six years, the only right choice is between the mother and the child breastfeeding. There is no recommended age cut off age for when a mom should no longer breastfeed. The weaning age is a personal choice and no one should be bullied into choosing something based on someone else's comfort level.
