7 Myths About Breastfeeding Older Children
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Contrary to what most people think, extended breastfeeding is a growing trend, especially among the new-age mothers. Armed with more awareness about extended and sustained breastfeeding, mothers are picking up the trend of breastfeeding beyond the age of infancy. However, irrespective of what our choices are, we are always showered with some unsolicited advice, and nursing mothers aren’t spared either. From being frowned upon for breastfeeding in public to hearing words of wisdom on why not to engage in extended breastfeeding, people will have lots to tell you. However, we need to realize that we don’t necessarily have to follow the herd. So, the next time someone has some unsolicited parenting advice and preconceived notions about breastfeeding, you can burst their bubble and their notions. We have curated a list of frequently heard myths and busted them for your perusal.
1. Breast Milk Loses Its Nutritional Value Over Time
You would have heard a multitude of friends and family repeating this time and again, but mother’s milk is the purest form of nutrition that a baby can get in the initial stages of life. The nutritional quality of the milk doesn’t decrease, but the baby would need additional nutrients, derived from other sources, to supplement his/her overall growth. Nonetheless, mother’s milk provides the child enough nutrition, immunity, and resistance.
2. Extended Breastfeeding Makes The Child Overly Dependent
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the duration of nursing doesn’t necessarily have a fixed time period, and prolonged breastfeeding has shown no evidence of any psychological or developmental trauma (1). A child’s need for breast milk can extend to much longer than the first two years of his life, and meeting that demand will not affect the child in any way. Neither does nursing interfere in a child’s individual growth nor the mother’s health. All it does is create a soothing effect for the growing child.
3. Nursing Beyond Infancy Leads To Delayed Weaning
When we say age is just a number, we mean it. Weaning, the gradual introduction of the infant to the adult diet, has nothing to do with the age of the child. For a child to gradually adapt to the food that the family eats, he needs to attain a developmental readiness and this readiness varies from a child to child. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the natural age of weaning in humans is estimated to be between the age of 2-7 years. Some children take the lead and lean towards weaning without any push, but some need the parents’ help in making this progression (2).
4. How Can You Breastfeed a Child With Teeth?
When a child’s first teeth come in, the breastfeeding game changes altogether, as it seems daunting. The thought of your child gaping at your nipples can scare you, but it really isn’t a big deal. The first teeth or the lower central incisors are guarded by the baby’s tongue while nursing and learning your baby’s body language can save you from those painful nips.
5. Only Kids In Developing Countries Need Extra Nutrition
It’s true that kids in developing countries need that extra bit of nutrition, but it’s not limited to them alone. The mother’s milk contains disease-preventing agents and immunity factors that make the child healthy and strong; and every child, regardless of the economic and social structure of his geographical parameters, needs the nourishment. And, a prolonged period of nourishment does no harm.
6. Extended Nursing Benefits The Mother And Not The Child
This is as cringe-worthy as it sounds. We all know that no mother sees her own benefit in nursing her child. One cannot forcibly breastfeed the child unless the child really wants to be nursed. Don’t pay heed to what the others say. Go ahead and give your little one all the love and care he/she needs.
7. Your Child Will Have A Memory Of It
Most children who have had a period of extended nursing may have a faint memory of it, but they stop nursing before they can identify breasts as sexual organs. Toddlers and young children see breasts as pacifiers and soothers, and any memory of this will not traumatize them in any way. They might remember intricate details like the smell or the endearment of the mother, which is a great memory to have!
We all make different parenting choices and extended breastfeeding is one such choice that differs among women. Should you choose to nurse your child for longer than the usual, it is perfectly okay to do so. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!
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