<p>The US is ranked 36 of all industrialized nations in its number of breast feeders, despite it being well known that it is the healthiest way to feed a baby/child. </p>
<p>Although I didn’t nurse into toddlerhood, the emotional benefits of breast feeding are just as important as the physical, and I support breast feeding until any age.</p>
<p>There is also a sexual component to breast feeding, despite what anyone may claim, which is what I think this photo is flaunting. It is all a component of breast feeding, and I think it is a great photo.</p>
<p>That the kid may be bullied in the future is irrelevant. People shouldn’t make decisions based on bullies.</p>
<p>The nice thing about weaning is to each his own. I will say that most girls that I knew back in those days that breastfeed past first teeth did so for themselves which is a whole nother side of the story often untouched. If they want to do that so be it, we don’t live in a third world country where it’s a matter of necessity to give food that way, but I can still shudder since it’s a personal decision and I never let anyone guilt me about how I raised my kids. And I can smile at my LLL neighbor who has a 26 year son living in her basement. I’m so mean.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys–just wondering how you would know that the women who breastfed past teeth were doing it for themselves? I respect all of our choices, which includes the choice not to breastfeed at all. not sure what you mean by a story often untouched?</p>
<p>the photo strikes me as one choreographed by the photographer for “effect”. When my d was born an art director friend at a parenting mag asked if my toddler s and infant d could be on the front page of the magazine for an article on siblings. Seemed like a fun opportunity…as the photographer was posing them she wanted my s (20 mos old) to hold his weeks old sister while standing, to which I said um, no, he needs to be seated or the photo doesn’t happen. They thought it would be cute to have such a young big brother holding her. Their goal is to sell magazines and for us to post about them on CC ;)</p>
<p>It is indeed heartening to read, on this thread, how many people have been the mothers of nursing toddlers. Maybe that’s why our kids are so smart!!</p>
<p>It’s a wee bit disconcerting, though, to have seen “discreet” spelled as “discrete” more than once here. I guess nursing might become discrete nursing at the point where the older child starts wanting to nurse from one breast only, lol.</p>
<p>I was never breast fed. Don’t know why. Never really asked or cared. I do know that my mom got plenty of ridicule about it for years. She was called selfish, a bad mother, and many other things. I turned out just fine. It’s amazing how cruel people can be about other people’s personal decisions.</p>
<p>Also, I do feel bad for this child. He’s being exploited for his mother’s gain and I don’t believe any child should be used like that.</p>
<p>Nursing is a private relationship between mother and child and no one else should have an opinion. I wasn’t well informed enough to breastfeed D1, but I nursed D2 until 15 months and S1 until just over 2. Both were baby-led weanings.</p>
<p>When I had S1 there was a young woman with her first baby in the next hospital bed. She wanted to nurse but the husband (call him Goombah Joey) was so bothered by it that he harassed and bullied her until she gave up. Things like that make me crazy. </p>
<p>I find it sad even now how much misinformation surrounds the issue and how little real support exists for moms.</p>
<p>I agree that each mom should make the decision whether (or not) to nurse, and for how long, without negative input from people who disagree. Let’s respect other adult women. There are many ways to be a strong, caring, nurturing mom.</p>
<p>That’s 10 years as a LLL leader talking. I wouldn’t expect, nor would I want to, decide how other women should raise their kids. I’m kind of over the whole outcome-based parenting thing. We all need some luck, and some respect for doing the best we can. No kids living in my basement, btw, but I’m not taking credit for that.</p>
<p>Been retired from this cause for a long time. I wonder what decisions my ds will make - but I know they will be their decisions.</p>
<p>I suppose we did. If you’re not going back to work, it can be much more convenient to just continue breastfeeding until the child loses interest. You don’t have to struggle with a child who doesn’t want to wean yet. You don’t have to give up a method of soothing the child that obviously works. The kid can learn to drink from a cup without ever going through the bottle stage (which means no bottles to wash, no formula to deal with, and no problem of getting the kid off the bottle before it rots his teeth). All of these things make life easier for the mother. </p>
<p>I don’t see any problem in doing what’s easier for the mother if it does no harm to the child. And breastfeeding beyond the first birthday doesn’t harm the child.</p>
<p>Not to meddle with anyone’s breastfeeding choice, I am surprised how many here kept on until babies turn 3 or even 4. I am NOT saying you should or shouldn’t. I have no idea how to raise kids much less have an opinion how others should. I got lucky and my D turned out everyone’s dream child. Not knowing how raise babies I kept close to Dr Spock. He mentions babies sexual identity developing by 3 and cautions some discretion between babies and parents of opposite gender. Maybe he is wrong or outdated. If not, I wonder what the implication may be.</p>
<p>We didn’t have trouble weaning. My D was good at entertaining herself and rarely needed suckling as a comforter. She hardly used a pacifier.</p>
<p>*
I will say that most girls that I knew back in those days that breastfeed past first teeth did so for themselves
*</p>
<p>It’s funny the misconceptions that occur around pregnancy & nursing. My MIL told me that the reason my D wasn’t getting teeth was because I was still nursing her!</p>
What gain does a mother get? Please clue me in.<br>
I could cite you countless articles on the benefits of extended breastfeeding and delaying the introduction of solid foods, but it’s only important to educate the next generation</p>
<p>As far as teeth, if the baby’s latch is correct, teeth don’t come into play while actually nursing.</p>
<p>Don’t see where Igloo ridiculed anything, and in fact seemed to be trying hard not to offend. Maybe something was edited out?</p>
<p>Anyway, back when I had infants (and I breastfed all 3), the only thing that turned me off about the breastfeeding culture was how annoyingly in-your-face militant the LLL people met were. Education is great, guilt-tripping isn’t. And this photo is also in-your-face.</p>
<p>never met a militant LLL mom, but the ones I knew were calm and warm and very invested in their children, to be clear I am not suggesting moms who weren’t LLL were not calm and warm and very invested in their children ;)</p>
<p>I personally never witnessed a LLL mom guilt trip anyone, ever. In fact they were the most accepting types I had ever met, truly.</p>
<p>I’m selfish and lazy. I let my kids breastfeed until they stopped by themselves because it was easier for me to do it that way. The only downside was that occasionally I had to admit it to doctors (my doctors – especially when they wanted to prescribe medication for me), and they were extremely irritated by the need to work around the fact that I was still breastfeeding and therefore some medicines were contraindicated.</p>
<p>But if I ran my life around the convenience of doctors, I would have lost my mind by now.</p>
<p>I think igloos surprise at noting that how many on CC have nursed until their kids are toddlers/preschoolers, isn’t unusual.</p>
<p>Generally by that age they are only nursing for emergency purposes or when they are going to sleep. Mine didn’t even nurse every day, & by the time I realized they had stopped, it had been a long time in between. ( Which was kind of sad, because I liked it, it forced me to sit down, and rest with them.)</p>
<p>Even when they were babies & they nursed in public, I don’t think it was that noticeable. I wore clothes to make breastfeeding easier & it just looked like they were napping. </p>
<p>The only times when it was really flagrant, was when we were in the car. One D, hated being confined in the car seat, especially when we were stuck in traffic. She would just wail! I spent many a time hanging over her, with my boob in her mouth while we were stuck on the bridge much to the delight of the neighboring cars.</p>
For me it was the opposite because I went back to work full time when they were ten weeks old. The breast pump, cooler and ice packs were as inconvenient as can be, but I was determined! It was much more convenient in the kids’ presence, though.</p>
<p>Both of my kids are smart and healthy without me having to breastfeed past six months. One was bored at looking at bared skin. Neither ever used pacifier. They are both calm babies even on airplane. Got compliments from other passengers all the time. They inherit my husband’s calm nature.The bottom line is it has nothing to do with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a personal choice and that’s it.</p>
I was an LLL Leader and I hope I was supportive and accepting. There is a subset of moms I’m aware of now who are very judgmental and aggressive. Tends to be the same group that aggressively drives their strollers on sidewalks and demands governmental bans of ice cream trucks in public parks. So I can see the point of being bothered by judgment and unkindness on either side.</p>
I guess nursing might become discrete nursing at the point where the older child starts wanting to nurse from one breast only, lol.</p>