Monday, May 5, 2008

Breastmilk Kegger

Ava has not been weaned yet. Quiet frankly I don't see it happening anytime real soon. She clearly does not want to stop nursing. Since she is most likely my last baby-I am not in a real big hurry either. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating as she has gotten rather demanding about it. There is nothing subtle about a toddler poking you in the chest and shouting "eat". But for the most part I think we are both pretty happy in our co-dependence. Plus I feel happy to be in good company. The always memorable Marie has rented her uterus again and is expecting another sweetie...curious as to the gender? Follow the trail...go see CookieBitch for another teaser...

Considering only 20 % of American women breastfeed past 6 months I guess Ava and I are a freak show. Pretty much anyone who is aware of our situation feels the need to express their opinion-freely. In general these are not words of encouragement and support. Mostly
criticism and disgust. Recently a co-worker commented "well you never see anyone nurse a baby that old". That would be because people like you make people like me closet nursers. I think you would be surprised how many women nurse in secret or have weaned all together because of condemnation. I myself am ashamed to admit that I no longer nurse Ava in public because I am so weary of the stares, whispers and sometimes down right rude comments.
Does it matter to anyone that The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months, and there after, breastfeed along with other foods for at least a year, and then, for as long as the baby and mother mutually choose? (The American Academy of Family Practitioners agrees.) Or that The American Dietetic Association recommends breastfeeding for at least one year? How about that The World Health Organization encourages breastfeeding for at least two years?

In Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives, Katherine Dettwyler (an anthropologist) wrote about the natural age of weaning for humans, meaning the length of time humans would likely nurse if cultural expectations did not interfere:

From a biological perspective Dettwyler, has studied the
weaning patterns of other large primates and has theorized that an accurate rule of thumb for
weaning would be when baby quadruples its birth weight (7 X 4= 28 months) or has lived six times its gestation age (6 X 9= 54 months). Dettwyler "does advocate that medical professionals and paraprofessionals, family members, friends, acquaintances and even strangers recognize that human children, like their nonhuman primate relatives are designed to expect all the benefits of breast milk and breastfeeding for a minimum of two and a half years. The information that three or four years of breastfeeding, or even longer, is both normal and appropriate for human infants should be disseminated to heath care professionals and parents alike."


The fact is children will self wean. The actual age of self weaning in the US is between 2 and 1/2 to 3 years. Substantially less than biology would suggest and not so late that you have to worry about sending them to college on the boob. I mean really, do you know anyone who spent their college days nursing and beer bonging?

27 comments:

  1. I stopped nursing Max and Jessamine in public around 1 year for the same reason. No one ever said anything to me, but I could feel their scorn.

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  2. I nursed my youngest until he was about 18 months and people were giving me crap about it constantly and he wasn't even that old.
    This is not why I stopped, I could care less what others think. I just wanted my body back.

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  3. You know what's best for your child - I say you should just keep on keeping on...

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  4. I so did NOT want to wean Mack. I could have gone for another couple of years, regardless of my MIL's snide comments. But for other reasons I weaned him. Sniff, sniff. I swear in the past 2 weeks I've honestly considered trying to see if we can get it going again. But now I'm on allergy meds that are helping me breathe and I have to weigh BREATHING vs that awesome feeling of breastfeeding. SO...I got 21 months of it. I'll take that.

    If you and Ava love it, DO IT. Screw the ones who make snide comments. They're ignorant.

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  5. You have to do what is right for your babe and you. You just can't worry about what others think. People can be so cruel.

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  6. I just found your site today and I loved this posting. I'm exclusively nursing my first baby who is only four and a half months right now. I plan to nurse well through his first year and thereafter for as long as he wants it, but I plan to stop well before he is seven years old. iYou know what I mean! I feel awkward nursing in public, even though I use a cover thingy. I have childless friends who think nursing for six months is a crazy eternity. It has been hard for me find support -- so thanks for your posting. I'll try and write something to link to you later this week.

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  7. I didn't nurse Porter (although I initially really wanted to), but I did pump for ohhh... a week LOL! I don't plan to nurse Hudson either. So, really, I have no input on this topic. BUT! I just wanted to say- do what you feel is best for you and Ava. You are her mom and you know what is best for the two of you. I wouldn't worry about what other people say/thing... you are her mother not anyone else. YOU know what is best for the two of you, mentally, emotionally and physically. I feel that its similar to kids who have a pacifier or bottle or sleep in a crib or with potty training. 99.999999% of typical children are not in diapers or drinking a bottle or in a crib or breastfeeding 10 years later.

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  8. I nursed both of my up until their 11th month. I quit with Noah on the 10th month, however. I was nursing him in a restroom and having to listen to someone going to the bathroom made the whole thing seem so very wrong to me. There should be nursing rooms (no POTTIES!) in every mall. I think what you've done is wonderful.

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  9. both of my boys, that is.... Argh.

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  10. You do what is best for you and Ava. People who like to give their negative two sense in are usually just insecure about their own decisions they have made. They judge others because of something in their life. It's pretty sad, actually.

    Glad to see you posted. I have missed reading your hillarious posts. :)

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  11. Good for you, and I echo everyone else in saying that only you know what is best for you and your baby. I am a defiant nursing mom-- I DARE someone to come and give me smack about nursing my baby in public. I could never get comfy with the cover thingy with any of my kids, and my third baby is so damn distractible that he pulls at everything and has difficulty concentrating at the task at hand if there's anything even near his head, so no cover for us. I try to be as discreet as I can, and honestly, I'm more concerned that someone would see my side fat roll, than seeing any of my mommy boob. :)

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  12. My baby is 9 months now (just starting to walk!) and we're still nursing. But I KNOW people think it's freaky even though he's still only 9 months old! I got nasty stares on an airplane, recently, when he did the tell-tale lean back/turn head to the side to tell me what he wanted. So I provided . . . really, people, would you rather hear him yell and scream or just let me do it?

    I don't understand . . I guess they don't know that in most other cultures people nurse much longer than they do here.

    That being said, I NEVER thought I'd be nursing this long because of how awful it was in the beginning. But here I am still doing it!

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  13. Yay for extended nursing!

    I still am sad that I weaned Amy, but it seemed to be the right time for her. She still pulls up my tops and kisses my boobs. Silly girl

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  14. The people giving you nasty stuff are just upset cause their mother's didn't breastfeed them longer.
    Kudos to anyone who can breastfeed and do it for a long period.
    I wanted to with my Gavin, but he was a NICU preemie and looked EXACTLY like my father... so i pumped for a few months till i couldn't keep up with the little piggie. I still feel like i missed oout on something with him.
    So you keep going... and any nasty comments can be met with 'ya, i know don't you wish your mom had loved you more'...

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  15. I commend you for what you are doing. My daughter is 10 months old and has been breastfed exclusively since she was born. She LOVES to nurse and I don't really plan on weaning her but letting her do it on her own. I get comments a LOT about how weird it is that I am still nursing and I always think it is weird. Everyone recommends nursing for a year but expects you to stop before that? What is that? You are doing what is right for YOUR baby...don't let anyone make you feel bad.

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  16. I breastfed one till 17 months, one till 15 months and one till 13 months. I would have done that last one longer but it got to where he pulled my earrings out and pulled my hair and I couldn't take it any longer! LOL

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  17. We stopped nursing at 17 months only because I felt I was a frickin' milk bar and that was all he saw me as. For the next 3 months, he was INTENT on getting back on the boob. But alas, the girls, they dried up.

    While I'm not sorry about the decision, I'm sad that we no longer have that bond, especially since I think he would've nursed until he was 6. He loved it THAT. MUCH.

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  18. I stopped nursing when Sofia was 18 months old. I still miss it...then again, I remember the nice times when she was an infant and would hold my pinky while nursing, not when she was teething and using me as a teething ring.

    I only wish I had done it with my other two before her...

    I say keep doing it until you and/or her are ready to stop :)

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  19. I have never said a thing about you still nursing. Thats your right as a mother and if thats the way that you two choose then so be it. Personally I think its great as Kaleb never had the patients to stay put and well I just didn't have the knowledge nor you around when I had Andre ;) Much love honey. Now if she is still nursing at 10 I may having something to say *kisses*

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  20. I nursed my children for over a year, it was our time together. My youngest is almost 8 months and the only reason that I sneak away to somewhere to nurse her is simply because she is at an age where she is VERy easily distracted. Otherwise I am a public nurser, I mean I cover up and am discreet, but I have no problem nursing with people around, whether they like it or not. I don't make them take their plate and eat in a back room. Do what feels best for the two of you.

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  21. I refuse to use the term "Extended nursing." There's nothing extended about it. It's just "Toddler nursing."

    Before I had kids, I remember seeing a woman nurse a 2-year-old and I said, "Oh no. Now that's too old." Then I had 2 nursing 2-year-olds and wished I could go back in time and smack my younger self.

    All my kids self-weaned. My daughters just before 2 and 1/2 and my son is currently nursing at 2, but he's down to once a week or so.

    The first time around, I was all piss and vinegar. I took great pride in nursing in public. I had little problem nursing in public even when they were older. I tandem nursed them both in public (I learned some great tricks with a sling that kept me completely covered up) until they were just over a year old. After that, though, I would only nurse them one at a time in public.

    For some reason, I was more self-conscious with my son. I will occasionally nurse him in public now at 2, but usually only if I'm around other moms who are also nursing at the time.

    My girls signed milk and said it. My son signed milk first, then said it (it was his first word) and now, he says, "May I nuhs (nurse) pwease?"

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  22. Oh oh oh and in a funny related story, at her wedding, a friend of a friend's mother turned to her father and whispered, "You see. I told ya she'd be weaned by now."

    That cracked me up. I've never met that mom, but I would love to.

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  23. Like the others said you know what's right for you (and Ava) and you have to do just that.

    Like all the pics - that hawk rocks!

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  24. I live in a totally crunchy left leaning spot of the U.S., so folks are breastfeeding their 5 year olds. Me and my 2 year old are nothing shocking. He is not subtle, he pulls at my shirt and yells, "Boooooo".

    I'm glad I found your blog. :)

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  25. I never nursed as you know. But, it's not for me. If it's for you, then more power to you. Obviously Ava still wants it, so why stop? It doesn't make me uncomfortable to see a nursing mother, but then again they aren't around a lot. Besides friends of mine, I haven't experienced it in public.

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  26. We didn't have the option to nurse very long, but if I could have, we would have as long as my kids wanted to.

    Even so, my 3 year old pulls at my shirt & acts obnoxious about my boobs in public, so don't blame nursing. :) She hasn't seen my breasts since she was 3 weeks old.

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  27. I nursed Lukas for 12 mos. and was very happy nursing him during that time. I loved the bond that we had and can totally agree with you. As long as youre happy then stick with it. :)

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