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Maybe, but you can't. Quit crying about it and avert your eyes.
once again missing the point. I could care less. But it is a concern because I have two small children. Just like I don't want to explain sex to them yet, I don't want to explain nursing either.
Maybe I'll just urinate where I feel like it and if I get arrested, take it up the court system as discrimination.
Ummm..... did you actually read the studies? Because they did NOT use a 6 month cut off.
And in our house, my children are taught that female breasts feed babies/toddlers. Which is the truth. *shrug*
so your beliefs outweigh mine? What is wrong with covering up? The same women who probably wouldn't skinny dip as a teenager now want to flash everyone.
Actually, you must not have read the thread because we have been specifically discussing benefits of extended breastfeeding. The major health associations recommend breastfeeding for at least 2 years, not at least 6 months, and beyond for as long as mutually desired. They specifically cite no psychological damage due to nursing in the 3rd year and beyond. In addition, many of the breastfeeding studies show an additive effect of breastfeeding, meaning that the more breastfeeding (both in terms of age of child and amount of formula supplementation), the greater the benefit.
And I know I've said this many times in these threads, but the anecdotal evidence that your child was FF and had no ear infections is completely irrelevant. The mere fact that you offer it as evidence shows that you do not know how statistics works. The plural of anecdote is not data! But I'll break it down for you (again): Suppose that FF babies are twice as likely to experience ear infection in the first year than BF babies. Suppose that we have 100 FF babies and 100 BF babies. Now suppose that 66 FF babies had ear infections in the first year, and 33 BF babies did (FF have double the rate vs BF). Just because your baby was one of the 33 FF babies who didn't get an ear infection, and your 2nd cousin's BF baby was one of the 33 BF babies who did, does not in any way disprove the statistic. Statistics work on populations, not individuals.
As for covering up because you don't want to explain to your children, 7 and 4, that humans are mammals? I think that's ridiculous. What would you tell them if they saw a mama dog nursing her pups? You tell them that mammals are defined as animals who nurse their young and are named for the mammary glands, and that humans are mammals too. It doesn't have anything to do with sex, it has everything to do with biology, and is not in any way inappropriate for children to know about. Make it a science lesson and get over it.
You are right that just because something is natural does not mean that we necessarily do it in public, ie having intercourse or urinating. However, feeding a baby is not in that category of things we don't do in public. If someone can feel comfortable bottle feeding her baby in public, then there is no reason why someone else should not be able to feel comfortable breastfeeding her baby in public too. If it makes you uncomfortable, that is your issue, not the mom's.
Once again, your comparing humans to all other mammals. Maybe we should just all go around nude since we are now more advanced than a dog.
Y'all just keep missing the point. No one disputes that breastfeeding is best, but my contention is that a lot of the problems contributed to formula feeding have more to do with the parents than the formula itself.
So why can't a breast feeder, bottle feed in public with breastmilk. Most pump and refrigerate. How about not out in the open. More and more places have feeding rooms for this purpose. I guess I just have more respect for the people around me.
So why can't a breast feeder, bottle feed in public with breastmilk. Most pump and refrigerate. How about not out in the open. More and more places have feeding rooms for this purpose. I guess I just have more respect for the people around me.
I think that your opinion is common among those who have not had kids or whose kids have not been breastfed. You don't realize the logistics of what you are suggesting, nor how offensive it is to nursing moms. You think that the nursing mom is the one who doesn't have respect for you, while she feels that it is you who doesn't have respect for her.
I admit that I pretty much felt the same way until I had a breastfed infant and wanted to get out of the house, and realized that there was no way to do this without nursing in public because my baby needed to eat frequently. Many places do have nursing rooms, and I have used these when I was out by myself. But when I was out with my husband, or with friends, I didn't think it was fair to me or to my companions for me to go off and sit by myself in a room for 30 minutes while they waited. I imagine that this will be even less feasible for me this time around with a 3 year old to occupy too. I am not going to expect her to sit in a nursing room every time I need to feed her sister. Not only that, but many places don't offer such rooms. I remember going to a restaurant with my daughter when she was maybe 3-4 weeks old. She needed to nurse and I didn't know what to do. They didn't even have a chair in the ladies room that I could use, and I wasn't going to sit on the toilet! I ended up nursing her at the table because I didn't even have any other options, and this was at a time when I would have liked to use a nursing room because I was still an uncomfortable new mom who felt very exposed.
As for using a bottle when out in public, there are several problems with that sentiment. One is that logistically, this is difficult. One has to plan ahead far enough to pump enough milk for the outing and predict properly how much is needed. Pumped milk is difficult to come by, so you don't want to waste it, but you also wouldn't want to run out. One has to then have a way of keeping the milk cold until it is needed, and then a way to warm it up when baby wants it. One of the great conveniences of nursing is that the milk is always there and ready with no need to prepare it. Then there is the issue of mom's own comfort because her breasts are now full because baby hasn't nursed. This can also cause her milk supply to go down because her breasts haven't been emptied though the baby has fed, and because a pump is less efficient at emptying the breast than a baby. For a mother who is working out of the home and pumping for daycare, it's even more difficult because that pumped milk in the refrigerator is needed for daycare and it is a waste to use it when mom is around. It is also necessary for such a mom to nurse directly when together with baby to keep up her supply because she is already replacing several feeds with pumping. Another issue is that not all babies will even take a bottle, even if mom wants her to! My daughter, for example, never took a bottle, even at daycare, so even if I wanted to bottle feed her when out in public, that just was never an option for me (I had to go to daycare to nurse her on my break). There is also the issue of the message it sends to moms, babies, and society in general, to say that nursing should be hidden. It implies that something is wrong with nursing, that it is dirty or shameful in some way. And we wonder why breastfeeding rates and durations are so low.
You saying to me, "you should just pump and bottle feed" is possibly as offensive to me as if I said to you "your wife should just breastfeed." Let's just mind our own business.
I think that your opinion is common among those who have not had kids or whose kids have not been breastfed. You don't realize the logistics of what you are suggesting, nor how offensive it is to nursing moms. You think that the nursing mom is the one who doesn't have respect for you, while she feels that it is you who doesn't have respect for her.
I admit that I pretty much felt the same way until I had a breastfed infant and wanted to get out of the house, and realized that there was no way to do this without nursing in public because my baby needed to eat frequently. Many places do have nursing rooms, and I have used these when I was out by myself. But when I was out with my husband, or with friends, I didn't think it was fair to me or to my companions for me to go off and sit by myself in a room for 30 minutes while they waited. I imagine that this will be even less feasible for me this time around with a 3 year old to occupy too. I am not going to expect her to sit in a nursing room every time I need to feed her sister. Not only that, but many places don't offer such rooms. I remember going to a restaurant with my daughter when she was maybe 3-4 weeks old. She needed to nurse and I didn't know what to do. They didn't even have a chair in the ladies room that I could use, and I wasn't going to sit on the toilet! I ended up nursing her at the table because I didn't even have any other options, and this was at a time when I would have liked to use a nursing room because I was still an uncomfortable new mom who felt very exposed.
As for using a bottle when out in public, there are several problems with that sentiment. One is that logistically, this is difficult. One has to plan ahead far enough to pump enough milk for the outing and predict properly how much is needed. Pumped milk is difficult to come by, so you don't want to waste it, but you also wouldn't want to run out. One has to then have a way of keeping the milk cold until it is needed, and then a way to warm it up when baby wants it. One of the great conveniences of nursing is that the milk is always there and ready with no need to prepare it. Then there is the issue of mom's own comfort because her breasts are now full because baby hasn't nursed. This can also cause her milk supply to go down because her breasts haven't been emptied though the baby has fed, and because a pump is less efficient at emptying the breast than a baby. For a mother who is working out of the home and pumping for daycare, it's even more difficult because that pumped milk in the refrigerator is needed for daycare and it is a waste to use it when mom is around. It is also necessary for such a mom to nurse directly when together with baby to keep up her supply because she is already replacing several feeds with pumping. Another issue is that not all babies will even take a bottle, even if mom wants her to! My daughter, for example, never took a bottle, even at daycare, so even if I wanted to bottle feed her when out in public, that just was never an option for me (I had to go to daycare to nurse her on my break). There is also the issue of the message it sends to moms, babies, and society in general, to say that nursing should be hidden. It implies that something is wrong with nursing, that it is dirty or shameful in some way. And we wonder why breastfeeding rates and durations are so low.
You saying to me, "you should just pump and bottle feed" is possibly as offensive to me as if I said to you "your wife should just breastfeed." Let's just mind our own business.
Listen...a parent's job is to "work themselves out of a job" meaning to raise a child to become independent and responsible family member and citizen. I would say that one of the first milestones of a child's life is to develop a sense of independence from their parent(s). How can this be achieved with prolonged breastfeeding??? I find it repulsive...call me opinionated...that I am...but it is not normal for an 8 year old child to be sucking on a breast....and it would not be normal for an 8 year old child to have a bottle or a pacifier either. It is way beyond the developmental age since a child this age should is capable of receiving nutrients from other sources. All animals give their offspring the boot when they reach a certain age. Yes....this age could be challenged and I felt that I pushed it when I nursed my last until the age of 2 1/2. It was my issue....and not hers. I didn't want to set my last baby free. So...with this being said....I would say it is borderline unhealthy to continue into schooling years.
Listen...a parent's job is to "work themselves out of a job" meaning to raise a child to become independent and responsible family member and citizen. I would say that one of the first milestones of a child's life is to develop a sense of independence from their parent(s). How can this be achieved with prolonged breastfeeding??? I find it repulsive...call me opinionated...that I am...but it is not normal for an 8 year old child to be sucking on a breast....and it would not be normal for an 8 year old child to have a bottle or a pacifier either. It is way beyond the developmental age since a child this age should is capable of receiving nutrients from other sources. All animals give their offspring the boot when they reach a certain age. Yes....this age could be challenged and I felt that I pushed it when I nursed my last until the age of 2 1/2. It was my issue....and not hers. I didn't want to set my last baby free. So...with this being said....I would say it is borderline unhealthy to continue into schooling years.
I see that I have entered this converstation a little bit late. It was difficult to post an opinion when there was heated debates regarding other things besides the topic at hand.
I came to this forum to find answers, but it looks like I have formed an opinion of my own. I have two children with whom I was too afraid of breastfeeding past the age of 1 year old since they did develope teeth and to me, this was a strong indication that they are capable of supplementing breastmilk with solid foods. I find that many of the links provided in this forum were helpful in making me feel less ashamed of stopping breast feeding at such an early age since it's not physically harmful to the child nor is it mentally harmful as well.
I will share a personal experience with you that made me cautious when choosing breastfeeding over formula. My younger sister was breastfed until she was seven years old. She was breastfed daily. When she went to kindergarten she was never social with the other children and she was often picked on for being breastfed, because my sister would try to share her personal experiences about her types of food. When at school she was asked what was her favorite food, she said, of course, "breast milk". She was teased for several years afterwards. She is 18 years of age now and still socializes only with members of our family. She suffers no mental ailments, but the psychiatrist she is seeing has reason to suspect that the long term breast feeding had altered her capabilities of coping with other people. It is in my opinion, that the fact that other people couldn't cope with the fact that people do get breastfed for such a lengthy amount of time and the fact she was teased for it helped in her social ineptitudes and not the breastfeeding she was experiencing until seven years old.
On a more positive note, my sister is incredibly healthy due to the nutrients that were provided to her through the breastmilk for such a lenghty amount of time. She seldom gets sick because of this. I, personally, have been breastfed until I was 1 and do not suffer any ailments, but I notice I get sick more often than my sister. The doctor cannot say for sure if the fact that she is less likely to get sick often than me is due to breastmilk or heredity.
I feel that there is no real problem with breastfeeding for such a lengthy amount of time. Even if there is the possibility that your child seems less social in school there are other ways to mend this. Such as, introducing them to new children. Just speaking with your child and giving them advice to help them tackle socializing will help them indeed. I am not a doctor, nor do I have any links. My beliefs come out of my personal situations and experiences in which most of our opinions do.
I can absolutely understand how it may seem as disturbing for a child to breastfeed for so long, but after reviewing the links and opinions put in this forum there is really no harm in doing it as long as that child is pre-adolescence. The real problem with breastfeeding a child in public or for a lengthy amount of time, I feel, comes from our minds not being able to cope with the idea. A.K.A: breastfeeding is not the problem; us accepting it is.
Why should a mother have to put her hungry baby off until she finds a place that will permit her to breastfeed privately? A baby is not an animal. It cannot hold it's hunger. Biologically, infants are made to want the breast and the breast (to an infant) is available all the time. It's incredibly natural.
What I have done as a compromise to not expose my breast in public is buy "feeding" shirts and a "feeding" bra along with a blanket to cover me up. This allowed me to breast feed in public whenever my baby was hungry, to not expose my breasts, and to allow others to not be offended over such a natural and beautiful thing.
If you would like to escape the inconvenience of waiting to find a restroom and a chair to feed your baby in, then my method is strongly recommended by myself.
As regarding the older children breastfeeding, since we live in such understanding countries, I do not see what is wrong with it at all. We, as a person, will have to make up our own minds about whether or not we, as a person, accept it. My mind has already been made up.
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I agree
