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I guess it is selfish. I selfishly wanted my kids to have very strong immune systems, because I'm not a fan of hanging out in doctors' offices or listening to whiny, crabby, sick children. It's my own selfishness that causes me to give them vitamin C and zinc when they start sounding stuffy or sore-throatish. I also selfishly insist that they eat fresh (and when possible, locally grown) produce, and I make them run around and play outside in the sun regularly... I don't want to have an obese, unhealthy child. This whole parenting gig is really all about me, donchaknow?
The ones who choose not to, for selfish reasons, don't get offended and don't seem to have any trouble saying that they choose not to for selfish reasons.
Most people get very offended if you say anything negative about formula feeding by choice.
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The ones who choose to breastfeed long-term for selfish reasons, get very offended and will often come up with all kinds of outlandish justifications to explain why they choose to breastfeed, and rarely will you hear any of them admit that it's for selfish reasons. Even if it is. What is it they say about denial (other than it being a river in Egypt)..
You consider sound research, biology and expert advice to be outlandish reasons? Ummm, ok.
One minute you call moms who choose to CLW selfish and the next you insinuate that they are overindulgent. Which one is it and why do you care so much?
It's a reccomendation. No one said anythign about it being "mandatory".
I didn't mean mandatory like you had to do it. I couldn't think of another word that exactly fit (obviously that one didn't quite fit, either). However, the sentence you quoted is taken out of context. I think that sentence had to do with breast feeding during pregnancy and weaning during pregnancy. I"ve read their whole paper and I don't see anything that says they advise breast feeding until age two. Here is the AAFP's official position on breast feeding:
The AAFP recommends that all babies, with rare exceptions, be breastfed and/or receive expressed human milk exclusively for the first six months of life. Breastfeeding should continue with the addition of complementary foods throughout the second half of the first year. Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired.
This statement is current as of 2010.
So they're saying you should definitely do it the first year, and preferably longer.
If a few organizations defer to the opinion of one organization, then there is only one opinion being offered. So there's that one organization and all its sycophants, and there's another organization and ITs sycophants all saying up to 2 years is good, anything over that not necessary.
And no, I don't think it's overindulgent, I think mom spoils her kid because MOM wants to feel better, and isn't considering the kid's need to learn the word "no" above her need to feel better. Just like mom wants to breastfeed past a time that is specifically noted as important, while also breastfeeding her infant, who actually benefits from it, because mom wants to feel better - and isn't considering her child's need to learn the word "no" above her need to feel better.
This is the thing that always confuses me about the longer breastfeeding. I know of no baby that is still on a bottle or having formula past 1 1/2, never mind 4 or older??? I don't understand the difference.
Bottle feeding older toddlers can lead to iron deficiency anemia. This anemia is uncommon in breast fed babies. In infants, the introduction of cow's milk in the first year of life is the greatest dietary risk factor for the development of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. In toddlers, breastfeeding can be supplemented with iron rich solids (with bottle feeding too, but cow's milk has more problems than formula in this regard).
Also, the vacuum created by bottle-feeding can play havoc with the ear's inner auditory tube leading to more ear infections. (Sucking on pacifiers can have the same effect). Breast feeding does not have the same problem.
Extended breastfeeding is less important in developed countries where children have good diets in terms of their solids, but it is very important in poorer countries.
Weaning *can* be a problem, but it usually is not because older children do understand that growing up means changing.
We know that breastfeeding infants has benefits for the mother as well - there are lower rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type II diabetes in mothers who breast feed. We don't have stats on extended breastfeeding with this, however, only for breastfeeding in general up to 6 to 12 months.
Formula is also expensive whereas extended breastfeeding is much less so.
No, I'm talking about moms who choose to formula feed because they just don't feel like breastfeeding.
People keep on saying that women who choose to breastfeed long term are doing it for selfish reasons so I'm just wondering if a mom who chooses not to breastfeed at all is also doing it for selfish reasons? Of course that's not a PC thing to say but I do find it odd (and pathetic) that people feel like it's perfectly acceptable to bash moms who choose to allow their children to self ween. It's a double standard. Just sayin.
I have no interest in getting into a breastfeeding vs bottle feeding debate (I am well past that and frankly it's old hat and I don't really care); however, you are not comparing two like things (and that does bother me). If a 7 year old demanded a bottle of formula to be comforted or fall asleep at night, yes I would think that was....unusual. And I would be EQUALLY concerned if s/he demanded the breast at that age. That was the question. Comparing nursing a 7 year old to bottle feeding an infant is not an equal comparison. Apples:Apples
If a few organizations defer to the opinion of one organization, then there is only one opinion being offered. So there's that one organization and all its sycophants, and there's another organization and ITs sycophants all saying up to 2 years is good, anything over that not necessary.
The point was just that WHO guidelines on this are not meant only for 3rd world countries. They are meant for the whole world, the US and other developed nations included, unless otherwise specified. For example, in their policy regarding breastfeeding if the mother has HIV, they specify one policy for developing countries, and a different policy for developed countries. There are guidelines that are only for developing countries, but the recommendation to nurse for 2 years and beyond is not in this category. Unless you can show me otherwise, but that is my understanding.
And no, I don't think it's overindulgent, I think mom spoils her kid because MOM wants to feel better, and isn't considering the kid's need to learn the word "no" above her need to feel better. Just like mom wants to breastfeed past a time that is specifically noted as important, while also breastfeeding her infant, who actually benefits from it, because mom wants to feel better - and isn't considering her child's need to learn the word "no" above her need to feel better.
Funny how my dd was able to understond the word "no" understand boundaries, limits and all that jazz despite the fact the she nursed until she was 4. Amazing!
I have no interest in getting into a breastfeeding vs bottle feeding debate (I am well past that and frankly it's old hat and I don't really care); however, you are not comparing two like things (and that does bother me). If a 7 year old demanded a bottle of formula to be comforted or fall asleep at night, yes I would think that was....unusual. And I would be EQUALLY concerned if s/he demanded the breast at that age. That was the question. Comparing nursing a 7 year old to bottle feeding an infant is not an equal comparison. Apples:Apples
This is what I said:
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Seriously, why are people so bothered that some people choose to nurse past infancy? I don't get it. Is it OK for me to judge moms who choose to formula feed?
People were calling mothers who breastfeed past infancy selfish and making all kinds of false assumptions about why they must be doing it. I was pointing out the fact that people could also call mothers who never chose to breastfeed at all (the opposite extreme) selfish. I was not trying to debate formula vs breast. I was trying to point out to people how judgemental they were (and are) being about this whole thing.
I don't think it's right to judge moms who nurse past infancy and practice child led weaning and I also don't think it's right to judge moms who choose to bottle feed. The vast majority of parents are doing what they feel is in the best interest of their children and their families as a whole and there are many different factors to consider. I don't understand why people feel so confident making assumptions and passing judgement on parenting practices that they don't understand when they could just as easily be judged for their own choices and decisions. That is what I was trying to convey.
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