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Um, gee. I don't think anyone should get upset about the choices of another parent when it comes to breast feeding vs. breast pumping vs. milk from a cow, goat ...chicken...fish...milking a soybean (<--last three are humor, FYI) or, gasp, they feed [big name company] formula. I think it's the parents choice, and no one has the right to criticize another for these choices which are personal, aren't they? Yes, there is a bacteria exchange that is beneficial to the infant's immune system; will a baby survive without it? Obviously since a lot of us are alive and well and were fed other than "from the teat." I thought this was a discussion about a fad in parenting as per a shared set of video clips?
Wow how elitist. Way to go. Thanks for making all of us who ended up pumping part of the time feel like losers and not want to pump for their new baby. Yes kids you heard right, i have another one on the way.
I have never heard that pumping and putting it in a bottle is INFERIOR to those of who who have the ability to nurse naturally.
Please post a link to a valid site that speak of this so i can research further.
1) It's not elitist to state facts of how your immune system works.
2) If you are pumping part-time (such as at work), then your child is still conveying their germs to you via nursing part-time and will still get benefits of the immunities in pumped milk. By the way, I work full-time and did pump at work. I am also pregnant and intend to do the same again.
3) If you are pumping full-time, then your child is still getting many other benefits from breastmilk and it is still certainly superior to breastmilk substitutes (ie formula). Also, your child will still get many antibodies to things that you are exposed to, and there is a decent chance that you and your child will be exposed to many of the same things. There is still benefit, just not the full benefit that you would get from nursing directly. The statement that was being refuted was that when a child reaches a certain age you should pump the milk and feed in a cup and the child will get the same benefit. It's not true.
4) Pumping breastmilk is still superior to using breastmilk substitutes, but it is not equivalent to nursing from the breast. If you didn't know about this, then this is precisely why we are talking about it - to inform. I will be happy to find you some links on this tomorrow, but right now I have to go finish making dinner and then I'm off the computer for the evening.
That is hilarious that you linked a website that tells the story of a couple from my hometown. Yeah and their baby was 5 months old of course it is normal to be breastfeeding at that age. I think the issue is when the kid can ask to "snack" on yr boob is when it gets ridiculous. I think our children NEED to grow up to become INDEPENDENT of us as parents, not encourage baby behavior when you want them to be potty trained and eat at the big table etc. I Think it is passage into childhood and leaving babyhood behind. 1-2 yrs is the appropriate time for these things.
I understand it is a comfort thing for the kid but once you hit 1 -2 yrs the nutritional factor is losing it's usefulness. I did it for 6 months and then off to formula we went. My kid never was sick, once in awhile she would get a very very minor cold but she has not had one of those childhood sicknesses they speak of RSV, and whatever else there is. If it was easier i would have done it the full year but it was pretty dificult and for my sanity and hers we quit.
IT is up to each parent, but i really think after 2 you shoud reconsider the pros and cons of it.
Jennifer Stolpa knows the miracle of breastfeeding. Stranded for 8 days in Nevada by a winter storm that buried the region, Jennifer's son Clayton is a thriving child today only because she chose to breastfeed. After spending five nights in their snow-bound truck, James left his wife and five month old son in a cave while he sought help. Jennifer melted show in her mouth, held Clayton snugly, and nursed him throughout the ordeal. The family survived with little more than frostbite and weight loss. Experts agree that breastfeeding saved Clayton's life.
Your breastmilk provides antibodies for as long as you breastfeed. Many people think that the nutritional value wanes as your child grows, but that is just not true. Just because your child turns 2 doesn't mean your breastmilk has the nutritional value of water.
Nutritional benefits aside, I don't see why you have a problem with older children nursing. I personally think that like 7 or 8 may be a bit much, but why is 2 your cut off? I think about all of my children at age 2 and they were definitely still babies. My son, who self-weaned at 3.5, did it gradually. As he needed me less, he needed to nurse less. I am glad that I didn't push him to end nursing before he was ready, and he is very proud to be a "weaner" now. He and I have a much stronger bond than I felt with my girls at that age-- I really understand him to the core of his challenging little being. I HOPE he remembers how special nursing was to him as he grows up.
If I had stopped nursing when the boys could "ask" for it, that would have been at about 10 months. One boy would sign "more" and the other does the sign for "milk". I wouldn't deprive them of a comforting toy as soon as they could ask for it, so why stop offer the thing that comforted them from the first minute they were born?
Oh, and one more thing. There have been studies that show that children who were extended breastfed are MORE independent as adults. Being allowed to self-wean helps build their confidence.
It is the nature of the child to be dependent, and it is the nature of dependence to be outgrown. Begrudging dependency because it is not independence is like begrudging winter because it is not yet spring. Dependency blossoms into independence in its own time.
-Peggy O'Mara The Nature of Dependency - The Natural Child Project
I agree with the above quote. I believe in letting children outgrow their dependence needs at their own pace and become independent in their own time. That includes weaning when she is ready and sleeping on her own when she is ready. I will be there to help her along the way. Fortunately, the research that has been done supports me in my beliefs so I can do this with confidence even when criticised by people who either don't understand or simply disagree.
I simply think there is way too much "trying to convince the other guy that my way is right" when it comes to the mean and the extremes in child rearing. So long as the children will be able to get along well in their culture without detriment because other children or adults find them just too odd or dangerous to trust, does it really matter whether a kid sucks a bottle or the breast, weans themselves, is weaned by the mom, or sucks a little longer than some of us consider healthy?
I simply think there is way too much "trying to convince the other guy that my way is right" when it comes to the mean and the extremes in child rearing. So long as the children will be able to get along well in their culture without detriment because other children or adults find them just too odd or dangerous to trust, does it really matter whether a kid sucks a bottle or the breast, weans themselves, is weaned by the mom, or sucks a little longer than some of us consider healthy?
Like I said before, I really don't care how other people choose to feed their children. However, I know from personal experience that I would have made different choices with my children if I had had all of the facts about bottle feeding vs. breastfeeding.
I think that is why it appears like we are trying to "convince the other guy", as you put it. If you have a wealth of information that was helpful to you as a parent, you want to share that info with other parents. Especially in a setting like this where people are asking for opinions.
I totally believe in sharing information. My own mother, against the times, decided to nurse me, much to the nurses', residents', and her GP's horror. (She was hospitalized for awhile.) Oddly, her OB thought it was great, but he was from a much older generation. Almost no-one breast fed during those years. On the other hand, "new ways" have and always are coming to the forefront in public awareness, each one touted as "best" by their advocates, no matter what it is. Ultimately, the parent must, sifting information, decide what is best and pray they make the right decision. Just my take.
I simply think there is way too much "trying to convince the other guy that my way is right" when it comes to the mean and the extremes in child rearing. So long as the children will be able to get along well in their culture without detriment because other children or adults find them just too odd or dangerous to trust, does it really matter whether a kid sucks a bottle or the breast, weans themselves, is weaned by the mom, or sucks a little longer than some of us consider healthy?
I agree that people should parent their children in the best way they see fit and do what feels right for themselves and their families (short of abuse). I posted my view on independence above in response to a PP's comments that breastfeeding past the age of 2 would be detrimental to that child's independence. That poster is entitled to their opinion but I thought I would share mine as well. It is a common misconception that AP parents don't want their children to grow up and become independent.
I did not see the videos because the filter at work will not let me open videos!
What this debate boils down to is the welfare of the child...
1. The extended breast feeding has many healthful and beneficial aspects to it for both the child and the mother.
2. The negative impacts of the psychological aspects of breastfeeding for an extended period of time are more cultural in nature.
I travel all over the world and see a great many things. I see nothing wrong with it... the benefit outway the negatives!
My family is very huggy and kissy! I still hug and kiss both my parents on the mouth... but that is partly due to my ethnic heritage (Italian/Mexican). I have friends that have never kissed their parents and get grossed out when I do! They think it is weird! (It is just a peck... not a passionate tongue kiss or anything!)
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