Extended Breast Feeding

Today marks 18 month of breastfeeding for me. I feel totally proud of that fact. I’m not planning on stopping just yet either because I know neither of us are ready. And yet a small part of me gets embarrassed by it too.

I’m annoyed about that fact.

I do have friends and family that have breastfed to this point and beyond, or haven’t but are still supportive so I of course talk about it with them. But to the rest of the world I don’t like to tell them.

Why? Because I can feel their judgement. How do I know their judging? Because when my daughter was born so many congratulated me, telling me how wonderful it was that I was breastfeeding but said “as long as your not breastfeeding a toddler, that’s when it get weird!!”

Except now I am breastfeeding a toddler and a remember those comments…..

Pin me for later…

Mother placing breast pad inside top. Pin. “Breastfeeding beyond the one year mark.”

So should I still be breastfeeding?

Well the WHO (World Health Organisation) says I should. In fact they recommend a minimum of two years of feeding and the world average is actually 4 years. So why in Britain in 2020 is it so frowned upon?

I don’t want those who made the comments to feel bad. I probably said something similar pre-baby. It’s our society that has the problem with extended breastfeeding because its no longer common place in the UK. In fact statistics show that I am only 1 in 200 women that breast feed past the one year mark. That’s only 0.05%. Compare this with 23% in Germany, 56% in Brazil and 99% in Senegal.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking for a medal. In many ways I’ll carry on feeding because it’s such an easy option. It calms her when she’s upset, it sends her off to sleep when I need it too, it gives me 5 minutes with my feet up (and her for that matter) because the rest of the time she’s running from A to B like some mad headless chicken.

Extended Breastfeeding and feeding through the night. Mother and baby co-sleeping

The downsides of breastfeeding beyond one year.

There are of course some downsides. The fact that she only wants me to put her to bed because I’ve got the boobs. The not being able to drink too much, and the difficulties in leaving her. But in all honesty its a good excuse for not to leave her. Despite what I said pre-baby, I’m not the “I’ll still go out partying” kind of mother. I’m the total opposite of course and despise leaving her. But that’s OK because it’s not forever and right now she needs me and in so many ways I need her too.

Neither do I want anyone to feel judged that didn’t feed for as long, or at all. I think there should be no comment either way, in the same way you wouldn’t comment on weather I turned my heating on at 4pm rather than 5pm. Whatever makes us comfortable right?

So for now Reeva and I will carry on with what’s recommend, what bonds us so strongly and what I consider to be the easiest option. And I’ll do my best to blow raspberries at anyone that says otherwise.

Hannah xx