She is referring to a YouTube video that often gets talked about.
I don't know why it comes up so frequently.. Maybe because it seems
like an easy conversation topic. Afterall, who WOULDN'T agree that nursing a 7
or 8 year old is "too old"?
When I hear this and the inevitable "Yeah! It's
gross" comments from other breastfeeding moms, I cringe for a moment.
And
then I proceed to ask... "Well... Why?"
The answer always boils down to the
same old arguments.
I'm gonna tell you this now. Those arguments that
breasts are only for babies under 6 months or one year or two years on the
outside? They hold no more water than the idea that breasts are there solely for
the husband's pleasure.
I request this of all moms, breastfeeding or not: If
you're going to say that another mother should do something or shouldn't do
something, at least be prepared with good basic facts and studies that support
your judgement of her.
I'm not even talking about the moms that say "Well, I
don't think I'd be comfortable doing that." I'm really not. Everyone has their
own comfort zones. I'm talking about the moms that are quick to say that full
term breastfeeding is "perverse" "going on too long" "encouraging emotional
dependence", etc. Please, please feel free to provide links to studies that say
that children that breastfeed until 3, 4, 6, 7 8... Have any psychological or
physical trauma as a result. Please feel free to back up your arguments. Because
I've searched long and hard... High and low.. And have found NOTHING that says
that breastfeeding at any age is a negative.
In fact, during my desperate
hunt to find out what age to wean, I've found some interesting things.
Those
interesting things are BIOLOGICAL MILESTONES. Hard set-in-stone gold standards
for when a child is "Supposed" to wean. These biological milestones are based on
the child's physical, mental, sexual, and immunological development...
Milestones that similar species meet.
Milestones that aren't just "Well the
child can survive without breastmilk now, it must be time to wean." Our children
are not puppies that we're desperate to get into homes and out of the house.
Ability to survive without our milk is the first and most crucial step to
independence, sure. But it's hardly the point at which to say "Success! Weaning
time."
A child essentially has a severely compromised immune system until
they are two years old, and does not reach the full adult level of
immunocompetence until closer to 5-8 years of age. This means that their immune
system is still intertwined with mom's BY DESIGN.
A child's jaw and oral
development benefits tremendously from breastfeeding until their permanent teeth
start to come in.
Interestingly enough, the natural disappearance of the
suckling reflex also occurs at about that same time: 5-8 years of age.
Breastfed children that are not introduced to hormone-ridden soy and cow
milk tend to reach puberty later, at around 13-18 instead of the 9-13 which is
becoming increasingly common in this country. In most primates, weaning happens
at about 1/3rd of the way to sexual maturity. With the normal range of sexual
maturity this would have children weaning at about 3-9 years old...
Breastfeeding is so ingrained in our biology that having children and NOT
breastfeeding or weaning prematurely actually effects our health. Breastfeeding
to 13 months or longer decreases mom's risk of autoimmune diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis. Or... To put it more accurately... Having children and NOT
breastfeeding full-term until at least 13 months INCREASES your risk of
autoimmune disorders, since full term breastfeeding is the NORM. Breastfeeding
decreases our risk of breast cancer, decreases our children's risk of childhood
cancers, decreases the odds of them landing in the hospital or suffering severe
versions of normal childhood illnesses... The list goes on.
If you're going
to jump on the bandwagon and squeal "It's GROSS!" "It's PERVERSE!"... Fine. But
if you do so around me, expect to be engaged in a quiet non-sensationalized
discussion about facts, biological NOT arbitrary weaning milestones, and the
negative impact of premature weaning on our society and our children.
I'm
not telling anyone to breastfeed until this age.
I'm simply asking you
politely to refrain from engaging in unsubstantiated attacks upon women that are
following the biological and healthful norm of child-led weaning and full-term
nursing.
I'm simply challenging you to think before you open your mouth or
tap on the keyboard. If something has SO many benefits, and NO documented
downsides.. If something has the endorsement of every major health
organization... How is it that a mom can be CRITICIZED for doing it?
That is the YouTube video to which the journal poster is talking about. I have read some articles by the woman breastfeeding in the video, and she seems like a very good writer as well.
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