Why extended breastfeeding is wonderful!
Many moms find that once their baby nears their first birthday (or often even much earlier than that!) people start asking them, “how long are you going to do that for??!! “ (referring to breastfeeding, of course). It is a common assumption in our culture to expect that once a baby has teeth or is beginning to walk, they should no longer need to breastfeed anymore. Some pediatricians have even been known to tell mothers that babies don’t need breastmilk once they hit the one year mark. While this is true of formula, nothing could be further from the truth with a breastfed baby. Breastmilk doesn’t suddenly become less good, or unnecessary just because the child hits an arbitrary age. In my experience, most mothers who end up nursing a toddler never intended to do so. They just kind of grow into it. As baby nears a year, breastfeeding is easy, baby is healthy, and nursing has become part of your lifestyle. So, why stop now? The next thing you know, you’re approaching your toddler’s second birthday, and still breastfeeding. So what are the reasons to keep nursing your toddler?
Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters. Your little one who used to eat everything with gusto now only wants pasta and goldfish crackers. Moms worry incessantly about this. By continuing to breastfeed, you are basically giving your toddler a nutritional insurance policy. Breastmilk continues to provide substantial amounts of important nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins. In the second year of life, 15 ounces of breastmilk per day provides 29% of energy requirements, 43% of protein, 36% of calcium, 75% of vitamin A, 76% of folate, 94% of vitamin b12 and 60% of vitamin C. This makes it much easier to relax and not worry so much when your little person is being particularly persnickety about eating well.
Even though the volume of milk consumed by a baby into the toddler years decreases, studies show that the immune factors increase in concentration during the second year. Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16-30 months have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers. This is especially helpful for kids in daycare who put everything into their mouths and share their germs generously with their little friends.
Toddlers are walking disasters waiting to happen…this is the stage where it’s the contusion of the day. Toddlers fall constantly, bang their heads frequently, and seek out precarious behaviors like climbing everything in sight and jumping off any surface that’s jumpable! Nursing is the instant cure for all those boo-boos that happen on a daily basis. Just a couple minutes of nursing will make a screaming toddler calm instantly and forget their injuries, ready to move onto the next disaster.
Nursing is also a quick and easy way to get a very busy little person to settle down for a nap or to sleep for the night. Kids this age often don’t want to quit- the world is just so much fun and there’s so much to explore. But a few minutes of being in mommy’s arms and some nice soothing nursing will calm even the wildest child.
Many studies show that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and to continue breastfeeding long term after that.
Extensive research in the relationship between cognitive achievement (IQ and grades in school) and breastfeeding has shown the greatest gains for those children who were breastfed the longest.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Family Physicians, The World Health Organization and Unicef all emphasize the importance of extended breastfeeding, citing the significant health and developmental benefits to the child. It is stated that, “ if the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned.”
Mothers also benefit from extended breastfeeding. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer,and uterine cancer are all less likely the longer a woman breastfeeds. Moms also have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression. The longer you nurse your child, the more these benefits increase.
Often when people first have their babies, they will ask me how long they should breastfeed for. I will never answer that question. (I never “should” on anyone!) That’s because when you’re holding a brand new baby in your arms, one year seems like forever away. In the beginning when breastfeeding can sometimes be a challenge to get going, thinking that you have to make it to one year can seem daunting and impossible. I usually just respond by saying something like, “the longer the better…one day of breastfeeding is better than none; two days is better than one and so on”. Giving moms the proper support will get them past the rough patches in the beginning. and the next thing you know, your little one is celebrating their first birthday and you are still happily breastfeeding, seeing no reason whatsoever that you should stop. In fact, there are so many reasons as I’ve stated, to keep going! So the next time somebody asks you how long you’re going to do that for, just smile and nod as tell them as long as you and baby want to keep going.
