the evolution of breastfeeding

when i had my daughter 2.5 years ago, i knew that i was going to breastfeed her.  there was no alternative in my mind and i never for one second considered that it might not work out. 

i was lucky.  india latched on like a professional within minutes and was breastfed until she was 18 months old.  i didnt really realize at the time that i was being political in any way; i was just feeding my baby.

i remember feeling slightly uncomfortable as i tried to feed her in a crowded waiting room, or feeding her in the car in a parking lot trying to make sure i was sufficiently covered up.  as india aged i felt even more self conscious and of course, i was faced with questions from family and friends about when i was going to stop breastfeeding my child.

we went on vacation when india was 13 months old to a colombian island in the caribbean and suddenly women everywhere on the island were smiling and nodding whenever i breastfed my daughter publicly.  these subtle approvals were warm and comforting and most importantly they reassured me that i was was doing a GOOD THING for my child. i went on to breastfeed her until she self weaned and i felt good about my accomplishments.

now that i have a son, i am much more confident when breastfeeding and i don't care where i am or who is in the room.  when my child needs to eat, i happily feed him.  i'm less concerned about covering up and making sure nothing is showing.  and you know what?  no one seems to mind one bit. 

so while i realize that what i'm doing is considered political - more importantly, it's just a human act of love.  and since my 4 month old weighs 19 pounds, it seems to be working out perfectly.  :)

extended breastfeeding?

this is an old post from a blog i wrote for a while in 2005... i ended up breastfeeding my daughter until she was 18 months and she self weaned. i hope to make it to 2 with my son.

on the eve of some good friends having a beautiful baby boy, i was thinking about the term "extended breastfeeding" and how innacurate the term actually is. extended breastfeeding, in north american terms, mean breastfeeding past one year of age. however the World Health Organization recommends babies be breastfed up to two years of age.

As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively
breastfed1 for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.2 Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond.

therefore, should the term "extended breastfeeding" not be applied until a baby is older than 2?

nothing is more sad than the lack of education and support in north america regarding just how vital breastfeeding is for babies. women who can't breastfeed shouldn't be made to feel bad, there shouldn't be guilt in bottlefeeding but there should be way women doing it. that might seem like a contradictory statement but in my opinion if everyone made a honest effort to breastfeed their children, then the few who couldn't would not feel bad about it and no one would question their situation. as it is now, i constantly hear about women whose breastfeeding attempts were sabotaged by nurses, jealous husbands, mothers and other relatives. and in the end the baby is the one getting the raw deal.

my daughter will be one on february 1st and i DO NOT consider myself to be extended breastfeeding. i consider myself to be taking care of my child's natural needs. our nursing sessions are something sacred in this family and i'm lucky to have a husband that comes from a country where breastfeeding until 2 or 3 is the norm...just for a refresher, here's a great article on the benefits of breastfeeding.

links on the benefits of "extended breastfeeding"

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBextended.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

http://www.gentleparenting.com/ebf_faq.html