So, some dumb ass answered a message board post I had put up looking for advice on how to get Eli to stop throwing his pacifier out of the crib. Here's what her reply said (having nothing to do with my request):
Instead of worrying so much about his pacifier, I'd be more concerned that you are still breastfeeding him at his age. If he's on solid food, which I hope he is, he doesn't need to breastfeed any more. It's more for you than it is for him and that's kind of strange. Wheat are you going to do when the new baby is here.... Put one kid on each breast? Kids should know how to use a sippy cup at a year old. If you're really worried about nutrition for him,use a breast pump and put it in a cup.
So, since I took the time to write this up in defense of Eli's needs, I thought I might as well copy and paste it here for anyone else who is retarded enough to have the same thoughts. Hope this sets you straight if you think formula is as good as breast milk or that it has to stop any time before the age of 2! I'll put it in a blog as well so it will be around forever! lol
Sorry, but that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You need to do some research if you think that breastfeeding needs to stop at a year. They have done study after study and children benefit from breastfeeding as long as it continues. The AAP recommends AT LEAST a year and then as long as it works for BOTH mother and child. I don't do it for me, I do it because my son hasn't shown any sign of weaning. I'd love to have my breasts back to milk-free and I'm sure my husband would, too!
The WHO recommends at least TWO years! The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that babies be fed with breast milk only — no formula or solids — for the first 6 months of life. It is better to breastfeed for 6 months and best to breastfeed for 12 months, or for as long as you and your baby wish. Solid foods can be introduced when the baby is 6 months old, while you continue to breastfeed.
NO WHERE will you find scientific evidence that it's bad to continue to breastfeed past the age of one. I'm sorry you have been given (or maybe you just assumed) this information. There are a lot of doctors out there who aren't up to date on their breastfeeding statistics. Because I breastfeed, my child has higher immunities to illnesses like colds and the flu. He's only been sick ONCE in 13 months and that was a mild cold with a snotty nose, nothing else. "Breast milk has agents (called antibodies) in it to help protect infants from bacteria and viruses and to help them fight off infection and disease." No ear infections (another proven benefit of breastfeeding because of positioning and the need for a stronger suck than on a bottle or sippy cup). And he's smarter, another thing you can look up. Breastfed babies have a higher IQ and the longer they are breastfed, the more it helps. Longer breastfeeding also contributes to lower allergies (both food and environmental).
This is not new information, I'm surprised every time I hear ignorance like yours.
Here are some 2005 findings by the AAP:
"Studies on infants provide evidence that breastfeeding can decrease the incidence or severity of conditions such as diarrhea, ear infections and bacterial meningitis. Some studies also suggest that breastfeeding may offer protection against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, obesity and asthma among others."
The 2005 policy recommendations include:
~ Exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child (no FORCED weaning)
~ Mother and infant should sleep in proximity to each other to facilitate breastfeeding
~ Pediatricians should counsel adoptive mothers on the benefits of induced lactation through hormonal therapy or mechanical stimulation (yup, that means you should be nursing your adoptive children as well as your biological)
~ Recognize and work with cultural diversity in breastfeeding practices (breastfeeding 2 years and on)
~ In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
o 29% of energy requirements
o 43% of protein requirements
o 36% of calcium requirements
o 75% of vitamin A requirements
o 76% of folate requirements
o 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
o 60% of vitamin C requirements
-- Dewey 2001
~ It's not uncommon for weaning to be recommended for toddlers who are eating few solids. However, this recommendation is not supported by research. According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.)
Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN
~ The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001).
~ Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers (Gulick 1986).
~ Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).
~ Per the World Health Organization, "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness."
Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES
~ Many studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and continue breastfeeding long-term after that point.
Breastfeeding can be helpful for preventing allergy by:
1. reducing exposure to potential allergens (the later baby is exposed, the less likely that there will be an allergic reaction),
2. speeding maturation of the protective intestinal barrier in baby's gut,
3. coating the gut and providing a barrier to potentially allergenic molecules,
4. providing anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of infections (which can act as allergy triggers).
Nursing toddlers are SMART
~ Extensive research on the relationship between cognitive achievement (IQ scores, grades in school) and breastfeeding has shown the greatest gains for those children breastfed the longest.
Benefits to mom:
"Research indicates that breastfeeding can reduce a mother's risk of several medical conditions, including ovarian and breast cancer, and possibly a decreased risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis in the postmenopausal period." The longer you breastfeed, the better off you are because it decreases hormones in your body that lead to cancers.
MOTHERS also benefit from nursing past infancy
* Extended nursing delays the return of fertility in some women by suppressing ovulation (References).
* Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer (References). Studies have found a significant inverse association between duration of lactation and breast cancer risk.
* Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer (References).
* Breastfeeding reduces the risk of uterine cancer (References).
* Breastfeeding reduces the risk of endometrial cancer (References).
* Breastfeeding protects against osteoporosis. During lactation a mother may experience decreases of bone mineral. A nursing mom's bone mineral density may be reduced in the whole body by 1 to 2 percent while she is still nursing. This is gained back, and bone mineral density may actually increase, when the baby is weaned from the breast. This is not dependent on additional calcium supplementation in the mother's diet. (References).
* Breastfeeding reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. (References).
* Breastfeeding has been shown to decrease insulin requirements in diabetic women (References).
* Breastfeeding moms tend to lose weight easier (References).
I'm guessing you are not in the medical field, I certainly hope not. I also hope you aren't spreading this misinformation about a natural process to too many people.
Feel free to do some research and try to contradict me, you won't be able to. And, for the record, yes, it's called TANDEM NURSING. It's been going on since the beginning of time. You feed the baby first to make sure they get what then need and then continue with the older child. No different than nursing twins.
All this information was easily found in about a half hour. Here's where I got my information:
http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/aap-statement.htm
http://www.llli.org/
http://www.lllusa.org/
http://www.4woman.gov/breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=home
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/nursetoddler.html
http://www.parentingweb.com/lounge/ext_nursepage.htm
Where did you get yours? I'm guessing it's just the opinions of people around you or a doctor who isn't up to date in his breastfeeding information. I Googled "you shouldn't breastfeed a toddler", "not good to breastfeed a toddler", and "risks of breastfeed a toddler" and NOTHING to support these statements came up. NOTHING. Each statement only brought up links I had already checked on benefits of breastfeeding and support information.
Look down on all of us moms who are only doing what is best for your toddlers, but you have nothing to back up your statement except ignorance and old information. And in the future, answer the question that is asked, don't put in your opinions when they aren't asked for or needed and have NOTHING to do with the advice being sought.
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