Let me start by saying that I am not a breastfeeding fanatic . It is always the parent's decision what form of feeding they choose. There are also situations in which long-term breastfeeding (or even any breastfeeding) is not possible. However, if any breastfeeding person were to end breastfeeding due to lack of support from loved ones or the environment, they had better read this text.
Be strong, mommy_daddy. Just trust yourself.
Mother's milk – why is it so valuable?
Breast milk is the best food for a newborn baby. Its composition simply cannot be faked (despite the best attempts of formula milk manufacturers). It is composed perfectly to the current needs of the child , and as if that were not enough, this composition is never uniform - it changes depending on the time of feeding, the phase of lactation, the month of the child's life, the health of the breastfeeding person and the health of the child.
Milk is different for every person, and even varies between breasts of the same person! This is because the breasts do not work symmetrically and may produce slightly different milk.
Today we know that the parent's milk is the best thing we can give to a child . When the child is hungry, we give the breast - just like that. We do not wash the breast beforehand (as was done 20 years ago).
As Hafija.pl writes (you will also find those cited by Hafija in the list of sources), 30% of bacteria in a child's belly - the good ones that shape the child's microbiome for life - come from the parent's milk , and 10% from the areola . According to research, there are over 700 strains of such bacteria in milk !
In addition to the bacteria from the milk of the nursing mother, over 200 types of oligosaccharides pass into the baby's belly , the main role of which is to... feed these 700 strains of bacteria. This is quite important when your child is exploring the world, eating mud from the wheels of the stroller, every crumb found in the house or just fluffy dust like a cloud!
We encourage you to read our article: breast structure and development .
Breastfeeding in numbers
In Poland, 12% of breastfeeding people decide not to breastfeed at all, while 38% do not continue breastfeeding after the child's 6th month of life.
Our country, unfortunately, is not one of those that supports people who want to breastfeed for a long time. You can hear unsophisticated comments even when feeding a newborn in a public place. I emphasize: we are talking about a newborn who does not have fixed eating times, and breastfeeding on demand is the only proper way to feed a small child. And when I write: "public place", I mean a bench in a Warsaw park. "Cover yourself with something, a little culture", "Couldn't you feed at home, instead of teasing in a place full of children?" True story.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) , the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) , the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) , the World Health Organization (WHO), and other organizations recommend that infants receive exclusively their parent's milk for the first 6 months of life , with continued breastfeeding for at least the first year and beyond .
Anthropological data suggest a wide range for normal weaning ages, from 2.5 to 7 years.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to breastfeed for so long when, according to some, breastfeeding a child over the age of 3 is already "pathology". It is sometimes perceived as harming the child, not being able to "cut the umbilical cord" (or making the child dependent on you AGAINST HIS WILL) or - in the worst case - deriving sexual pleasure from breastfeeding an older child.
Yes, the last argument is disgusting and very hurtful, it stems from the sexualization of breasts in our society and their perception not as an organ for feeding offspring, but for stimulation for pleasure.
Hello! Does anyone have any idea what breastfeeding an older child looks like in practice?! I dare say no. And to be clear - associating breasts with sex is a problem and the "filters" of adults. Breastfed children do not look at the breast in any other way than as a source of food, safety and peace. A parent, on the other hand, looks at the child through the prism of motherhood, so in a healthy person, sexualization of a child is simply impossible.
Breastfeeding – When is Too Long?
Actually… never.
No studies have proven the adverse effects of breastfeeding on a child of any age. You can't harm a child by breastfeeding if you follow the needs of the child and the person breastfeeding. Scientists have also never determined the boundary after which the benefits of breastfeeding a parent would end or lose their significance, because - in short - the longer a child is breastfed, the better their health.
The length of breastfeeding is a decision made solely by the person breastfeeding, who should take into account the needs of the child. It is a closeness that no one has the right to interfere with.
Research shows that in the 2nd and 3rd year of life, breastfeeding not only satisfies nutritional needs – which is incidental, as the introduction of solid foods to the diet is already well underway – but also health needs (production of antibodies in response to external factors; milk contains vitamins, proteins and fats, which the child's body absorbs almost entirely) and the emotional and psychological needs of the child and the breastfeeding person (as it is a two-way process).
Are there any negative effects of long-term breastfeeding?
There is no case in which long-term breastfeeding of a healthy child by a healthy person (when both parties are willing) would have ANY negative effects.
Breastfeeding has a positive impact on maintaining good health in both the baby and the person breastfeeding.
Selected benefits for your child
- Parent's milk stimulates the natural development of the child's brain during the period of intensive growth after 1.5 years (it is not that children who are not breastfed do not have proper brain development, but food does not provide them with additional stimulation);
- rapid development of the immune system , lower risk of cancer, milder reaction to vaccination;
- better visual acuity ;
- proper development of nervous tissue (which, for example, translates into a higher IQ);
- supporting proper growth, development of muscles and jaw bones (correct structure of the lips, tongue, regulation of nasal breathing and correct structure of the palate);
- lower risk of respiratory diseases , pneumonia, flu (additionally, a milder course of these diseases and fewer complications);
- lower cholesterol levels (lower risk of heart disease and stroke) in adulthood;
- lower risk of diarrhea and bacterial infections in children who are exclusively breastfed (breast milk protects the digestive system, being a natural probiotic; often during illness it is the only food that the child tolerates);
- lower risk of developing Crohn's disease (chronic ulcerative colitis) in adulthood ;
- less strain on the kidneys (less salt and protein in the parent's milk);
- lower risk of appendicitis ;
- lower risk of urinary tract infections ;
- lower risk of ear infections ;
- lower risk of developing juvenile idiopathic arthritis ;
- lower risk of allergic skin problems ;
- lower risk of developing type I diabetes ;
- lower risk of tooth decay and oral infections ;
- lower risk of developing asthma;
- lower risk of obesity ;
- lower risk of childhood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma;
- lower risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS);
- lower risk of anemia (low iron levels in the blood);
- In addition, feeding helps your baby fall asleep quickly and peacefully , and reduces anxiety or anger between 18 and 24 months of age.
Benefits for the breastfeeding person
- lower risk of developing breast cancer ;
- lower risk of ovarian cancer ;
- lower risk of developing thyroid cancer ;
- lower risk of developing endometrial cancer ;
- lower risk of developing hypertension ;
- lower risk of circulatory system problems ;
- lower risk of stroke ;
- lower risk of developing type II diabetes .
Optimal breastfeeding
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommend optimal breastfeeding. This includes:
- Early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.
- Exclusive breastfeeding until the end of the baby's 6 months of life.
- Continuing breastfeeding while introducing complementary foods into the child's diet until the child is 2 years old and beyond – as much as the breastfeeding mother and the child want.
As Walters, Phan, and Mathisen write, if everyone followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization and chose to breastfeed their children according to the above principles, more than 590,000 child deaths could be prevented each year.
Each year, approximately 99,000 breastfeeding women would NOT die from breast cancer (20,000) or ovarian cancer (13,000) or type II diabetes, while approximately 970,000 breastfed children would not have to deal with obesity.
Breastfeeding and cancer
As Hafija.pl points out , the risk of developing breast cancer may be as much as 5 times lower in breastfeeding mothers than in those with uteruses who do not breastfeed. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, every 5 months of breastfeeding reduces this risk by 2%.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, in turn, claims that breastfeeding for more than 12 months reduces the risk of breast cancer by as much as 28% , and with each additional year by an additional 4.3% . The milk production process itself is most likely responsible for this - thanks to it, healthy cells do not mutate into cancerous ones.
Reducing estrogen levels, which can cause cancer, is another protective factor. Just 3 months of breastfeeding can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by 20% . Breastfeeding for any length of time reduces the risk by 10% .
Breastfeeding Taboo and its Social Consequences
The researchers concluded that widespread stigma against breastfeeding in public, social acceptance of artificial feeding as being as safe as breastfeeding, and cultural conditioning all contribute to children not being breastfed.
Society is therefore more susceptible to diseases, ailments and illnesses, the risk of which can be significantly reduced by breastfeeding. The reduced risk of society contracting these diseases means lower spending on their treatment, because it is this that generates huge costs.
Myths about breastfeeding
There are people who have a problem with every solution. What do they have to do with someone else's breasts? What do they have to do with someone else's decisions? What about feeding a child, regardless of its age? Oh well. But they have to say what they have to say.
The claim that after a while, breasts produce water, not whole milk, is not supported by any research . Quite the opposite.
Hafija.pl states that "human milk expressed by [people] breastfeeding for over 12 months contains significantly more fat and energy components compared to milk expressed by [people] who breastfeed for a shorter period." Come on, show me a mammal that produces water for its offspring.
Another myth repeated like a mantra by people who have no idea about breastfeeding is that a baby “turns its mother into a pacifier” and that this should be strictly stopped. Wait a minute. But weren’t pacifiers created as breast substitutes? Inducers of the sucking reflex, used as effective calming agents…
Another problem (other people) have with breastfeeding is "tying the mother on a short leash" . Because there's nothing a breastfeeding person can do. And I think that my leash is one of those very stretchy ones. It stretches not only to the shop in front of the block or the drugstore a few streets away. It stretches to the neighboring district, where I rushed to a friend's exhibition. It even stretched to a distance of 100 kilometers when I wanted to take a break from the children.
Because you also need to rest. I would even go so far as to say that regular rest for parents increases the chances of extending the period of breastfeeding :)
Created at: 14/08/2022
Updated at: 14/08/2022
