My Journey
Breastfeeding came naturally to me after my son’s
birth. I did not have any particular struggles while breastfeeding him – no
medical issues/latching problems.
In the beginning, my answers to my friends’ queries as
to when am I going to wean him, were quite vague. I had started initially by saying
that I would feed him until he turned 2. After he turned two, I changed my
answer to 3 years. It was so natural to me that I did not realize I would
continue feeding him until he wanted me to feed. When he turned 4.8, he himself
told me one day that he didn’t want Amma milk anymore. So, my son self-weaned
smoothly, without glitches.
I was always against using traditional techniques of
weaning like applying neem oil and some other techniques suggested by people
around me then. So self-weaning was always on my mind.
Duration of Feeds
As I am mentoring new mothers these days, a lot of them
ask me this question (aiming at when to wean their baby) – does the duration of
feeds reduce as they grow? The answer is yes. Babies know how much milk they
need and breast milk is tailored as per the nutritional demands of the child. As
the child is growing, especially after the age of 1, they start showing more
interest in solid foods and the breast milk shifts from being a primary source
of nutrition to the secondary one. Solid foods start replacing breast milk
gradually. This reduces the duration of feeds as well. Then it becomes feeding
on-demand or for comfort. Mothers do not need to time the feeds. The child
himself/herself knows and can decide when to stop feeding. This duration
differs from child to child.
For me, there was a dip in the duration of feeds. It began
with nearly half an hour to one hour and there was a time when he would feed
continuously for even three hours. The last time he fed for three hours was when
he was two years old. It started reducing when he turned 3. After a point, he
only wanted to feed at night and that too for 10 minutes. By the time he was
4.8, this duration was just two to five minutes, that too for comfort. So, the duration
of feeds should never be a criterion for a mother deciding to wean her child.
Milk Supply Levels & Stress
Usually, I had heard that stress affects breast milk
supply but, in my case, I never checked my milk supply levels and it had not
reduced either (my baby was doing good). I was going through a major stress
period, perhaps even slight PPD because of issues in my marriage and my ensuing
separation. I was surprised I was able to feed and satiate him all through that
phase. All I knew was that I was breastfeeding on demand and his pee count was
normal. So, this proved another theory wrong: Stress affects breast milk supply
levels. It doesn’t! I would say mothers must continue feeding because human
milk is tailormade to suit every child.
One Breast Preference
It is natural for babies to develop a preference for
only one breast too. When Reyansh had completed 9 months, he stopped feeding
on my left breast – showed a preference for the right one (maybe the position
was too comfortable for him). He never
showed crankiness or signs of not being satisfied. In fact, at 15 months, his
then paediatrician even commented on his being underweight, addressing my
toddler (not me!): you have had enough of mommy’s milk and you need cow’s milk!
I was cheesed off with her then when she asked me to add lots of ghee and
butter in his food – even make payasam (sweetened rice in milk). In
fact, I became more determined to take the self-weaning route and changed the
doctor. On the way back that day, when my hubby had even asked if I was sure I
did not want to wean him now, I gave a monosyllabic reply: NO. I changed my
paediatrician and thankfully I came to know about percentiles in babies’
weight. So, he was on the lower percentile and there was really nothing to
worry about the “underweight” bit.
I used to attend a lot of parenting meets and by this
time, I became actively involved in a parenting community. Seeing all mothers
take the self-weaning route, I was super inspired to continue breastfeeding
him. This was about my extended breastfeeding journey.
Science behind Extended Breastfeeding
Now comes the scientific bit behind extended
breastfeeding. Human milk contains 172 calories vis-a-vis cow's milk which contains
146 calories. And yet despite the fact
that human milk is richer and nutritious than any other animal’s milk, most of
our society prefers to advocate cow’s milk for infants and discourages
breastfeeding or extended feeding. They probably wouldn’t mind giving biscuits
and other junk to infants and toddlers but if you say you are breastfeeding
(extended) then there is something abnormal about you instead of the reverse.
Health experts have listed out innumerable benefits of
breastfeeding for a longer period for the following reasons:
1. The first obvious one is nutrition for the baby. The
composition of breast milk changes with the age of the baby. It is tailor-made
to suit the needs of the baby. So
irrespective of the age, gender, race or community, the baby will continue to
benefit from appropriate amounts of calcium, protein, fat, and vitamins.
2. The second one is a stronger immune system. In my
son’s case, when he was detected with severe skin problems and wheezing, I was
advised to continue breastfeeding until he turned 2. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as
the frequency and intensity of wheezing reduced drastically. Even skin problems
reduced thanks to medications and breastfeeding. The use of the nebulizers got
minimized too.
A report says: “Babies who breastfeed have decreased
incidences of illness and lower mortality rates. The immunity benefits improve the
longer a baby breastfeeds. The longer you breastfeed, the less likely your baby
is to have some of the illnesses that we associate with not breastfeeding, like
ear infections and upper respiratory infections.”
3. Mommies are also less likely to have breast cancer,
ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer if they breastfeed for a longer period of
time. This is not to say that mothers can never contract these illnesses. It
just reduces the chances of contracting them.
4. Breastfed babies have shown to have better brain
development according to some studies. The reason being babies tend to feed
from both breasts in multiple positions. This gives a chance for babies to reach
out, touch, smell and look out for their mother when they are feeding. This is
different from bottle-fed babies who instinctually tend to feed in the same
position – moms use their dominant hand to hold the baby to feed and rarely
change positions too.
5. Finally, it is all about comfort. Babies and
mothers bond a lot through breastfeeding. It helps soothe babies during illness
or when they are experiencing pain or hurt. It increases the emotional bond
between the mother and child, which is extremely vital for both, especially the
child. It is more of an assurance that the mother is always there for the
child.
So, mommies those who are thinking of extended
breastfeeding and facing opposition, please take a stand for your baby ‘coz
“Mommy knows it the best”!
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