Fee's World

So here we are, entering the World of breastfeeding a toddler. Previous to becoming a member of the breastfeeding mafia I myself frowned upon toddlers being breasted, so I know what many are thinking as they give me and my 12 month old son that look.

It’s not right, it’s just wrong, he doesn’t need it, that’s just weird. All things I’ve thought myself in the past, until I became a breastfeeding Mama, that is.

While pregnant I knew I wanted to breastfeed, I was more concerned about not being able to bf than I was about the birth of my first baby. I knew so many people who had tried and failed to breastfeed that I assumed it would be a hard path of cracked, sore nipples. How wrong I was and how wrong society’s image of breastfeeding is, had I known then what I know now things would be very different.

Cracked, sore nipples mean something isn’t quite right, be it a bad latch or positioning or any number of other things but most if not all can be fixed and usually very easily! Out of date health visitors who haven’t ever breastfed a child themselves or haven’t bothered to keep their training current are giving vulnerable new Mums bad advice left right and centre, bfing advice that is setting them up to fail.

If I had listened to the advice of my health visitor I would have made it to 6 months breastfeeding at the most. But that’s excellent, isn’t it? Is it? The recommended amount of time breastfeed for, I’d heard. Oh really? You see, when you actually read the current advice and guidelines from the various health authorities we see something very different. The 6 months thing is a recommended period of time in which to exclusively breastfeed, ie not even think about weaning. The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding for at least two years.

So why at one year old do I suddenly get the feeling people think I should no longer breastfeed my child? What is wrong with our society that it’s assumed at one I will suddenly decide breast is not best afterall and switch to formula? That’s just warped.

Perhaps it’s the success of the formula marketing boards and their ‘follow on milk’, bombarding our minds and warping our judgement.

Well this Mama won’t be removing her baby’s ultimate form of comfort and security, the thing that continues to help build a strong immune system that will set him up for life, making him stronger and increasing brainpower while we’re at it.

Here begins a wonderful new journey for us all.