Sharon Emerson

Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
League.
Sharon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Christie Craigie-Carter

Sharon,

How old? I nursed my dd until she was 4.5, and am still nursing my almost 3
yr old and plan to until he self-weans. I'm happy to share experience if
that would be helpful.

Christie


On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Sharon Emerson <1drflmthr@...> wrote:

> Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
> children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
> League.
> Sharon
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jamie Caldwell

My kiddos self weaned at about 2, but I hoped to breastfeed a bit longer. :(

--- On Sun, 12/7/08, Christie Craigie-Carter <craigiecarter@...> wrote:

From: Christie Craigie-Carter <craigiecarter@...>
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] long-term breastfeeding
To: [email protected]
Date: Sunday, December 7, 2008, 5:52 PM






Sharon,

How old? I nursed my dd until she was 4.5, and am still nursing my almost 3
yr old and plan to until he self-weans. I'm happy to share experience if
that would be helpful.

Christie

On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Sharon Emerson <1drflmthr@gmail. com> wrote:

> Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
> children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
> League.
> Sharon
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

I nursed my son until after he turned 5 and my dd is almost 3 going on strong.
Here are some links: ( tandem for about 20 months)

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/index.html

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/dethowlong.htm%c2%a0( scroll to the end)

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html%c2%a0( the best - a must read- study- natural age of weaning)

http://www.007b.com/early_weaning.php
 
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
 




________________________________
From: Christie Craigie-Carter <craigiecarter@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, December 7, 2008 11:52:07 AM
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] long-term breastfeeding


Sharon,

How old? I nursed my dd until she was 4.5, and am still nursing my almost 3
yr old and plan to until he self-weans. I'm happy to share experience if
that would be helpful.

Christie

On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Sharon Emerson <1drflmthr@gmail. com> wrote:

> Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
> children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
> League.
> Sharon
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

klackj2

I nursed my first for 4yrs8mths and my second is currently 4yrs3mths
and still nursing. So any questions feel free to ask.

Sharon

My children are 6 and 9.
Sharon

--- In [email protected], "Christie Craigie-Carter"
<craigiecarter@...> wrote:
>
> Sharon,
>
> How old? I nursed my dd until she was 4.5, and am still nursing my
almost 3
> yr old and plan to until he self-weans. I'm happy to share
experience if
> that would be helpful.
>
> Christie
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Sharon Emerson <1drflmthr@...> wrote:
>
> > Does anyone have any information or experience with
breastfeeding older
> > children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La
Leche
> > League.
> > Sharon
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Faith Void

Thanks Alex for the links. I love to have new stuff like that on hand.

I nursed my kids until they weaned, or in the case of the baby she will
nurse until she's done as well. I am curious what information the OP wanted
about full-term nusing.

Faith

On Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 1:27 PM, BRIAN POLIKOWSKY <polykowholsteins@...
> wrote:

> I nursed my son until after he turned 5 and my dd is almost 3 going
> on strong.
> Here are some links: ( tandem for about 20 months)
>
> http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/index.html
>
> http://www.kathydettwyler.org/dethowlong.htm ( scroll to the end)
>
> http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html ( the best - a must read-
> study- natural age of weaning)
>
> http://www.007b.com/early_weaning.php
>
> Alex Polikowsky
> http://polykow.blogspot.com/
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
>
>
>


--
http://faithvoid.blogspot.com/
www.bearthmama.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Shannon G.

I nursed my now 6 1/2 year old until a bit after his 5th bday.
what sort of info are you looking for?
Shannon
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharon Emerson
To: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 4:26 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] long-term breastfeeding


Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
League.
Sharon

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

Too bad I could not find the link I had to a site just about breastfeeding a todler and beyond.
It was a very good site. Maybe I will search for it.
Don't know what I did to it.
I used to save a lot of breastfeeding sites when I worked at the Birth Center as a Lactation Counselor.

 
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
 




________________________________
From: Faith Void <littlemsvoid@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, December 7, 2008 2:09:37 PM
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] long-term breastfeeding


Thanks Alex for the links. I love to have new stuff like that on hand.

I nursed my kids until they weaned, or in the case of the baby she will
nurse until she's done as well. I am curious what information the OP wanted
about full-term nusing.

Faith

On Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 1:27 PM, BRIAN POLIKOWSKY <polykowholsteins@ yahoo.com
> wrote:

> I nursed my son until after he turned 5 and my dd is almost 3 going
> on strong.
> Here are some links: ( tandem for about 20 months)
>
> http://www.kellymom .com/bf/bfextend ed/index. html
>
> http://www.kathydet twyler.org/ dethowlong. htm ( scroll to the end)
>
> http://www.kathydet twyler.org/ detwean.html ( the best - a must read-
> study- natural age of weaning)
>
> http://www.007b. com/early_ weaning.php
>
> Alex Polikowsky
> http://polykow. blogspot. com/
>
> http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/unschoolin gmn/
>
>
>

--
http://faithvoid. blogspot. com/
www.bearthmama. com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Marla B.

Hey Sharon,

As you know, I'm still nursing Lily, who's 5 yo., and Amy went beyond
that age. I know three other moms who nursed their kids beyond the
age of 5 years.

One site that I found comforting for long-term breastfeeding was that
of anthropologist, Katherine Dettwyller. Here's her website:

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/dettwyler.html

Hope that helps. We can also talk about it more if you want to give
me a call or the next time I see you.

Take care!!

Marla

Marla B.

Hey Sharon,

I just wanted to include a couple of quotes from Kathy Detwyller's
webpage below:

"In conclusion, there is no research to support a claim that
breastfeeding a child at any age is in any way harmful to a child . On
the contrary, my research suggests that the best outcomes, in terms of
health, cognitive, and emotional development, are the result of
children being allowed to breastfeed as long as they need/want to.
Around the world, most children self-wean between the ages of 3 and 5
years, but given that the underlying physiological norm is to
breastfeed up to 6-7 years, it is quite normal for children to
continue to breastfeed to this age as well, and the occasional
"normally" developing child will nurse even longer. Children who nurse
for more than a year or two tend to regard their mother's breasts as
sources of love and nurturance and comfort, and are more or less
immune to the broader society's attempts to culturally define breasts
as sex objects."

"In brief, during the late 1990s, I surveyed 1,280 children in the US
who breastfed for a minimum of three years. The mean age of weaning
for these children was 4.24. years, with a median of 4.00 years, a
mode of 3.5 years, a standard deviation of 1.08 years, and a range of
3.00 to 9.17 years ."

Hope that helps, too.

Marla :)

Tammy Curry

I haven't read all of this thread but I do want to pipe up. I let my children breast feed until they decided to stop both were right around two. I felt more bereft than anything when they wanted to stop. Now I did pump some as well because my husband wanted to be able to feed them as well, it was one of those moments he has always treasured with the kids and they have all built a very strong relationship as well.


Both are healthy children and yes they do still find comfort in snuggling up to mommy's breasts, it is one way that I know if something is bothering them and that they may need to talk about it. My son is only 4 and when he is frightened, not feeling well or something along those lines, he crawls up into my lap and slides his hand down the front of my shirt. He isn't groping or anything like that but he says he feels better or safe when he does it and that mommy is very very soft the way she is supposed to be. Typically he goes for the left side, heart side, probably still a very comforting feel and sound for him is my heart beat.

I really wish both of mine had gone on longer I think I enjoyed the comfort as much as they did. But I think allowing your children to decide when to stop is the best for them, hard for mommy but good for the children. Stopping by a certain age and handing them a sippy cup or bottle or whatever is a societal constraint in most cases. We actually changed pediatricians with our first because the original one wasn't supportive of our decision to co-sleep (now that we know that is what we had been doing), to question vaccinations, things of that nature. I wish we could have put him in our back pocket when we moved. We are still searching for a decent pediatrician in this area for those just in case moments, though typically neither one ever gets very sick and are otherwise very healthy.


Other than my husband being supportive of long term nursing my mom was the only other one who did. Everyone else thought I was absolutely nuts for allowing them to go past 6-12 mths of breast feeding.

Well this tired momma is going to head to bed, the kids want to do decorations and such in the morning which means they will be up before the sun to get ready for it :)

Tammy C.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

amberlee_b

I just want to say if there are mom's out there who weren't able to or didn't get to nurse
long to not suddenly feel they didn't "do right" by their kids. I started out gung ho on
breastfeeding (and pumping so hubby could feed as well) and then my son got teeth at 4
months. He didn't want to breastfeed, it hurt his mouth to suck. I felt horrible. I thought I
was a bad mom because most of the people I knew were so into breastfeeding until the
child was at least 2 or 3. He would rather bite me than breastfeed, it was difficult.

My second son would have breastfed "FOREVER" LOL...but when he was 6 months I
became deathly ill and was in the hospital for 10 days. So he was not able to breastfeed
due to the meds they had me on to keep me living... I also found out I was preggy with my
dd.......She BFed for the longest--a whole 9 months. Yep, 9 months and she was done
and ready to eat with the big brothers. She didn't want to mess around with this mom
stuff. She wanted to be a big girl....she had been walking for a month already. *sigh*

Each kid is so different. And although I was seen as being a "bad mom" by some, I
realized that it was what it was and my kids are rarely sick. We still snuggle and talk. Ok
maybe not the eldest--lol but you know what I mean. I did what I could to the best of
my ability and the wants/needs of my children (maybe the exception being when I was so
sick)... I just hope this helps someone else who isn't able/wasn't able to breastfeed for
long if at all. (Had a friend with the inverted issue....and one who never produced milk. I
didn't know that could happen either.)

sorry if this is TMI...

I haven't found a good Peed for my kids yet either since we moved....we love our
chiropractor though.

Tobye Cotton

Thank you so much for this.  I completely understand.
My first ds bf'd until 5 weeks.. he was losing weight and the docs recommended formula.  I was so saddened.. but being a first time mom and seeing my child 'failing to thrive' made me 'do what I had to do'.  He was formula fed from then on.  He's the happiest, healthiest kid I know at 5 3/4.
My dd bf'd until just after turning 2 when she decided she was done with that and just wanted 'armpit'.  Yes, she has to fall asleep with her little hand in my armpit.. still at 3.
Now, my youngest ds (he'll be 1 in 2 weeks) is still happily bf'ing all day and night with no signs of stopping.
 
Although I still have moments when I wish I had done it a bit differently with my first ds, I know that I did the best I could with the information that I had at the time.
 
I have 3 wonderful children, no matter how ya slice it! *smile*
 
Thanks again for sharing your story......
 
Tobye

--- On Mon, 12/8/08, amberlee_b <amberlee16@...> wrote:

From: amberlee_b <amberlee16@...>
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: long-term breastfeeding
To: [email protected]
Date: Monday, December 8, 2008, 9:26 AM






I just want to say if there are mom's out there who weren't able to or didn't get to nurse
long to not suddenly feel they didn't "do right" by their kids. I started out gung ho on
breastfeeding (and pumping so hubby could feed as well) and then my son got teeth at 4
months. He didn't want to breastfeed, it hurt his mouth to suck. I felt horrible. I thought I
was a bad mom because most of the people I knew were so into breastfeeding until the
child was at least 2 or 3. He would rather bite me than breastfeed, it was difficult.

My second son would have breastfed "FOREVER" LOL...but when he was 6 months I
became deathly ill and was in the hospital for 10 days. So he was not able to breastfeed
due to the meds they had me on to keep me living... I also found out I was preggy with my
dd.......She BFed for the longest--a whole 9 months. Yep, 9 months and she was done
and ready to eat with the big brothers. She didn't want to mess around with this mom
stuff. She wanted to be a big girl....she had been walking for a month already. *sigh*

Each kid is so different. And although I was seen as being a "bad mom" by some, I
realized that it was what it was and my kids are rarely sick. We still snuggle and talk. Ok
maybe not the eldest--lol but you know what I mean. I did what I could to the best of
my ability and the wants/needs of my children (maybe the exception being when I was so
sick)... I just hope this helps someone else who isn't able/wasn't able to breastfeed for
long if at all. (Had a friend with the inverted issue....and one who never produced milk. I
didn't know that could happen either.)

sorry if this is TMI...

I haven't found a good Peed for my kids yet either since we moved....we love our
chiropractor though.


















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

geminy1974

My daughter is 3yrs 8 mths & still feeding.

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/sustained.html
http://www.pregnancy.com.au/the_pleasure_of_extended_breastfeeding.htm
http://www.llli.org//NB/NBextended.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppextnursng

Hopefully, that will give you the info you want/need.

Ny :)

--- In [email protected], "Sharon Emerson"
<1drflmthr@...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any information or experience with breastfeeding older
> children? I can't seem to find anything on the internet or from La Leche
> League.
> Sharon
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Sharon

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post. I really appreciate
all of your stories, experiences, articles, and links. Someone sent me
this video link of extended breastfeeding an almost 8 y/o. I just love it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHRyRCHuQ7g
Love and hugs,
Sharon