I would be seriously interested in seeing how you arrived at the figure of
2.5 - 7 years [the oldest I have seen is 5 and people thought that VERY
odd!]. Is it proven that there is damage if one ceases to feed before 2.5
years? After all [especially in industrialized nations] weaning is generally
accomplished much earlier [my own kids weaned themselves at around 18
months]. I foresee some problems in persuading people to keep going for so
long [over 3 months is often hard to support] and wonder if some might feel
that if you need to feed for so long to get benefits they might not bother
at all. This would require very sensitive and persuasive linguistic
expertise.
Tony Knox
----- Original Message -----
From: "Katherine Dettwyler" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 3:02 PM
Subject: Obligations of HCP when mothers choose to formula-feed
> This is an excerpt from my publication "Evolutionary Medicine and
> Breastfeeding: Implications for Research and Pediatric Advice"
>
> In the following, any weaning prior to 2.5 years of age is defined as
> "premature," based on my research that 2.5 to 7.0 years is the normal
> duration of breastfeeding for our species.
>
> 
> "For mothers who decide to wean prematurely, health care professionals
must
> provide education and support to help relieve the negative health
> consequences. This might include discussion of various types of formula,
> and advising parents to avoid whole cows' milk until the child is at least
> 2.5 years old. It might include making sure all immunizations are
complete
> and up-to-date, and that parents understand the necessity for prompt
> treatment of all illnesses. Dietary supplements of docosahexanoic acid
and
> arachidonic acid might be advised for optimal brain growth in the child
who
> has been weaned before brain growth has been completed. Parents should
also
> be educated about the possibility that their child's instinctive need to
> suck (which can be very strong in some children up to and beyond seven
years
> of age) should be respected and met in another way, if not at the breast.
> Thus, pacifier use and thumb-sucking through age seven, at least, should
be
> considered normal behavior for prematurely weaned children. While
pacifiers
> and thumb-sucking are less healthy alternatives for meeting a child's
> sucking needs than at the breast, they must still be recognized as meeting
> legitimate needs. If thumb-sucking is leading to orthodontic problems,
then
> alternatives need to be found. Never should the child, or the parents, be
> criticized for behavior that is normal for the circumstances and meets
real
> needs. "Extended breastfeeding" should not be viewed as pathological or
> evidence of sexual abuse, or even of an overly-attached mother-child pair;
> it should be viewed as normal. Finally, education and support from health
> care officials will be necessary to counteract any negative health
> consequences to the mother of curtailed lactation, such as increased risk
of
> breast cancer and osteoporosis, and a need for birth control."
>
> So, for example, using the most recent Yale study just published that says
> that formula-feeding doubles a mother risk of breast cancer, you might
want
> to be sure that the mother realizes she really must be diligent in doing
> monthly breast self-exams, getting her yearly mammogram starting at age
40,
> etc. And she needs education about how to get sufficient calcium and
> exercise to offset the increased risk of osteoporosis from not
> breastfeeding. And on and on.
>
> Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nutrition
> Texas A&M University
>
>
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