> ASK AN EXPERT:
> Why You Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Breastfeeding a Toddler
>
> ===========================================
>
> QUESTION: I have a two-year-old that I'm still nursing, but only at
> night. I assume she'll quit when she's ready. My mother-in-law thinks
> it's strange that I'm still nursing my daughter. Is she right?
>
> ANSWER by Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC: It's wonderful that you are still
> nursing your daughter.  She receives the physiological benefits,
> including milk tailor-made for her needs and protective immunoglobulins
> and antibodies. She also gets to enjoy the psychological benefits of
> breastfeeding, including a close relationship with you.
>
> It's not so unusual to be breastfeeding
> ( http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/1003.html ) at two or three years
> old. Worldwide, the average age of weaning
> ( http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/3272.html ) is somewhere around
> three to four years. Your child will stop breastfeeding when she is
> ready. Described as "child-led" weaning, this is the most effective and
> gentle way to wean. As long as both of you are enjoying breastfeeding,
> then by all means continue what you are doing.
>
> You might want to ask your mother-in-law what it is she finds strange
> about a woman nursing her toddler. Perhaps it simply doesn't fit in
> with her idea of what is appropriate behavior for a child your
> daughter's age.  However, the more we learn about the health benefits
> of extended breastfeeding for children, as well as for mothers (such as
> reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and
> osteoporosis), the more we realize that extended breastfeeding is
> normal.

--
Monique
Noah 6/97, ?? edd 6/18/00
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It will be gone before you know it.  The fingerprints on the wall appear
higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear.
Dorothy Evslin

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