My name is Janaies Joseph and I am a nursing student at the University 
of North Dakota.  I was born to culture where most women breastfeed 
their babies and it is common practice to breastfeed their children 
until they are two years of age or older.  I myself was breastfed till 
I was four years old.
	It is known that breastfeeding can be beneficial to the child 
in many ways.  One of the benefits of breastfeeding is immune 
protection for the child.  Most children’s immune system is not up to 
par until they are six or seven years of age (Michaels, 2001, pp.31).  
Continuing to breastfeed children after the first year can be 
beneficial to the child.  They can continue to receive immunoglobulin 
from the mother, which gives them the protection to fight off 
diseases.  Children who continue to be breastfed have been found to be 
sick less often, and those children who do become sick the length and 
severity is reduced.
	A study was conducted on long-term breastfeeding by Buckley, 
Lubetzky, Mandel, Mimouni (2001) to assess the growth of children who 
were breastfed beyond the first year of life.  The study compared 
breastfed children to children who were non-breastfed. Their goal for 
the study was to determine whether long term breastfeeding was 
nutritionally beneficial for the child. Their study concluded that 
children who were breastfed exclusively beyond the first year, their 
growth for height and weight fell below the 50 percentile on the 
growth chart.  They also found that children who were non-breastfed 
only met 77% of their RDA. Their study concluded that in order meet 
100% RDA for a child 1 to 3 years of age, they need an additional 300 
kcal from breast milk in addition to their regular diet.  
	Another study was conducted by Barak (2005) to determine the 
benefits of fat and energy contents of breast milk in prolonged 
breastfeeding.  This study found that children who were breastfed for 
more than one year had a significantly higher fat and energy content 
(up to 28% more).  Their study found that children who were 
exclusively breastfed or those children who ate solid foods 
exclusively did not get adequate nutrition.  Therefore, children who 
are beginning to eat solid foods also needs to be continued to be 
breastfed to have adequate nutrition, especially to obtain adequate 
fat and energy (Barak et. all, 2005).   
	As professionals, do you see many children being breastfed 
after the first year of life and if so, are there many health benefits 
to breastfeeding children after the first year of life?

References

Buckley, K. M. (2001). Long-Term Breastfeeding: Nourishment or 
Nurturance?. J Hum Lact 17(4), 304-312.
Barak, S., Lubetzky, R., Mandel, D., Mimouni, F. B. (September 2005). 
Fat and Energy Contents of Expressed Human Breast Milk in Prolonged 
Lactation. Pediatrics 116, 432-435.
Michaels, D. L. (2001). Breastfeeding Annual International 2001. 
Patypus Media: Washington, DC. Pp.28-29. 
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