Just some personal thoughts and experiences.
*Thumbsucking* I'm fascinated by Katherine Dettwyler's research on the
length of time sucking needs are evidenced in humans. Ever since my daughter
was still nursing at 2 1/2 yrs when we returned from a 2 year tour on Guam,
and the family started showing signs of horror, I began to be very vocal
about our family history or very long sucking needs. My great grandmother
who had 9 living children, nursed her last 2 for somewhere between 6 & 8
years, and tandem nursed at least 2 of her older ones ( a 3 yr old & an
infant). My grandmother nursed 4 of her 5 for 18 mos - 2 1/2 years ( for
some reason "her milk wasn't good enough for her middle child, her mama had
her express some and they set it in a glass on the counter and wouldn't you
know, it was thin and bluish looking, and there just wasn't much cream in
it". This child was a sickly, high need child who fussed all the time. I
remember asking my grandma why she thought it was her milk was good enough
for the first two, and the last two, but not the one in the middle? She
looked at me with a gleam in her eye and said she would have to think on it!
Her youngest, BTW, sucked his thumb until he joined the Army at 18 y/o.
My mom nursed me till I was 4 mos., and after complaining that she had enough
milk to feed 2 or 3, was given a dry up pill, and she thought she had lost
all her milk, and weaned me. I used a pacifer till I was 6 y/o. My daughter
weaned cold turkey on her own at 5 years & 4 months to the day. No other
sucking needs exhibited.
I do have a friend whose daughters used to suck their thumbs and nurse at the
same time! Both nursed 3-5 years.
*Dental Caries*
My daughter, Brooke, did have quite a lot of caries at 4 years old, but then
so did I. My Mom says I had over $200 worth of dental work by age 5, which
was unheard of in 50's to hear her tell it. The dentist she took me to, did
all the work with no anethesia either, and would flick my cheek if I cried.
Guess I didn't tell Mom till it was all over.
Needless to say, I was slightly hesitant to have Brooke see a dentist without
my presence, unless she requested I not stay, which happened occasionally.
Our family dentist and his wife,good friends as well, who live 6 hours away
in another state, have 3 sons. Mom was a LLLL, all babies bf 'forever',
family bed, etc. Middle son had extensive caries, similar to 'Nursing B -
Mouth'. Quite distressing, obviously, Dad did lots of research. I believe
their conclusions were Mom's very high Vit C intake during pg, and
antibiotics during pg, were only differences in pregnancy.
We have had hours of conversation since Brooke and I both are caries
sensitive, all women in my family are, and yet people like my brother and
husband have 1 itsy-bitsy cavity and complain. And my husband says dental
hygiene could be my middle name.
Which check ups confirm. Our dentist says that diet, and overall health,
has a lot more to do with it, than given credit for. I gave him a book eons
ago called "Open Door to Health" written by a dentist in the last century or
so ( :D ) that he just read a few years ago, which has that as a premise. He
also talks about the chemical make up of saliva, the 'luck' of heredity, etc.
BTW, his middle son's permanent teeth were fine, and his other 2 sons had
fine, healthy baby teeth.
Whenever I hear breastfeeding being blamed for things like this, I always try
to think back, to how things must have been in the beginning. If
breastfeeding was the cause, then would we eventually have started showing up
minus teeth, because we ruined them anyway? If breastfeeding were the cause,
then it would happen much more frequently, wouldn't it?
Thanks for the thought provoking discussions, friends.
Kathe Catone
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