Tina is nicely seeking information that she hopes will impress her GP with the value of breastfeeding "longer". The GP has already mocked the AAP and the WHO and shown an ignorance of basic physiology BUT maybe Tina will find some tidbit that will be impressive enough to sink in. I don't remember exactly where I got this tidbit and perhaps I don't even know for sure if it is all accurate but it sure seems to impress doubting Thomases about the value of "extended" breastfeeding and the value of breastfeeding beyond the "good stuff" (colostrum). (I get folks who think they have done the bulk of breastfeeding if the baby just gets the colostrum.) I say colostrum is the protein part of the milk. It is still there after the "milk comes in", it is just diluted by water, sugar and fat (which the baby also needs). When the breastfeeding slows down and the milk supply diminishes the protein part is still there. As the older baby or toddler (I skip the preschooler or kindergartner examples for most of these folks) nurses less and less the protein part becomes more concentrated again. It is as if the milk goes back to a colostrum like state. This means the child continues to get the same immune protection over a 24 hour period the whole time s/he breastfeeds, regardless of the volume of milk. I know this is at least partially accurate but where oh where does it come from? In the hope that an emotional response will work where science has not I suggest the following. Perhaps Diane Wiessinger's article "How Long Should I Nurse?" (found here and many other pages, including Diane's neat new page which I can't find right now) http://members.tripod.com/~bmsg/howlong.htm will strike a resonating note. Or Comfort vs. Nutrition - by Kathryn Orlinsky http://members.tripod.com/~bmsg/BFarticles.htm or Why Mothers Nurse Their Toddlers - by Norma Jane Bumgarner http://members.tripod.com/~bmsg/nursetoddlers.htm I found these on the web page of Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group (Singapore), they have a lovely index of articles at http://members.tripod.com/~bmsg/ Carla *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html