One technique I have used when in a situation wehre I felt the question was
akin to asking me when I last had intercourse is to reply, "until he (my
son) decided to wean."  This serves a useful purpose: makes peple realize
that babies are not necessarily weaned by someone else, but rather do this
themselves.  A new thought for many.  It also protects my sense of privacy.
I view breastfeeding as an intimate interaction and relationship and thus
how long a person does it or when is really not my business.

With clients, the issue is how comfortable they are. Letting them know that
babies DO wean when they are ready and (once they are past 1 year) that
they are not alone also helps.  Citing the world-wide average of 4 years
and then mentioning that many women int he US do not realize it is ok to do
this often gives them an 'out" if this is shocking to them. They may
initiatilly think in terms of weeks or months, but many get to the point
where it becomes the baby's deicsion, not something arbitrarily foisted on
both of them.



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 %% "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities      %%
 %% brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."            %%
 %% definition of a lactation consulting service.               %%
 %% Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC - [log in to unmask]          %%
 %% Homewood, Illinois USA                                      %%

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