Dear Lacnetters,
In today's health section of the LA times there was an interesting article
regarding extended breastfeeding with a large color picture of an infant
breastfeeding.  If I had not already been sitting I might have fallen
over.The spark that lit the debate was the recent case of the women who was
breastfeeding her 6 year old son and had him removed from the home. After 7
months, he has been returned with counseling and parenting classes as a
requirement.  IMHO, the article was mixed.  It had some very good quotes by
Dr. Gartner, Kathy Dettweiler, LLL was mentioned, and Elizabeth Baldwin.
The tone was almost skeptical, yet it quoted some known benefits with the
understanding that most of the benefits we know are are possible, but
unproven due to the lack of studies in the toddler/older child
breastfeeding.  Made me want to run out and start a research project!! A
brief re-intro..My name is Dina Ovando-Brown and I am a IBCLC since 1999 and
a certified childbirth educator.  I work at an OB clinic with mostly lower
socioeconomic women, teen girls and give all classes in English and Spanish.
  I have 3 children and am currently breastfeeding my 7 month old and breast
fed my other 2 long term.  I take Maddie (baby) to work as I did my other
two and have quite an impact visually for the clients as she is a poster
child for breastfeeding in my sling.  I also take her to my eldest
daughter's school where I teach Spanish (K-8) and sadly many children have
never seen another child breastfed, yet I am grateful to be a model to them
of a normal breastfeeding dyad. So I am busy, and mostly lurk-quite
avidly-but thought that some might want to see the article. Well, off to
dream of a world of child-led weaning with lot of research monies
available....

Dina Ovando-Brown BSN, CCE, IBCLC
Long Beach, CA


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