gorman painting You're
Still
Nursing?

Words and Links
to Encourage Extended Breastfeeding

My baby Emily reached 12 months and still nursed with great enthusiasm. Weaning seemed drastic, neither right nor necessary. Emily nursed for nourishment of her body and soul. She nursed to go to sleep. She nursed to wake up. Breastfeeding was pure joy for us. Yet, because of the childcare books I read and the fact that I knew no one in the flesh who had nursed much past a year, I felt like the honeymoon was expected to end. I felt alone, on the edge of the frontier (except for my husband, bless his soul). Once I was even ridiculed.

So I educated myself.

Extended Breastfeeding is Good for Baby, Mom and the Bond

Studies show that breastfed toddlers continue to reap all the wonderful nutritional and immunological benefits of nursing, get sick less frequently than their weaned peers and even perform better as children on standardized math and reading tests. Moms get lots of goodies, too. Delayed fertility. Reduced risk of osteoporosis and breast, uterine and ovarian cancers. And a break from the fast pace of toddlerhood to enjoy the peaceful hormonal rush.

Nursing a toddler nurses the bond established by breastfeeding during infancy. Mom remains sensitive to her toddler's signals. Toddlers get the emotional satisfaction of the nursing relationship. The connection becomes even more precious when the toddler adds a few words to express her appreciation.

Extended Breastfeeding Fosters Independence

"The independent child is the one who has been held close when that was what he needed."
Norma Jane Bumgarner Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, p. 38.
Independence should not be defined according to when a child weans from the breast, sleeps alone or leaves diapers behind. An independent child is one who has her dependency needs fulfilled, then separates gradually on her own terms to become a child who feels right and confident in the world. As one noted pediatrician points out:
"Contrary to the popular belief that extended attachment hinders independence, we notice that babies who are not prematurely rushed through any attachment stage and weaned before their time actually become more independent."
William Sears, M.D., and Martha Sears, R.N. The Discipline Book, p. 55.

Extended Breastfeeding is Not Indecent, Abnormal or Weird

I jumped for joy when the American Academy of Pediatrics announced their recommendation that mothers breastfeed for at least one year--or longer. I clipped the article and pasted it in Emily's baby book. At last my instincts were "validated." After all, what could be more mainstream than the AAP? What's more,according to WHO, the average age of weaning in 1992 was 4.2 years. Extended breastfeeding is the worldwide norm.

Extended Breastfeeding Links

These are some of the things I find most compelling about extended breastfeeding. Just the tip of the iceberg, really. My main goal for this page is to provide a complete list of resources on the Web that encourage extended breastfeeding. Follow these links for loads of information.

Know of a link on extended breastfeeding that I missed? Please email me and I will check it out.

General Breastfeeding Resources


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