Until recently, it was believed that after the first year of feeding, the nutritional value of breast milk decreases significantly, the child no longer needs it, eats “adult” food - which means it needs to stop. Some pediatricians adhere to this point of view. There are even concerns that long-term breastfeeding can be dangerous for the psyche of boys. WHO recommends breastfeeding into the second year of life. Breastfeeding, although it ceases to be the main nutrition for the baby, benefits the child and helps him maintain a psychological connection with his mother.

Why continue breastfeeding after a year?

In addition to the fact that there is no need to deprive the baby of useful substances contained in mother’s milk, the baby’s sucking reflex is still preserved, and feeding contributes to the proper development of the maxillofacial system and the formation of the speech apparatus. The baby still needs a close connection with his mother, which feeding provides. In addition, it helps to calm the baby if he is upset, scared or hurt. Breastfeeding for more than a year, according to WHO (World Health Organization) research, reduces the mother's risk of developing cancer of the uterus, breast and ovaries, and reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis. WHO recommends continuing breastfeeding into the child's second year of life.

Does milk become “empty” after a year?

Milk cannot suddenly, exactly one year after the start of feeding, lose the nutrients that it contained before. Breast milk continues to be a source of fats, proteins, vitamins, antibodies and other substances the baby needs. The composition of milk constantly changes throughout the feeding period, adapting to the specific needs of the child. After a year, the balance of nutrients becomes slightly different: the fat content of milk increases (in women who breastfeed for more than a year, it reaches 10%), and provides almost 50% of the baby’s daily energy needs. The concentration of immunoglobulins increases, the number of antibodies increases - the child is better protected from infections, gets sick less often, and after illnesses recovers easier and faster. Research has also shown that after a year of feeding, the amount of lactoferrin in milk increases, a multifunctional protein that regulates iron levels in the blood, protects the body from viral, bacterial and fungal infections and is involved in the formation of immunity.

Does breastfeeding interfere with complementary feeding?

The introduction of complementary foods and breastfeeding are two different processes; they can exist in parallel for quite a long time. A baby receiving complementary foods has a lot of different foods in his diet; he learns to enjoy food and may become more picky, choosing or rejecting certain foods. Most likely, he will “wash down” his breakfast, lunch and dinner with breast milk, but this will not prevent him from eating with adults and is unlikely to negatively affect his appetite.

Why is it more difficult to wean a baby after a year?

There is an opinion that if a child is not weaned after one year, it will be more difficult to do so. If the mother does not plan to wait for the period when the baby himself is ready to finish feeding (his need for sucking will decrease, he will gradually feed less and less), at 10-12 months, indeed, you can finish breastfeeding quite quickly: 3-5 days baby will fall asleep crying, then get used to it and calm down. However, there is also a risk that “resentment” towards the mother, mistrust may remain, and it is difficult to say how the baby will react later - perhaps, for example, he will develop the habit of sucking fingers and gnawing on objects.

The older the child, the easier it is to come to an agreement with him, and the more calmly he will accept the new rules, the initiator of which will be the mother - for example, “breast only before bedtime.” It is still impossible to “agree” in the full sense of the word with a 10-12 month old child; he will not understand why he was suddenly deprived of his usual food and a way of close contact with his mother, and will simply submit to new circumstances. The grown-up child is already happy to switch to other activities; mother’s breasts are not in the first place on the list of his interests. In addition, the older the child, the less his physiological need for sucking.

Is it true that prolonged breastfeeding spoils the shape of your breasts?

The condition of the breast no longer depends on the duration of feeding, but on the initial size and shape of the breast, skin elasticity, and muscle tone. During pregnancy, the breasts increase significantly: under the influence of hormones, the fatty tissue of the mammary gland is replaced by glandular tissue. This will happen in any case, because the woman’s body does not know that she is not going to feed or plans to feed for a short time. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict with accuracy exactly how feeding will affect the shape of the breast - this is individual.

Why can't I lose weight while breastfeeding?

On the contrary, as a rule, those mothers who breastfeed even after a year lose weight more actively: a number of studies have confirmed that weight begins to decrease after 9 months of feeding, if this did not happen earlier. Breastfeeding is a fairly energy-intensive process; with frequent (more than 2-3 times a day) feedings, fat reserves are burned more actively. In addition, the speed of losing excess weight depends on how much the mother gained during pregnancy, on her individual metabolism, and hormonal balance. If there are any endocrinological disorders, a woman has difficulty gaining or losing excess weight, but this practically does not depend on breastfeeding.

How is feeding a child after one year?

The feeding schedule is changing. By the age of one year, their number is reduced to 3-5 times a day, and sometimes there are even fewer of them left if, for example, the mother goes to work. Night feedings also continue: after a year, babies continue to eat at night, waking up 1-3 times. Usually the baby also suckles in the morning, as well as before naptime, feeding helps to put the baby to sleep. Children “wash down” complementary foods. However, the child is already familiar with some restrictions: he no longer receives breasts on demand, as in the first months of feeding, he can wait until his mother is free or comes home from work, and sometimes he is ready to agree not to breastfeed in a public place. The older the child, the easier it is to agree with him on feeding conditions, and the easier he accepts new rules.

Is it necessary to replace breast milk with formula after one year?

There is no need to replace milk with formula, as pediatricians sometimes suggest, who do not support the idea of ​​feeding after a year, or with kefir or whole milk. Breast milk and complementary foods fully meet the child’s energy needs.

The World Health Organization says breastfeeding is appropriate until age 2.

And many people say that breastfeeding after a year is harmful to the child’s psyche.

And both statements about breastfeeding a child after a year are true!How so?!

I won’t talk about health issues and the importance of breastfeeding, but it’s better I recommend a specialist in this field .

But I’ll tell you about the dangers of long-term breastfeeding for the psyche.

What to do if the baby is painfully attached to the breast? See the video “Bad Habits” for the answer to this question.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful moment of unity between baby and mother. And this unity is especially important for a baby under 1 year old (on average).

Up to a year between the child and mother there are .

The baby does not separate himself from his mother. Mom is another part of the body.

And for a mother, a child is an extension of her, which is why mothers of infants so often say “we ate”, “we pooped”.

After a year, the child begins to develop a self. He gradually separates from his mother.

This happens because his desires and his mother’s do not coincide. The child is faced with restrictions for the first time (don’t go there, don’t touch that).

And for the first time he understands that his mother is not part of him.

And if breastfeeding continues, then it can slow down the process of separation (separation) of the child.

Or maybe not slow down.

The whole question is about organizing breastfeeding (BF) after a year!

Let's start with bad advice?)

1) Feed your baby on demand. For any squeak and dissatisfaction - breasts! So what if he is no longer a month-old baby. In any unclear situation, breastfeed!

2) Even if you don’t want to breastfeed right now, you’re busy, then give up everything, step over yourself and give your breasts!

Thanks to these “wonderful” tips, the child will consider you his property, and his need for independence will not be satisfied. Well, the process of weaning can drag on for many years.

There is a risk of becoming a veteran of long-term feeding.

Now let's talk seriously!

How to breastfeed a child after one year?

1) Mode. Usually at this age, feeding is a moment of ritual, for example, before bed.

If you don’t have a routine, then introduce it gradually but confidently.

2) Feeding on demand is not necessary.

What was suitable for a one-month-old baby is not suitable for a child after a year. The child grows and changes too. Now he needs a regime - it gives him confidence in the future.

3) Teach your child to calm down without the breast.
Yes, it is sometimes very easy to soothe a child with your breasts, but this is not the only manifestation of your care that you can give to a child? Little by little, teach your child to calm down when he falls or gets upset without breastfeeding.

Hug, kiss, be sorry, show care. This point is also important because in the future the child will no longer breastfeed, but the habit of sucking for comfort will remain.

4) “No” means no.
Don’t be afraid to deny your baby the breast if it’s not according to plan. Explain in advance that you breastfeed only at home, and even better, only in a specific place, for example, on the bed. Next, if a child asks for breastfeeding on the playground, calmly remind him that he only eats breastfeeding at home, and offer to go home and eat breastfeeding. If he asks to breastfeed in the kitchen, then you go into the room on the bed and breastfeed.

This is exactly the moment when the child understands that his mother does not belong to him completely. More precisely, the breast is not under his complete control, that the breast is his mother’s.

5) Stick to your chosen course of action.
Don't be fooled by provocations or boundary tests. Of course, sometimes there are times when exceptions can be made, for example, when a child falls very hard or is sick.

And one more thing: Without fanaticism!

We remember that the age limits are approximate, which means that there is no need to sharply set boundaries in breastfeeding as soon as the child turns one year old.

For example, my son and I began to adhere to these rules around 11 months, when he had already begun to run quickly. And for another child this stage may shift closer to 1.5 years.

Introduce changes in the organization of feeding a child after a year gradually and systematically; if you have already introduced a rule, then stick to it.

If you either give breastfeeding on the street or not, the child will become anxious, capricious and hysterical.

What happens to milk after one or two years of breastfeeding? Is there anything useful left in it? What is long-term feeding: a child’s bad habit, a mother’s whim or an objective need? This material consists of them.

The obvious is incredible! When it comes to long-term breastfeeding, you can hear the strangest myths: it is important to breastfeed only until one and a half months, after nine months the milk contains only water, until two years they are fed in third world countries, milk thins the baby’s blood, the baby sucks out the mother’s pituitary gland (?!) . At the same time, for some reason no one considers it necessary to take into account the friendly recommendations on breastfeeding for up to two years with an emphasized conditionality of the upper limit of the duration of lactation (WHO, UNICEF, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, American Academy of Pediatrics).

Perhaps all of these organizations really overestimate the benefits of breast milk? Let's turn to the research of independent scientists.

Breast milk and its nutritional value

Breast milk, many of whose components cannot be recreated in the laboratory, 100% satisfies the food and drink needs of children up to six months. And then, along with complementary foods introduced according to age, it remains a valuable source of nutrients. No formula can reproduce the composition of breast milk, which includes more than 500 important components. And, of course, milk - a valuable biologically active liquid, “white gold” - cannot simply turn into water at some point.

In 2005, Israeli scientists published the scientific work “Fat and energy content in breast milk during long-term lactation.” During the study, the experimental group included 34 mothers with a lactation period from one year to three years and three months. The control group included 27 mothers with a lactation period of six months. The groups did not differ in terms of maternal diet, birth weight, or gestational age.

Fat levels were determined by hematocrit (the portion of the total blood volume that is made up of red blood cells). In the group of long-term mothers, the average fat content was 10.65 ± 5.07% (in the control group - 7.36 ± 2.65%). The average level of energy value of long-term lactation milk is 3683.2 ± 1032.2 kJ/l (in the control group - 3103.7 ± 863.2 kJ/l). Scientists noted the fact that breast milk makes a significant contribution to providing the baby with fat and energy, and the values ​​of these two indicators increase as the duration of lactation increases.

Breast milk continues to be a valuable source of nutrients well beyond the baby's first year of life. This is exactly the conclusion made in the scientific article “Growth and feeding of an infant. Clinical Pediatrics of North America,” published in the journal Nutrition. The article states that 448 ml of breast milk provides a child aged 1–2 years (as a percentage of the daily value):

– 29% energy,

– 43% protein,

– 36% calcium,

– 75% vitamin A,

– 76% folic acid,

– 94% vitamin B12,

– 60% vitamin C.

The conclusions of colleagues about the importance of breast milk in the nutrition of children after one year are confirmed by the authors of the article “The importance of breast milk in the diet of young children in Western Kenya.” Their study involved 250 children aged 1.2–2 years. Breast milk consumption during the day was assessed by weighing the children; the researchers took into account their age and gender to eliminate errors during the work. The results of the experiment are shown in the table “The contribution of breast milk to the nutrition of children 1.2–2 years old.”

In addition to the general understanding of the value of breast milk, scientists made an important conclusion for us: “Although the total amount of food consumed increases when breastfeeding is stopped, it cannot fully provide the child with the same amount of nutrients that are present in breast milk.”

Breast milk and baby's immunity

Children are born with an immune system that is not sufficiently prepared to withstand the huge number of microorganisms in the surrounding world. Local immunity is finally formed by 6–7 years of age. At this age, all immune defense mechanisms reach the “adult” level. During the period of formation of the baby’s own immunity, the immune factors that the child receives along with mother’s milk are protected. At the moment, the immune factors of breast milk are being actively studied, a sample list (research ongoing) in comparison with the immune factors contained in the formula is presented in the table “Immune factors found in breast milk to date.”

In January 2016, US scientists conducted a study that assessed breast milk samples from 19 women with a lactation period of one to one and a half years. As the lactation period increased, an increase in the concentration of protein, lactoferrin, lysozyme, immunoglobulin A, oligosaccharides and sodium was noted.

More specific figures are given by the National Academy of Sciences (Washington) in the recommendations “Nutrition during Lactation”, issued in 1991. The table shows the concentration of lactoferrin, secretory immunoglobulin A, lysozyme during lactation from two to three days to two years.

The data presented in this table has been confirmed by numerous studies conducted over the years in different countries. Here are just a few of them:

1. In the second year of breastfeeding, the concentration of protein, lactose, iron, copper, lactoferrin, lysozyme and secretory immunoglobulin A in milk increases (“Nutritional and immune properties of breast milk 1 year after birth, justification for prolonged feeding of the child with donor milk,” 2013 .).

2. The longer a child receives breast milk, the more saturated with immune factors it becomes. Since with age the child begins to suckle less, he receives less milk, while the concentration of immune factors in milk increases: from 1 month to 2 years, lactoferrin increases from 5.3 to 1.2 mg/ml, secretory IgA - from 1 up to 1.1 mg/ml, lysozyme - from 0.02 to 0.187 mg/ml (Lawrence R.I., Lawrence R. Breastfeeding: a guide for physicians, 5th ed., St. Louis: Mosby, 1999, p. 169).

3. Researchers at the Baltic Medical Educational Center (St. Petersburg) took breast milk samples from 15 women over two years of lactation (more than 7,000 samples), in which the lactoferrin content was analyzed. In addition, 24 breast milk samples were obtained with record lactation periods of up to five years. Their lactoferrin content ranged from 2 to 5 mg/ml, that is, such milk was almost similar to colostrum. According to the results of the study, it was found that every day a child receives more than 50 mg of lactoferrin, which is close to the therapeutic dose for cancer patients (“Analysis of the content and saturation of lactoferrin with iron and copper in milk in women from the first day to 5 years of lactation,” 2014 .).

Let us add that there is a widespread belief that a breastfed baby will not develop its own immunity (against the background of the passive one received from the mother). In fact, the baby receives powerful immunization through mother's milk, under the protection of which the smooth and natural maturation of its own immune system occurs. Simply put, the child’s immunity, which is not overloaded with the fight against infections, gets some pause for its full development. Of course, the child’s immune system needs infections that help it to progressively develop and improve, but it is best when it is ready to take on this load.

Do babies need breast milk after one year?

Definitely yes. The opinion of anthropologists regarding the timing of breastfeeding is interesting. Scientists from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas, having analyzed the results of studies of weaning among primates, concluded that the “natural” age of weaning in humans is from 2.5 to 7 years.

Important point! Extremes must be avoided. There are two common borderline situations that require correction:

1. Overestimation of the benefits of breast milk (when parents do not consider it necessary to introduce complementary foods according to age). Here it is necessary to take into account that the ability to eat independently is also an important social skill. It is more convenient to develop the skills of chewing and swallowing solid food and eating behavior at the age of 8–9 months than at two years.

2. Underestimation of breast milk (a typical example is early cessation of breastfeeding due to the fact that the milk at some point “becomes empty”).

The National Program for Optimizing the Nutrition of Children aged 1 to 3 years in the Russian Federation (2015) noted that more than 90% of doctors deal with nutrition-dependent conditions in children. Therefore, if a child older than one year does not receive breast milk, it is necessary to introduce infant formula or other specialized products. A positive trend: the same document notes that 66% of doctors recommend continuing breastfeeding after a year of life.

Is your doctor one of them?

Sources:

1. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 572n dated November 1, 2012
2. National program for optimizing the nutrition of children aged 1 to 3 years in the Russian Federation. 2015
3. Controversial issues of the lactation period / O.D. Rudneva, M.B. Khamoshina, N.I. Zakharova, E.V. Radzinskaya. - M.: Editorial office of the magazine StatusPraesens, 2013. - 20 p.
4. Fat and Energy Contents of Expressed Human Breast Milk in Prolonged Lactation. 2005
5. Dewey KG. Nutrition. Growth, and Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Infant. PediatrClin North Am. 2001 Feb;48(1):87-104.
6. The contribution of breast milk to toddler diets in western Kenya. 2002
7. A longitudinal study of human milk composition in the second year postpartum: implications for human milk banking. 2016
8. Nutrition During Lactation. 1991
9. The Nutritive and Immunoprotective Quality of Human Milk beyond 1 Year Postpartum
Are Lactation-Duration-Based Donor Exclusions Justified? 2013
10. Lawrence R and Lawrence R. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 1999, p. 169.
11. Goldman, A.S., R.M. Goldblum, and C. Garza. Immunologic components in human milk during the second year of lactation. Acta Paediatr Scand. 72(3): p. 461-2. 1983.
12. Human milk – Tables of the antimicrobial factors and microbiological contaminants relevant to human milk banking (with continued updating) by Dr. John T. May, PhD
13. Dettwyler, K.A. A Time to Wean, in Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives, D.K. Stuart-Macadam P, Editor. 1995, Aldine De Gruyter: New York, NY. p. 39-73.
14. Analysis of the content and saturation of lactoferrin with iron and copper in milk in women from the first day to 5 years of lactation. 2014

Just five years ago, women breastfed for no more than 6-8 months, and those who fed a child up to 1 year were considered “heroine mothers.” Therefore, the question of how to organize this process did not arise after a year.

Now more and more women understand. Those mothers who faced big problems in organizing breastfeeding in the first months after childbirth and emerged victorious want to breastfeed especially for a long time. Lactostasis, sore nipples, lack of milk - everything is in the past...

When and why do doubts arise?

However, as the year approaches, a nursing mother may have new questions. Moreover, many relatives have no idea how you can feed such a grown-up baby - ““, and “it’s somehow indecent.”

Meanwhile, mothers of one-year-olds also begin to doubt the point of feeding for more than a year. Usually this doubt is associated with the fact that the child “hangs on the chest,” especially at night and during daytime dreams, and, to the horror of all relatives, does not want to eat anything else.

How does this happen? After all, the natural duration of breastfeeding is at least 2 years. Therefore, this process should not be associated with constant irritation and fatigue on the part of the mother, if we proceed from the laws of nature.

Quite the contrary, a baby at this age no longer suckles for hours, as he did in the first months of life. He has a lot of other things to do, different food, new experiences, and his mother is starting to leave him with other trusted people more and more often. However, this only happens if the mother knows the main points of organizing breastfeeding after a year and does not stay at home.

What do you need to understand about breastfeeding after a year?

The most important thing that every nursing mother should understand: for this age, breastfeeding alone is not a panacea for all problems. The mother does not just breastfeed the baby when necessary, but builds a harmonious relationship with him, based on an understanding of her leading role and the needs of the child. By the way, it is the building of relationships with the subject (breast-mother), and not with the object (pacifier-bottle), that is the decisive moment in the further successful socialization of the child. It is all the more important to line them up correctly.

In order to adequately imagine the process of breastfeeding after a year, you need to remember the following important points in the development of the child.

After a year, a child gradually realizes his “independence”

1. Firstly, that by the age of one year the child is already ready, both mentally and physiologically, to separate from his mother and build new relationships with other people, primarily with his closest relatives.

The mother begins to leave home on business, leaving the child with a trusted person (grandparents, dad and other relatives, friend, nanny). If relatives are far away or believe that maternity leave for up to 3 years is intended to pay attention only to the child, and the mother hangs out with the child at home, then the baby begins to literally “drive” the mother out of the house with all his behavior.

He begins to “hang on his chest” for hours, like a newborn, refuse other food except breast milk or eat with great reluctance. It shouldn’t be this way, so mom needs to realize that she needs to let her beloved go on a more independent journey.

Breastfeeding decreases after a year

2. Secondly, after a year, the mother can already limit the baby’s feeding when she is not very comfortable, for example, in front of strangers, on the street.

At this age, comfort around the chest is no longer needed as often if the walk is interesting. It is important that the baby does not demand the breast loudly and persistently in public, and does not try to undress the mother on his own.

The child must understand what and be able to switch from the breast to other things. If he demands from his mother to give him the breast at the first call, tries to get the breast himself, bites it, then the mother must definitely think about this and explain to the child the “boundaries of what is permitted” - what can and cannot be done during latching.

Restless night breastfeeding after a year is an indicator of problems

3. I would also like to say something about night feedings. If your baby asks for breastfeeding every hour at night, it means something is not working for him during the day. and at night he simply eats away stress or catches up on lost time.

Therefore, a restless night with breasts in your mouth is always an indicator of some problems during the day.

Daytime sleep with breast in mouth - indicator of problems

At the same time, daytime sleep with the breast in the mouth is usually an indicator of a lack of security in the child’s environment. In this situation, it is important to delegate your rights to bedtime to other adults. Then the child will not wake up often to check if everything is in place.

Successful GW to you!

News on the topic

• The Yulia Gusakovskaya-Starovoytova Family Center is holding a photo competition “The most charming child’s smile” with gifts for all participants from the “My Children” online store and the “Cosmo” entertainment center. Photos will be accepted from September 18 to October 19.
• The website sn-mebel.com.ua is holding a competition, the prizes include very interesting children’s furniture...
• Original EVA rugs for children have appeared in the catalog - these are soft modular puzzles of different colors for the children's room. This is especially true for older babies who have begun to crawl. By the way, we had one of these in our bathroom for a long time) If you want more options, also look in the catalog in the relevant sections.

Good afternoon, dear readers! Just a year ago, the thought of breastfeeding for at least 2 years caused me holy horror. I considered those who were in no hurry to wean themselves crazy sectarians. But when I carefully studied this topic, I changed my mind. Now I consider breastfeeding after a year absolutely natural.

Should I continue feeding?

I am not one of those who demands to continue breastfeeding for up to 2-3 years at any cost. Situations vary. And there are cases when completing feeding a year is quite justified. For example:

• deterioration of mother's health;
• new pregnancy;
• great psychological fatigue of the mother from breastfeeding;
• poor night's sleep, exhausting mom;
• the child tends to bite or behave inappropriately at the breast;
• the mother is in a hurry to leave somewhere, leaving the child with the grandmother.

In all these cases, you can continue to feed. But you don’t have to continue. My opinion is this: if you are thinking about whether to complete GW... Don't complete it. It seems to me that a one-year-old baby should be weaned only when the mother does not consider other options. And if you are one of the “doubters,” keep feeding.

Believe me: you can always abruptly wean your child. Just try to extend your breastfeeding... Even if you don’t make it to two years, it’s okay.

Women's health

Most experts agree: long-term breastfeeding does not affect the health of a young mother. On the contrary, it has benefits. It has a beneficial effect on the reproductive system. Therefore, if you are more or less healthy, you can safely feed at least up to 5 years.

If your health is a concern for you, it all depends on the doctor you see. Traditional doctors often prescribe drugs that are undesirable for hepatitis B. In this case, you will really have to wean the baby.

However, if the problem is not so serious, you can try turning to alternative medicine: homeopathy, Ayurveda, osteopathy... This has always helped me much faster than traditional medicines. Such drugs do not require discontinuation of breastfeeding.

Some women are afraid that breastfeeding takes away vitamins and other substances from them. Many experts say that if you eat well, you have nothing to fear. In my opinion, completely denying the consumption of nutrients in the body is stupid.

Of course, something passes from you to the child. But think about it: it is much easier for your body to take these elements from food than for a child’s body. The baby is just mastering adult food, his body is not working perfectly, he is just adapting to life. If you are very worried, buy yourself high-quality vitamins and drink for your health... There are even special complexes for nursing mothers.

Or better yet, go to the doctor, get tested, and then just objectively assess what you’re missing?

New pregnancy

This is the most controversial situation. We hear conflicting opinions from all sides. Someone assures that when pregnancy occurs, it is necessary to urgently stop breastfeeding... Someone, on the contrary, advocates tandem feeding...

My opinion: when it is difficult for the body to maintain breastfeeding, the milk disappears on its own. Or only a drop of colostrum remains. The experience of my friends confirms this - almost everyone loses milk in the middle of pregnancy. However, the child continues to suckle for psychological contact with the mother.

Often, feeding during pregnancy causes discomfort - and this is a reason to end breastfeeding. You also need to immediately think about weaning if there are any problems with the new pregnancy: threat of miscarriage, bleeding, etc.

You might be interested in my experience raising children with.

Mom's fatigue

It is important to understand here... Most often, the mother is tired not from the feeding process itself. Her fatigue is related to. But it will not go away after the toddler is weaned.

It seems to us that all the problems are due to frequent applications. But if there is no fatigue from the baby, breastfeeding will never cause rejection.

Of course, when fighting emotional burnout, all means are good. But my advice is to read more materials on this topic and work on your recovery. Without curtailing the GW. If you still feel that frequent feedings are not allowing you to recover emotionally, wean you off.

Poor night's sleep

Many mothers enthusiastically tell how their night's sleep has improved after completing breastfeeding. I understand them perfectly. When I weaned my eldest daughter at one year old, she immediately began to sleep well.

However, I want to warn you: this does not always happen. Some mothers I know really regret the premature weaning... If earlier they simply stuck the baby's breast in a half-asleep state 7-10 times a night... Now they have to jump up, take the little one in their arms, rock them and give him some water (compote/ kefir/milk). Agree, this is much worse.

In addition, you can improve your baby’s night sleep without completing breastfeeding. Simply eliminating night feedings is enough. Of course, it's not that simple. And for several nights you will have to jump around, use any methods to calm the child... But you don’t think that complete weaning is easy? It's the same here. Only you leave one or two breastfeeding per day.

For more information on this topic, listen to a specialist in breastfeeding and children’s sleep - Lyudmila Sharova.

Inappropriate behavior at the breast

Sometimes children bite. My eldest daughter, at 11 months old, was gnawing on her breast until it bled. Sometimes children cause us discomfort when feeding in some other way. Sometimes they like to undress mom in front of everyone. And it seems to us that breastfeeding is harmful.

All these problems are solvable. The most difficult thing is biting the breast. Sometimes specialist help may be required. But most often, the mother needs to pull herself together and firmly prohibit unwanted behavior. Again, weaning off completely is no easier.

Our experience

At the moment my son is one and a half years old. He is one of those who loves. I’ll say right away that not all children do this. Many people I know have babies at this age who ask for the breast only before bed.

But even if the baby is often put to the breast... It's not that scary. If you weigh the pros and cons, there will be much more advantages:

1. The baby receives nutrients and immunity from the mother. All studies confirm the benefits of breast milk after one year. For me, this point is one of the most important.
2. The baby gradually switches to adult food. Milk helps absorb many microelements. The digestion of a child under 2-3 years of age is just developing, and he needs a little help.
3. The little one feels a psychological connection with his mother. This allows him to develop more calmly.
4. GW is very convenient. You can always quickly calm your baby down (although it is advisable to use other methods of calming). I can still hold my son close to me so that he can let me eat in peace (and not climb on the table, stove and cabinet).
5. When your baby is sick, you can just lie with him and constantly feed him. No need to carry a lot in your arms and distract.
6. And if you yourself are sick, you can lie down more, solving all problems with milk alone.
7. When visiting or on other trips, you will always have a small “snack” for your child. I don't see anything wrong with such feedings. It is enough to take a large scarf (or sling) with you... It is convenient to cover yourself with it so that no one will ever see anything.

Now I don’t have a question: is breastfeeding useful after a year? After studying several books, listening to experts and seeing the experiences of friends, I realized that weaning a baby for a year is unnatural. Yes, it's not a crime. My daughter has excellent immunity, despite the rapid completion of breastfeeding.

But if we can give a child more without sacrificing almost anything... Why not? If we can get so many benefits... Why refuse? The need to separate children after their first birthday is just a stupid stereotype.

About the smooth completion of breastfeeding and the reduction of applications you find out here. This information turned out to be very valuable for me.

And finally: a high-quality video from a breastfeeding consultant about the duration of breastfeeding.