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breast feeding
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: |
SOME Australian women are breastfeeding their children until they are seven years old, a new study has found.
Children enjoy the taste of the milk, the comfort it brings and the closeness to their mother, according to research about to be published from the University of Western Sydney.
Their call: Breastfeeding mothers have their say
In the first study of its kind in Australia, academic Karlene Gribble studied 107 women who breastfed their babies from age two to seven.
Some were feeding up to a dozen times a day and one of the women was feeding three children at a time.
Older kids say they love it
"Most women don't set out to feed this long but they enjoy it, especially when their children get old enough to express how much they love it," Ms Gribble said.
She reports several thousand children at any one time are breastfed past two years.
Children this age let their mothers know when they want to feed by asking directly or by seeking access to the breast on their own, Ms Gribble reports.
"My daughter is very articulate. 'Mummy, I'd like a breastfeed please'," one mother of a three-year-old said.
Another mother of a three-year-old said her son would "climb on my lap, when sitting, lift up my shirt, pull down my bra and attach himself".
One mother who fed a five-year-old said he fed upon waking in the morning, if he was sick or hungry, and sometimes had a "quick suck" at bedtime.
For many children, breastfeeding was connected with sleep and comfort.
Only seven per cent of women intended to feed this long but others kept going primarily because of the enjoyment of their toddler.
Some mothers said they did not like rough breastfeeding, acrobatics, nipple twiddling and inconvenient requests.
Totally inappropriate, says pychologist
Psychologist Michael Burge, a specialist in relationships and development, said there should be a cut-off line.
"The concern would be creating too much physical or emotional dependence. I would be very worried about that," Mr Burge said.
Psychologist Evelyn Field said she found breastfeeding for a child over three was "totally inappropriate".
"It's not normal, the umbilical cord needs to be broken," Ms Field said.
"You have to wonder if it's for the child or the mother - I bet it's for the mother."
Australian Breastfeeding Association spokeswoman Kate Mortensen said extensive breastfeeding allowed children to "maximise their genetic potential".
"Babies who are part breast-fed have twice the risk of being hospitalised by four months," Ms Mortensen said.
She said anthropologists had previously identified that it was natural for women to breast feed from anywhere from two to seven years. |
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22767088-2,00.html
lemme hear you say "ewwwww" :nervous:
wtf is breastfeeding "acrobatics" ?? |
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| Ang ' ela_ie |
Honestly, I wonder how it affects the mother's health to be breastfeeding that long.
It could be good or bad. I can come up with reasoning for both. |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ang ' ela_ie
Honestly, I wonder how it affects the mother's health to be breastfeeding that long. |
it totally ruins their . that's reason enough not to do it more than absolutely necessary. |
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| Ang ' ela_ie |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
it totally ruins their . that's reason enough not to do it more than absolutely necessary. |
I think a pregnancy in general takes care of that pretty fast. |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ang ' ela_ie
I think a pregnancy in general takes care of that pretty fast. |
if theyre young they seem to cope alright. but yeah, the oldies never bounce back to their previous form. |
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| Silky Johnson |
| There's actually quite a few benefits to the mother if she breastfeeds. I'll have to go through my notes/texts and get specific examples...but I think the general consensus is that it's more good than bad. |
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| stren |
What ? you mean you're not breast fed anymore ?
I am breast fed by Frenchie |
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| Ian |
| we've already got for chefs, so why not for drinks too. example of a chef who's a tit: jamie oliver. |
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| VolumE_TO |
personally I find breastfeeding at 7 a little wierd...
I mean I definitely was definitely girls by 7... not like i was sleeping with them or anything lol... but it doesn't seem right to me. |
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| Gen3r4l1ty |
| So many things I could say that are so wrong on so many levels... Seriously though... could you imagine coming home from school and clampin on to your ma? Let's just hope she doesn't pack their lunches too! |
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| VolumE_TO |
| no she drops by the school during lunch period |
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