The Ups and Downs (and Backbends) of Extended Breastfeeding

Let's face it, we all know the benefits of breastfeeding and have made the commitment to give our wee ones the best possible start in life...but really, how do we feel about sharing our bed with our three-year old nursling? Sleeping on our sides, with one arm bent up under our heads, in a contorted position so that our sweet babes can suckle (and twiddle) their way off to dreamland? Or sitting around a drum circle with an upside down, butt-in-the-air two and a half year old hanging from your nipple?

So, what exactly is extended breastfeeding, you ask? Extended breastfeeding is breastfeeding that continues beyond the American Academy of Pediatrics current recommendation of one year. Extended breastfeeding is practiced widely around the world, though it is less common in Western society than anywhere else.

Why would someone continue nursing past the first year? Well...for many reasons, among them the idea that children who are allowed to develop a deep attachment to their mothers are more confident and fare much better in this complex, ever-moving world that we live in.

Extended breastfeeding benefits the child in many ways, including:

• Toddler nurslings benefit nutritionally

"Mothers lactating for greater than one year produce milk with significantly higher fat and energy contents than those lactating for shorter periods."(Mandel 2005)

• Toddler nurslings are sick less often

"The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at an increased risk of illness." (AAFP 2001)

"Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation." In fact, some of the immune factors in breast milk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process." (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991)

• Toddler nurslings have fewer allergies

Studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to exclusively breastfeed for at least six months and to continue long -term breastfeeding after that point.

• Toddler nurslings are well adjusted socially