Breastfeeding in public - your thoughts please...

[woopster]

Hello! 

I am way more confident about feeding in public this time round.  With Harry, if we were at the in-laws, or people were here I would go upstairs to feed him, if we were out I would feed him in the car or find a baby room somewhere.

Now, I don't care who is around or where I am. I feed in front of the in-laws, I feed at the shops, in restaurants, at the zoo, at the park, you name it, I've probably fed there!

I fed Harry for 17 months. He gave up when I got pg. I would have happily carried on til he was 2. Although, truth be told I could've stretched it to 3!!
I hope I can feed The King for at least that long. I am not going to wean. If he wants to bf, then he's more than welcome to.

I haven't had any negative comments while we've been out.

[Samuel's mum]

I will pop of to the libary with the name of the book and the ladiy's name and most definately read it as then hopefully I will undertsand more why she feed for so long.

fifibobandmore - if everyone had that attitude (willing to learn more about the things they might not agree with) the world would be a much better place. Good for you.

[fifibobandmore]

DH has just gone to the libary as he needed to take his books back so he is going to have a look for me and if he can not find it in the libarys computer database he is going to ask one of the staff if they have it at one of the other libaries and if so I am going to travel to them tomorrow and get the book. I love reading true stories just finished a book about a little boy who's mum kidnapped him and for 5 years was not in the system until social services took him out of school and put him into emeregency care and in the end hid dad found him and the courts decided he was allowed to go home with his dad

[Jocasta]

I've mostly felt uncomfortable with the idea of full term breastfeeding for most of my life but have recently come to the realisation that this is purely down to the fact that it's so rare and is NEVER seen.

I have had to alter my opinion of this!  I'm all about what's natural and that often means going back to neanderthal times and thinking about how they did things.  Children are not naturally meant to stop nursing at one year, or two years, or three years.  Children will always self wean when they are good and ready - that could be nine months for one child or nine years for another.  A point that was raised in some of my research was "they are called milk teeth for a reason..." Did you know that a child loses the ability to nurse when their adult teeth come in? (Can't imagine a child still having all their milk teeth at eight but that's what all the literature I've read has said.)

That would imply that nature intended for children to be breast fed for as long as they wanted while still having their milk teeth. 

Also, why is it that breast feeding brings about so many guilt trips??  You get given a guilt trip if you decide not to breast feed and they you get given another one if you chose to breast feed past a year.  I personally believe that you should either be for breast feeding or not and if you're for it, you can't put sanctions on it because that's just hypocracy imho! 

That wasn't meant as an attack because before doing some long hard thinking about it and some research to boot, I felt exactly the same way!

[fifibobandmore]

I did not know about the teeth thing it is interesting. I love doing research at the moment I am doing research in to speech impedaments as I have 1 child who stutters and another 1 who talks like a vanquilitise which could be down to a speech impendament as well. Once I have finished my research I am planing on hopefully publishing it and also writing a book about how a parent who had to fight for 3 and a half years to get her sons speech checked by a speech pyapist and how the speech impendament affected the childs daily life but the childs name will be changed  and details that are personal to the child. This story how ever will be a true story that hopefully will help other people out there that are having problems getting there child refered for speech therapy.

[shivi]

BFeeding beyond a year is common in PL...all paeds recommend "on demand " feeding until 2 yrs if possible. I fed Oscar till he was 16 mths...but it was a battle at this stage, am and pm feeds in the dark,...maybe if I'd had a more cuddly touchyfeely baby we would have continued longer...

But then there's a difference btw being a bfeeding on demand till child wants no more and being a bw-ing mum isn't there? Kids I've seen (and I've seen about 3 fed to 4 yrs, 10 or 12 till 2 yrs) bfed thro toddlerhood are totally in control, demanding boobie whenever they fall down at the playground etc...not being taught how to self soothe or defend or fall asleep even in some cases...these mums did not lay down routines and rules for kids (i.e. no boobie on playground, just as you wouldn't give your child a bottle of milk to take to the sandpit) and the boobie or the mum becomes a human dummy....just doesn't key in to what I've read in Tracy's books about independence, R and R etc.

[marensmama]

My personal thoughts are to continue bfing as long as its a need of the child, not a need of the mother.  When Maren weaned herself 4 days after her first birthday, it was because she was done.  I felt like I still needed to bf her, but after a week of trying to bf every session ending in us both frustrated and crying, I realized that I needed to respect her independence.  Might not be what everyone does, but it was right for us. 

[NoonieP]

I will BF anywhere I need to. I usually try to cover myself a little and I know it makes some people embarrassed and I myself am a little modest.  I have never heard anything negative I plan on trying to bf in the morning or night when my LO is over 1, and I'm pretty sure my Mum is going to have something to say about it. That doesn't bother me. Whenever someone has had an opinion about what I'm doing (and it doesn't agree with my opinion) I suggest they have their own or more children so they can do things their way.

I don't BF in public anymore as my LO is too nosey to eat so it's usually done in a quiet place away from people. To the mum's out there that do BF in public, YAY for you, it's no one else's business.

[Samuel's mum]

A point that was raised in some of my research was "they are called milk teeth for a reason..." Did you know that a child loses the ability to nurse when their adult teeth come in? (Can't imagine a child still having all their milk teeth at eight but that's what all the literature I've read has said.)

I've come across that too Jo. In fact in that family with the 2 older girls the younger one was weaning during the programme and was 'losing the ability' to feed and milk the breast. Like her mouth literally couldn't do it anymore. Veronika said that in her research she's found this to be the case - that as a child gets older they lose the ability to suck and it seems to end naturally.

[binxyboo]

That's an interesing point about the milk teeth, never would have thought of that.

TBH, I don't think I would ever like to nurse a child as old as 8, but maybe it doesn't feel as weird when it's your child and you are in the situation. I bet a lot of us couldn't imagine nursing past the baby stage and into toddlerhood until we were there and it still felt natural. Maybe it's the same concept?

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Was that that programe a while back Emma?

If i remember rightly the girl was getting upset as she could get any out!

TBH '8' in my opinion just dosn't sit right with me, sorry if that offends anyone just my opinion.

I always thought i would only go to 6 months, but now thats nearly here im thinking a yr

[Samuel's mum]

Kate - I think most of us here would understand where you were coming from - I guess it's just a matter of how you express or or whether you do. As Rina says to me it's the equivalent of saying 'feeding a baby formula doesn't sit right with me'. There are times and places where it would be unfair or unkind to voice that thought if it was an opinion we held.

fifibobandmore - your book sounds really interesting. Good Luck with that.

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Sorry

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

God i just read that again!!! I feel sick

Im soooo sorry for what i said, I love bfing and NO one (ME) should judge people for what they do.

Please forgive me

Kate x (Disapointed in herself)

[Samuel's mum]

Sweetie - don't be daft. We're all being honest!!! I think most people have something to say about bfing an 8 yr old - you are not unusual!!!! And we are all entitled to our opinions.