Hi Jess!
Here in Sweden the breast feeding rates are supposed to be among the best in the world. I don't know what they currently are, but it is definitley seen as the natural way to feed your newborn and is not hidden away or frowned upon. The guidelines are exclusively bf for 6 months, then introduce solids while still bf-ing, and continuing to do so for as long as the baby and mother are happy with it, up to 2 yrs of age. There is a lot of emphasis on doing what feels right for you and your baby. Continue as long as you want if you are both happy with it, but don't feel pressure to continue to do it if it doesn't feel right for you.
In reality, I don't know many that have breast fed beyond a year, but most of the people I know here who's had kids are older than me. Most seem to wean between 6 months and a year, and as I've not lived here while bf DD I'm not sure what the reactions would be if i went past a year, or even to two. DD weaned herself at 9.5 months (due to us introducing a bottle once a day so I could work as pumping just didn't work for me anymore. Think there was some supply issues too
) Next time i would hope to be able to continue longer, and hoping that the maternity leave here (up to 2 yrs!) will enable me to do that without having to do the pumping at work thing again, and I have thought about what my reaction would be if someone made comments. I would just say that "nowadays all research shows that milk, and preferrably BM, should be the main food for a baby up to a year old. Solids should be intruduced slowly and gradually and ideally under the protection of the BM, and that WHO's new guidelines are to actually BF for 2 yrs". Give them the research, the facts
I have already tried it out once (hehe) on a family friend (my parents' generation) who asked me how long I would plan on BFing next time. I said I hope to do it for at least 1 yr, and she seemed shocked. Then gave the story of how her daughter just wasn't satisfied on BM alone at 3 months and she HAD to go over to formula as her milk was no longer satisfying enough and that human milk is no good after a few months. Hmmm, I didn't say much, but a few minutes later me and another woman there were talking about how hard the first month is with the pretty much constant feedings, but that it gets better, and the same woman commented that she never fed that often, and that it wasn't that hard at all in the beginning. *She* fed 4-hourly and there's no need to feed more often. I went on to try to explain... and gave the new guidelines and what WHO are now saying, and she seemed shocked to find out, but couldn't of course argue as it is fact and who can then argue about you wanting to do what is proven to be best for your child.
Sorry to go on and on, but i do think that being armed with some things to say if you encounter comments or unsupportive people does help.
