Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world and the sight of a woman breastfeeding her baby is one of the most beautiful sights to behold, so this morning when I read an article in the newspaper about a woman who breastfed her baby until she was six years old almost made me gag. Anyways this woman wrote a book about her experience.
Now I can understand women in underdeveloped third world countries having to breastfeed their children until they are five years of age. After all breast milk is cheap and nourishing and this way the poor woman can make sure that her child grows to be strong and healthy, but in developed countries where technology has made it possible for woman to buy good quality fortified infant formulas, I don’t think so. It just seems a little grotesque.
Breast milk is nutritious for the baby up until the age of two years, beyond that there is no scientific proof of it having much nutritional value so it is not necessary to feed the baby any longer than that. This woman claims that breastfeeding her daughter for that length of time has aided in her daughters emotional wellbeing and development even though there is no scientific proof of this being true. During her years of breastfeeding she came across many other woman who breastfed their babies up to five years and beyond with one breastfeeding her child until the age of twenty. There was also the case cited in her book of a mother suckling her daughter for comfort after her daughter’s husband died. She said that many women who breastfeed their children for so long do it in the privacy of their own homes and would never dream of doing it in public. Gee I wonder why. Wouldn’t it be absurd to see a mother suckling her ten year old kid in a shopping mall? I bet that would make people stop and stare and wonder what weird shit is going on, never mind the embarrassment for the kid to be found out by one of their peers. They’d never live that down at school.
Women’s breasts are meant to feed their children and breast milk provides the best nutrition for their babies up until the age of two. Beyond that it’s just weird. In fact most women today, after going through their confinement period, must return to work and the business of pumping breast milk at the office and again when coming home is a tiresome job especially after putting in their eight hours or more at the office. Once women return to work most will stop breastfeeding altogether. For those that breastfeed beyond the recommended two years all I can say is they must have too much time on their hands.
Now I can understand women in underdeveloped third world countries having to breastfeed their children until they are five years of age. After all breast milk is cheap and nourishing and this way the poor woman can make sure that her child grows to be strong and healthy, but in developed countries where technology has made it possible for woman to buy good quality fortified infant formulas, I don’t think so. It just seems a little grotesque.
Breast milk is nutritious for the baby up until the age of two years, beyond that there is no scientific proof of it having much nutritional value so it is not necessary to feed the baby any longer than that. This woman claims that breastfeeding her daughter for that length of time has aided in her daughters emotional wellbeing and development even though there is no scientific proof of this being true. During her years of breastfeeding she came across many other woman who breastfed their babies up to five years and beyond with one breastfeeding her child until the age of twenty. There was also the case cited in her book of a mother suckling her daughter for comfort after her daughter’s husband died. She said that many women who breastfeed their children for so long do it in the privacy of their own homes and would never dream of doing it in public. Gee I wonder why. Wouldn’t it be absurd to see a mother suckling her ten year old kid in a shopping mall? I bet that would make people stop and stare and wonder what weird shit is going on, never mind the embarrassment for the kid to be found out by one of their peers. They’d never live that down at school.
Women’s breasts are meant to feed their children and breast milk provides the best nutrition for their babies up until the age of two. Beyond that it’s just weird. In fact most women today, after going through their confinement period, must return to work and the business of pumping breast milk at the office and again when coming home is a tiresome job especially after putting in their eight hours or more at the office. Once women return to work most will stop breastfeeding altogether. For those that breastfeed beyond the recommended two years all I can say is they must have too much time on their hands.
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