Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth sometimes wonder how long to continue breastfeeding. This question is ambiguous, it does not have an exact answer. The recommendations of different doctors and psychologists vary greatly among themselves.
Don't go to extremes
It should always be remembered that all cases are individual. There is no universal recommendation on when to stop breastfeeding. But you do not need to go to extremes: "I will feed as long as possible" or wean the baby from the breast in the very first months of the baby's life. Neither one nor the other will benefit the baby and the nursing mother. There are families where the mother decided to breastfeed until the so-called self-refusal (usually it occurs at about 2, 5-3 years old), but the child did not stop sucking until 4 years old, and sometimes much longer. It is unlikely that psychologists will say that it is useful for a nine-year-old boy to suck on his mother's breast, to see his mother naked, etc.
Weaning the baby from the breast in the first months is also not worth it. Almost all nursing mothers periodically experience a lactation crisis: the amount of milk is reduced. So the woman's body seems to check whether breast milk is needed and in what quantity. Therefore, if in the third month milk suddenly becomes less or it disappeared, it is worth fighting for the continuation of breastfeeding. But it is also not necessary to go too far. If the days go by, and milk does not appear, the baby screams heart-rendingly all day long from hunger and cannot sleep, it is better to buy a mixture. So it will be calmer for both mom and baby.
Pediatrician recommendations
Doctors advise continuing to breastfeed for up to 1 year. This recommendation can be seen on baby food packaging. During the first year of life, all food that a baby receives in addition to breast milk is complementary foods and not the main food. By the first birthday, the child's diet should already contain milk porridge, vegetables, meat and fruits. It is from this age that the baby goes to the "common table", that is, begins to eat the same foods as the parents. Of course, the size of the pieces should correspond to the baby's chewing skills.
Therefore, from the age of 12 months, breastfeeding can be gradually phased out. Milk is no longer the main source of nutrients for the child's body. This does not mean that it becomes less useful. It's just that the child's diet already has everything you need.
Psychological factor
After a year, breastfeeding, if continued, takes on a completely different function. The baby begins to use breastfeeding only for calming, contact with the mother, for falling asleep. If by that time the mother had not established a warm relationship with her own child, this leads to great inconvenience. Then the baby can calm down only with the breast or stops sleeping well because he cannot sleep. A nursing mother cannot go anywhere in the evening, because the baby will not fall asleep without her. It becomes difficult to do household chores, etc.
When weaning a child older than 1-1, 5 years old, you often have to come up with some tricks: smear the nipples with brilliant green or something bitter to make the baby stop sucking. Although this is not the case in all families. Some babies stop breastfeeding easily and simply at this age.
Dental health
Breastfeeding continues at night for the longest time. In a dream, the child does not produce saliva, one of the functions of which is to disinfect the oral cavity. Breast milk is less harmful to tooth enamel than formula. But, nevertheless, many dentists argue that prolonged breast sucking in a dream still damages milk teeth.
The child does not eat anything
There are children who are very fond of breastfeeding. They do not observe any regimen, they eat poorly complementary foods, being content only with their mother's milk. At the same time, the baby sucks on the breast almost every hour and is capricious, because it still does not gorge itself. In this case, some mothers decide to continue breastfeeding for a longer time, thinking that this is how the baby is eating at least something. But often these children begin to eat cereals and vegetables just after they are weaned.
The optimal age when to finish is chosen by the mother herself, focusing on her desire and the state of the baby. Someone with very great difficulty maintains breastfeeding for up to six months, and someone easily and comfortably feeds up to 2 years. This process should bring joy and satisfaction to both the baby and the mother.
