19/05/2023
Since the rise of artificial feeding, we have turned a biological process into a never-ending controversy!
A survey conducted by the Australian Breastfeeding Association reports only 5% of women are still breastfeeding their toddlers at two years of age. 🥺
Sad isn’t it? — Mothers breastfeeding past one deserve nothing but unconditional support!
According to anthropologist Kathy Dettwyler, in societies where children are allowed to nurse for as long as they want, self-weaning usually happens at 2.5 years, with a maximum of 7 years.
Breast milk is hands down the BEST milk you can give your child, regardless of age. It is antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, and antifungal. AND it’s tailored made by YOU for your baby… 🦠💛
➖Research shows (Dewey 2001) that between 12 and 23 months, the average intake of breast milk is 448 per day, which provides your toddler with:
29% of energy requirements
43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements
75% of vitamin A requirements
76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements
60% of vitamin C requirements
➖Your toddler gets immunity: In the book ‘The Nursing Mothers Companion, Kathleen Huggins shows that when doctors recommend weaning at one, a baby’s immune system is only 60% of what it will be as an adult.
➖Brown University researchers discovered that a 20-30% increase is seen in brain growth when baby is breastfeeding. They also found that when babies breastfed past the first year, they had greatly enchanted brain growth, especially with the areas dealing with motor function. 🧠
➖YOU benefit too! Breastfeeding shows reduce risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, uterine cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, diabetes….
“One of the usual criticisms of “extended” (normal-length) breastfeeding that mothers hear or worry about is that it could make a baby more needy, clingy, or dependent. But personality differences aside, research indicates that the opposite is true: children who are not nursed past infancy tend to be somewhat less secure and less independent than their peers who breastfed longer.”
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
(Repost )
