11/30/2025
This is what breastfeeding moms mean when talking about the scrutiny they receive.
Random things people have told me are âsignsâ to stop breastfeeding and why none of them are actual reasons:
âIf they can ask for it, theyâre too old.â
Babies communicate early. Some can sign, gesture, or talk before their first birthday. Should I have ignored all medical recommendations and handed them a cheeseburger instead? No. Development â deadline.
âTheyâre wiggling and climbing all over you that means theyâre done.â
If breastfeeding required babies to sit perfectly still, none of us wouldâve made it past newborn stage. Wiggles, acrobatics, upside-down latches⌠thatâs literally just them learning how bodies work.
âOnce they turn one, itâs over.â
Apparently at midnight on their first birthday my b***s are supposed to turn into decorative pumpkins and the milk self-destructs. Meanwhile, real science says: keep going as long as it works for you and your baby.
âThey bit you. Time to quit.â
Teething is rough. Exploration is normal. And no, one accidental bite does not mean I throw in the nursing towel forever. If biting ended feeding, nobody would ever survive toddlerhood.
âYouâre only still breastfeeding for yourself.â
If only they knew. I do this because it calms her. Because she still falls asleep this way. Because itâs comfort, connection, regulation, nutrition all wrapped into one. This isnât selfish; itâs responsive mothering.
Experts with actual credentials (not people who âread something onceâ) recommend nursing up to two years and beyond if itâs working. And guess what? Itâs working for us.
So unless someone is the one up at 2am nursing a tiny breakdancer who pinches, twirls, and attempts parkour mid-latch⌠maybe just let moms feed their babies however works best.