Harm or benefit of prolonged breastfeeding. Long-term breastfeeding - good or bad? There should be a measure in everything and in breastfeeding as well.

23.02.2022

My son is a year and a half old and we continue breastfeeding. Talking with other mothers about long-term breastfeeding, I received a wide variety of information. In general, I divided the opinions into two groups. First, these are mothers who have also been breastfeeding for a long time or are still breastfeeding. The second are mothers who either did not breastfeed at all, or weaned the child from the breast before the execution of his first birthday. So, from the representatives of the second group, I heard a lot of “interesting” information, the latest is that a long time shortens the life of a mother! I'll warn you right away - this is a myth. And such myths turned out to be, just the same, decently. Therefore, today, I would like to talk about the reality of long-term breastfeeding. I am not advocating for you to breastfeed for up to two years or more. I just want you to make a decision knowing the real state of affairs.

Nutritional value of milk

Very often I heard that after a year there are no nutrients left in breast milk and the baby just drinks “water”. It is a myth. And the reality is that milk does not lose its nutritional value. With a balanced mother's diet, mother's milk is a valuable source of vitamins, hormones, enzymes, proteins and trace elements. Moreover, all nutrients are absorbed easily and quickly. The composition of milk changes as the child grows, satisfying his needs for harmonious development and growth.

Immunity

Long-term contributes to the support and formation of one's own immunity. Well, it's certainly not a secret to anyone. But the most interesting thing is that the amount of immunoglobulins that a child receives with mother's milk increases with the age of the child. So children who are on long-term breastfeeding receive powerful immune support. They are also well protected from intestinal infections (therefore, it is not recommended to finish breastfeeding in the summer) and allergies.

About the figure

Many are sure that breastfeeding is reflected in weight. In fact, if you follow healthy rules - do not eat "for two", exercise moderately, or at least walk with your child often (read ""), then during this wonderful chest period you can regain your former slender figure.

There is also an opinion that breastfeeding has a bad effect on the shape of the breast. Let's start with the fact that the main factor is heredity. After all, many complain about their breasts even before pregnancy. The condition of the breast (not for the better) is affected by: sharp fluctuations in weight, nutrition for two, regular pumping, improper attachment to the breast, bandaging of the breast. With proper weaning, your breasts will take on their former shape.

adult food

Prolonged breastfeeding does not affect the child's interest in adult food. You don’t have to worry, your baby will be happy to try what is on your plate. Therefore, starting from, you can enter if the child refuses, then you need to wait a bit and develop a different tactic for introducing complementary foods. Breastfeeding after a year will occur less and less and only for sleep, then only night feedings will remain. These feedings are very important, thanks to them the baby will develop correctly and harmoniously.

Weaning

There is an opinion that the longer it is breastfed naturally, the more problematic it will be weaning. In fact, psychologically, children are ready for weaning somewhere in 2-3 years. And rest assured, if everything is organized correctly, when you and the baby are ready physically and psychologically for weaning, the weaning process will be smooth and painless.

How long to breastfeed?

Well, the most important question remains - how long to breastfeed. There is no single answer here. Ideally, when you breastfeed until the baby himself is ready to part with his mother's milk. But it is worth remembering that premature weaning can adversely affect the mental and physical health of the baby.

Recent studies have shown that the IQ level of children who have been breastfed for a long time is higher than that of early weaned peers.

The risk of breast cancer in women who breastfeed for a long time is reduced by 50% compared with women who breastfed for less than six months.

Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their babies for as long as possible. Feeding after two years, in the last stages of lactation, milk resembles colostrum in terms of the content of immunoglobulins. Colostrum helps prevent the development of infectious diseases in the baby.

And last but not least, I would like to point out. Breastfeeding is an unforgettable moment and will not be repeated with this child again. Long-term breastfeeding is the key to your baby's health!

Eat with pleasure.

WHO advises to feed children at least up to 2 years.

Unfortunately, doctors, mainly pediatricians, with whom parents contact and consult most often, are not always well-informed about breastfeeding issues, as evidenced, in particular, by their recommendations to switch to artificial feeding unless absolutely necessary. Pediatricians in their practice so rarely observe long-term breastfeeding, so rarely do they help mothers to successfully establish it, that they often do not even admit its possibility. When the local pediatrician came to us, the first thing she asked was: “How much mixture do you give the child?” She did not even doubt that the baby, who is 9 months old, had been formula-fed for a long time, and was surprised when it turned out that this was not so.

Opponents of long-term breastfeeding believe that because of it, the child will grow up dependent, but this is another misconception.

Sometimes prolonged breastfeeding is equated with overprotection (overprotection) of a child, but scientific research suggests the opposite:

Breastfeeding has a positive effect on children's mental health. Adolescents who were breastfed for at least six months in infancy are much less likely to have psychological problems than their peers who were not fed even up to six months. Each subsequent month of feeding also has a positive effect on the child, but still the most important is the presence or absence of breastfeeding in the first months of life. It is possible that not only breastfeeding per se contributes to the mental health of the child, but also the fact that during it there is often tactile contact between mother and child.

Worst of all, when opponents of long-term breastfeeding are doctors, to whom young parents tend to listen. Of course, I mean not only children's doctors, but doctors in general. For example, my dentist, like many of his colleagues, is sure that after 9 months, breastfeeding is harmful both for the child, as it spoils the bite, and for the mother, whose teeth are destroyed from this, and that there is nothing useful in breast milk by this time. no. Although scientific research suggests otherwise, unfortunately, few medical professionals care about actually improving their knowledge after graduating from medical school, even if they studied ten, twenty or thirty years ago. Sometimes the longer a doctor works, the less he is interested in new scientific achievements and discoveries, relying too much on his experience of communication (note: mainly with people who have health problems), he tries to spread his findings to everyone.

And a few words about the end of the GW. It is best if it ends with the self-weaning of the child. Self-weaning occurs when the child himself loses interest in his mother's breast. For example, my child, at the age of almost 3 years, had such a period when, being very tired, he simply lay down next to me and fell asleep, forgetting about his chest. Now my son is 4 years old, and he still falls asleep at the breast, but at other times of the day he does not need it at all. I know that one day he will fall asleep without breastfeeding and won't even remember it. It is in this way, judging by the experience of other mothers, that gradual self-weaning occurs.

If a second child was born, and the first one has not left yet - it's not scary, feed in tandem, that is, two children at the same time. Often, mothers consider it necessary to wean because of a second pregnancy, but this is not necessary. Moreover, there is no need to stop breastfeeding abruptly - a sharp weaning during pregnancy can even provoke a miscarriage due to a sudden change in the hormonal background of the mother, so you should not rush into this. If there are no health problems, then you can safely feed during pregnancy. Sometimes pregnant mothers stop breastfeeding, because in the first trimester the breasts become very sensitive and they experience discomfort during feeding. At such moments, it seems to them that it will be so throughout the pregnancy, but in fact, the discomfort quickly passes.

Self-weaning most often occurs between 3 and 4 years of age (although some children experience later), because at this time:

the child's sucking reflex disappears;
the child eats more adult food and is less often applied to the breast;
the child becomes more independent emotionally.

Mom can simply wait until the child is no longer interested in the breast, or she can gradually reduce the number and duration of feedings herself, provided that the child does not mind or does not even notice this, because due to age, other interests and needs have come to the fore. If the child expresses protest, dissatisfaction, then do not rush - weaning is difficult only when it is too early to wean. If weaning occurs on time, then there are no problems with it. Many mothers are afraid that this will never happen, but nevertheless, practice says something else: if the baby becomes unnecessary, he will refuse it himself.

It is impossible to forcibly wean a child from the breast if he is not yet psychologically ready for this. But if there is a good reason for weaning, then it is necessary to do this by gradually reducing the number of feedings for at least a month. The worst way to wean is to leave the baby for a few days so that he forgets about the breast. He will “forget”, of course, but at the same time he will receive enormous stress both from the fact that his mother is not there, and from the fact that there is no mother’s breast to calm him down. Particularly sensitive children react to such weaning with illness, depression or deterioration in behavior, aggression. This is not surprising: such weaning is the first betrayal of a loved one in his life, whom he believed unconditionally. Under no circumstances should this be done. Abrupt weaning, according to some leading psychologists, leads to an abnormal line in the development of the child at an early age67.

Involution, that is, the physiological extinction of breastfeeding in a natural way, begins when the child eats more adult food and the number of attachments to the breast, as well as the duration of suckling, decrease. The reduction in milk production leads to the physiological extinction of lactation.

One of the contentious issues of feeding: is it possible to breastfeed everywhere, in public places, for example, including on the street? And most importantly - how? In order to feed the baby everywhere, without attracting attention, you can feed in a sling or use special clothes for nursing mothers. Outwardly, these are ordinary clothes, but they are cut in such a way that it makes it possible to discreetly breastfeed the baby when necessary.

The notion that breastfeeding in public is indecent is slowly (very, very gradually) changing in our society, and this trend pleases me.

Compared to the opinion that prevailed regarding breastfeeding 20 and 30 years ago, the modern concept of breastfeeding a child after 1 year has undergone a number of significant changes. Disputes regarding the benefits and harms of breastfeeding a child after 1 year of life do not subside both among young mothers and among breastfeeding specialists.

If we take into account, the optimal period for the duration of natural feeding of a child is up to 2 years. Despite generally accepted recommendations, many people continue to believe that breastfeeding a baby after 1 year is not advisable.

Benefits of extended breastfeeding for your baby

After conducting numerous clinical trials, as well as analyzing historical experience, experts from the World Health Organization came to the conclusion that the potential for human health depends on the type of feeding and its duration. That is why the recommended period for breastfeeding is 2 years.

Natural feeding involves not only the intake of food into the baby's body directly from the mammary glands of the mother, but also the close psychological contact that occurs between mother and child. This contact underlies the close psychological connection that forms the relationship between the baby and his parent. In addition to the formation of a close psychological bond between mother and child, prolonged breastfeeding is accompanied by such positive aspects:

When a child under the age of two experiences a regular sense of security, this affects the development of self-confidence, positive personality traits and emotional stability;
Compared with the biochemical parameters of mother's milk during the first year after birth, more mature milk contains an increased amount of vitamins, fats, immunoglobulins, microelements and other nutritional components. Mature breast milk contains an order of magnitude more folic acid, vitamin A, calcium and such a valuable protein that is involved in building the whole body of the baby;
The high content of fatty acids in breast milk has a positive effect on the process of formation and development of the central nervous system of the child. In addition, these substances increase the resistance of neurons to the effects of stress and emotional upheaval;
Long-term natural feeding significantly reduces the risk of hypersensitivity in preschool children. This benefit is due to the stimulating effect of mother's milk on the maturation of the digestive system;
Natural feeding soothes and anesthetizes in those moments when the baby has. In addition, mother's milk is a valuable source of specific antibodies that protect the child's body from the penetration of pathogens and the development of infectious diseases.

Benefits for new mothers

The obvious positive properties of prolonged natural feeding can be traced not only in relation to the child, but also in relation to the body of a young mother. As long as a woman continues to breastfeed her baby, she creates a natural barrier to re-pregnancy. Prolonged feeding favorably affects the psycho-emotional state of a woman, as well as the state of the organs of the reproductive system. It has been clinically proven that long-term breastfeeding mothers are less likely to be overweight.

In addition, breastfeeding is an excellent prevention of mastitis and mastopathy, as well as malignant neoplasms in the mammary glands. To avoid negative consequences, lactation should be completed gradually, without resorting to the method of ligation of the mammary glands.

The imaginary harm of long-term feeding

The negative aspects of long-term breastfeeding can be seen as unconfirmed guesses that are widespread among the population. The most common myths include:

Milk sugar (lactose) contained in breast milk contributes to the occurrence of caries on the erupted baby teeth. This statement can be safely called false, since lactose is safely utilized thanks to the enzymes found in milk. Each serving of milk contains the amount of lactase enzyme that is necessary for the utilization of incoming milk sugar;
Natural feeding of a baby with erupted milk teeth can lead to the formation of an abnormal bite. The manipulations that the child performs in the process of sucking the mother's breast cannot in any way serve as a factor in the occurrence of malocclusion. The opposite effect is possible when using baby bottles and pacifiers. You can find detailed information about all the pros and cons of using a pacifier at the link;
Night feedings of a baby over the age of 1 year negatively affect the state of the child's digestive system. This common myth is far from reality, as the balanced chemical composition of breast milk stimulates the rapid assimilation of the product without the risk of negative consequences.

Another common misconception is that nighttime breastfeeding disrupts the natural biorhythms in the child's body and contributes to the failure of the sleep-wake mechanism. Leaving the baby hungry at night, the risk of anxiety on his part is much higher compared to night feeding.

The information listed above is considered at individual discretion, however, there are more factors in favor of prolonged breastfeeding. You can hardly find at least one long-term breastfeeding young mother who would express a negative opinion about this.

Even the most modern adapted milk formulas and complementary foods are not able to stand on a par with mother's milk in terms of the number of useful properties. To feed after 1 year or not is the personal choice of every young mother, however, before deciding, you need to weigh all the pros and cons. Proper organization of natural feeding of a baby older than one year will save a woman from possible discomfort and other inconveniences associated with feeding a baby on demand.

Two hormones are involved in lactation: oxytocin and prolactin. Oxytocin is responsible for the secretion of the resulting milk, prolactin is responsible for the production of milk during breastfeeding. With disruptions in the work of oxytocin and prolactin, a young mother faces difficulties.

Milk changes in composition over the course of several months, from prenatal education to the beginning of the second month of a child's life. As a result of "evolution", breast milk is divided into 3 types:

colostrum- from the III trimester to the 3rd day after childbirth,
transitional- from 4 days after birth to 3 weeks;
mature- from 3 weeks after birth.

In perinatal centers and maternity hospitals, doctors teach mothers about breastfeeding techniques, but they do not always voice the beneficial and harmful properties of breastfeeding.

Benefits for the child

Breast milk is equally beneficial for the baby at all stages of infancy.

Balanced natural nutrition

For a child, mother's milk is a source of nutrients, the only sterile and natural food product. It is fully digestible and has the right temperature.

Colostrum, which is released for the first time in the mammary glands of a woman, contains a lot of protein and elements that protect the child's body from pathogenic bacteria and help to grow.

Formation of immunity

With regular use of breast milk, the child's body becomes less susceptible to infectious diseases. Receiving enzymes and vitamins contained in mother's milk, the child grows and develops in accordance with the norm. Feeding prevents the development of anemia, gastrointestinal diseases and diabetes.

Benefits for mother

Continuous breastfeeding for a long time has a positive effect not only on the health of the baby.

Convenience and ease of procedure

Mom does not require additional equipment and time to prepare the product, as is the case with infant formula. You can breastfeed your baby anywhere, anytime and in any position, which also makes things easier.

Prevention of women's diseases

Regular breastfeeding will help to avoid the development of mastitis and breast cancer.

Establishing an emotional connection with the baby

Lactation consultant Irina Ryukhova writes in the book “How to give a baby health: breastfeeding”: “The first application is a recognition of each other's existence and the first acquaintance. It must necessarily take place at least on the first day after childbirth. From the first feedings, an emotional bond is established between mother and child. During contact with the mother, the child feels calm and protected, and the woman experiences the joy of physical union.

Sometimes the process of breastfeeding is not possible for reasons related to the health of the mother or child.

Contraindications to breastfeeding on the part of the mother:

bleeding during or after childbirth;
childbirth operations;
decompensation in chronic diseases of the lungs, liver, kidneys and heart;
acute form of tuberculosis;
oncology, HIV or acute mental illness;
taking cytostatics, antibiotics or hormonal drugs.

The presence of an infectious disease in the mother, such as a sore throat or influenza, is not a reason to stop breastfeeding. When sick, entrust the primary care of the child to another family member and wear a protective mask and wash hands before each contact with the child.

Contraindications to breastfeeding on the part of the child:

prematurity;
deviations in development;
hereditary enzymopathies in a child;
circulatory disorders in the head of 2-3 degrees.

Mikhnina A.A.

Breastfeeding after 2 years - my youngest son

In this article, I would like to discuss a rather controversial question: should you breastfeed your baby for as long as possible? What is fraught with prolonged lactation?
I will immediately warn you that there is no unequivocal answer to it in modern medicine. There are camps of opposing opinions, but in general the maxim prevails that this issue is left to the discretion of the nursing woman herself, depending on her personal beliefs and state of health. Neither psychologists, nor pediatricians, nor therapists, nor gynecologists have sufficient scientifically proven arguments either for or against. There are research-confirmed data on the composition of breast milk in different periods of lactation, on the basis of which, in fact, the main conclusions of supporters of long-term breastfeeding are drawn. But far-reaching conclusions about the higher intelligence of breastfed children or their clear health benefits in adulthood are not supported by serious studies, and, in my opinion, cannot be proven. Still, genetics come first.

There are official WHO recommendations to keep breastfeeding children up to 2 years of age and longer link , there are research results confirming the benefits of prolonged lactation for women's health. In particular, the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and osteoporosis is reduced (link to study in Russian)link1

It remains only to choose which of the well-reasoned fears of the camp of opponents of prolonged breastfeeding, or vice versa, the calls of its supporters are close and understandable to you personally and are most consistent with your model of motherhood and general attitude to health issues.

Similarly, there is no clear definition of how long breastfeeding is considered to be “normal” and physiologically determined. People today are already far enough from nature to be guided in such matters by natural needs or instincts, which are often blunted.
In popular journalism, long-term lactation is considered breastfeeding after the baby reaches the age of 12 months. In the public mind, this frontier, oddly enough, has been pushed a little further. Many are inclined to agree that there is nothing prejudicial in breastfeeding a child under 2 years of age. However, in some medical sources and studies (Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed to expect (Dettwyler 1995), etc.), I also found such figures as 4 years of continuous breastfeeding of one child, as normal options. The parenthesized study looked at children who received breast milk up to 7 years of age!

The most common arguments "for" the maximum duration of breastfeeding:
- maintaining a close psychological bond mother-child
- satisfaction of the child's psychological need for soothing by sucking
- replenishment of calcium deficiency and various microelements in the child's diet (the mother eats more diversely if the baby is not allergic, the children themselves often eat complementary foods poorly)
- receiving with mother's milk of her immune complexes that support the child's own immunity that has not yet been formed ( true for babies older than a year: Lawrence RA and Lawrence RM. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2011, p. 153-195. See especially Table 5-2 on p. 164: “Concentration of immunological components in human milk collected during the second year of lactation”)
- the benefits of prolonged lactation for a woman's body

The most popular arguments "against":
- an excessive dependence of the child on the mother is formed (sometimes they even talk about the manipulation of the mother with the feelings of the baby and artificially tying him to herself and inhibiting natural development (including the phase of separation from the mother and awareness of one's own "I" at a certain age))
- a prerequisite is created for possible sexual deviations in the child in the future (some see even some kind of debauchery in the behavior of the mother)
- not decent from the point of view of public morality (here it is worth mentioning that this item can be considered in the case of feeding children in public places).
- in milk there is nothing useful for the child (sometimes it is argued that it is even harmful. You can agree on the condition of a completely unhealthy diet of the mother, her use of medicines or her bad habits).
- the mother greatly harms her health (risk of mastitis, demineralization of bones and teeth, hormonal characteristics of lactation, additional psychological burden from complete attachment to the child), while not bringing any benefit to the baby

Since I did not find anything concrete and proven about the harm of prolonged lactation for a woman or the poor quality of breast milk, as well as psychological trauma for a grown child as a result of prolonged breastfeeding, in serious modern medical literature, I personally determined for myself that it is convenient for me to breastfeed my son . Therefore, I will continue this until the son refuses himself (does not really lose the need for sucking), or some signals from my body in the form of poor health or serious life circumstances force me to forcibly stop breastfeeding.

In addition, after analyzing the diet of my child and potentially narrow from a qualitative point of view (rich in vitamins, proteins and microelements) places in it, I found the following arguments “for” for myself personally:

1) My son does not like fish, practically none of it and in any form. Due to his age (at the time of this writing, he is 1.4 years old), it is not yet desirable for him to give fatty foods (fatty fish, cod liver, fatty meat). Therefore, in his diet, according to my estimates based on nutritional tables, there is a lack of fat-soluble vitamins A and E, as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids. So far, I can’t expand the child’s diet to a full-fledged one: allergic reactions + difficulties with the introduction of new products (conservatism of the habits of babies).
But I can enrich my diet, including taking vitamin complexes and Omega-3 capsules. He will receive some of these substances necessary for the child with my breast milk.
2) I do not give my son sugar. He gets it in small amounts from fruits (as fructose) and baked goods. I don’t give my child any cookies, sweets, sugary drinks, jam or sugar in porridge, industrial sweetened cereals or curds. In principle, I consider sucrose to be harmful both for teeth (risk of caries) and for the development of the endocrine system.
But sugar (more precisely, glucose!) is necessary for the body, especially for children, for the normal nutrition of brain cells. To feed the baby with a roll, from the starches of which he can easily and in sufficient quantities get glucose, I also deliberately refuse to form healthier food addictions.
And the way out for me is breast milk, which contains lactose, a sugar that has been proven harmless to teeth and is a regulator of calcium absorption in the body. One big benefit for a child.

In general, while my son and I are planning to continue breastfeeding until his second birthday.
If you have any ideas and arguments about longer breastfeeding periods, or vice versa, you are ready to argue against it with arguments, welcome to the comments!