Extended breastfeeding is a matter of personal choice and very common after one year also in various countries. Mother can easily decide the time span she wants to feed her baby. Long term breastfeeding is most commonly not accepted by friends and relatives but this is your decision. You should not stop breastfeeding because of some pressure. There are several benefits of the long term breastfeeding that cannot be ignored. There is no doubt that long term breastfeeding is equally associated with pros and cons. In this article, our main focus is to discuss about every aspect of long term breastfeeding closely.
Why breastfeeding is necessary for your toddler?
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Breast milk provides all essential nutrients, enzymes and immunities required for a healthy body.
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Your child becomes sick less as compared to other toddlers who have not got proper breastfeeding.
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Breastfeeding can be a great emotional support for your baby as he grows up.
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It also makes him more confident and healthy in future.
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Some mother uses bitter paste on her nipples so that child may refuse breastfeeding. This is not a good decision at an early stage.
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Breastfeeding is the best medicine if your child is not feeling well. This is also a matter of proud for mother that she is helping her child in becoming healthy.
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If your child is suffering from infection then breast milk helps in increasing immunity level of your baby.
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Even in frequent travelling, breastfeeding is the most convenient option instead of carrying milk bottles.
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Breastfeeding also makes your child more safe and comfortable in a strange environment.
Breastfeeding can also delay the menstruation cycle of a woman. But this is a not an effective style of birth control. Breastfeeding is an easiest source for getting attention of mother and every child loves to get attention from his mom. Sometimes women get another pregnancy and they have to end the completion before other child arrives. In this case, you have to make compromise with older child.
Some baby becomes disinterested during pregnancy because taste of the milk changes during pregnancy. After one year, only breast milk is not sufficient for the baby. Also give a solid food so that your child can get all essential nutrients required for proper growth and development. According to a medical research, natural nutrients start decreasing with extended breastfeeding.
How to make breastfeeding comfortable for you
You can set the time schedule when you want to feed your baby. You can also offer extra milk according to your convenience. Breast milk should not be the only option for consoling your child from pain and irritation. Sometimes moms become irritate because of useless questions of friends and relatives. You should give a tricky answer for closing the conversation quickly. This is your personal choice and no one can interfere in your decision. You should also prepare with the answers why extended breastfeeding is good for your baby. These all facts make you a smart mom and good decision maker.
You should teach your child how to behave in public place properly. For this purpose, you can also teach him a code so that you should not feel embarrass in crowded place. If you are pregnant then you may stop producing milk. But you should be patient and take proper advice from the doctor. Doctor suggests you how to reproduce milk and make some necessary modifications in your diet chart. Public criticism is a biggest challenge for a mom. You may get bad comments and looks from the society. But you should not worry about all these things when it come the matter of your baby health.
Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding
Sometimes, good research and even expert doctors recommends stopping breastfeeding after six months of delievery. According to their suggestion, after six months breastfeeding is not good for the health of your baby. But they are absolutely wrong. Here are some important facts that show why extended breastfeeding is beneficial for your child.
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Extra nutrients, enzymes and vitamins make the immune system stronger and supportive for serious diseases. Your baby becomes healthy and it also reduces the chances of infection.
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As your child becomes older, he requires more strength for learning new things. Extended breastfeeding ensures a safe environment for your baby.
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He can also grasp new things easily because of extended breastfeeding.
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He gets the ability for facing new challenges of life as extended breastfeeding gives a strong emotional support for moving forward in life.
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Extended breastfeeding also makes your child physically strong and more confident in life. World health organization has also reported that extended breastfeeding has several benefits for your child.
The babies that stop the breastfeeding after one year usually suffer from various infections and fever problems. Only a good decision can make your baby healthier and stronger.
Possible drawbacks of Extended Breastfeeding
It is very sad that more than 70 percent women stop breastfeeding after six months or one year. This is the minimum time recommended by health experts. There are several reasons for refusing breastfeeding after a certain interval. Some women are figure conscious so they avoid breastfeeding for a long time interval. Working women also find it difficult continuing breastfeeding for longer time span. The other possible reason may be lack of family and society support.
Breastfeeding can also be challenging for mother after one year. You may also suffer from breastfeeding problems that stop you from continuing breastfeeding after one year. Sore nipples and latching pain are the common problems faced by women during breastfeeding. Sometimes, extended breastfeeding can be dangerous for the health of mother. In these circumstances mom have to refuse extended breastfeeding.
There is no doubt that breastfeeding is good for the health of your child. It would be better if you can continue it for a large time span. For this purpose, it is necessary to make possible changes in your diet chart. You can get the diet chart from public health clinic or you can also download it from internet.