Uh......breast feeding at 8? yuck

why dont we all just go get a drink then, huh?

Im over 30.....would it be weird for me to have a meal courtesy of mom?

if not, when is the appropriate age? 25?

20?

15?

Personally, I think anything more than a few months is pushing it, but that being said, I think roughly when they begin to talk is when the bar should be closed.

Vedd Hedd wrote:

why dont we all just go get a drink then, huh?

Im over 30.....would it be weird for me to have a meal courtesy of mom?

if not, when is the appropriate age? 25?

20?

15?

Personally, I think anything more than a few months is pushing it, but that being said, I think roughly when they begin to talk is when the bar should be closed.

8 is abnormal, but nature generally dictates the normal age.

human beings came onto the earth 150,000 years ago. by your logic, all of your ancestors who lived before the 20th century got the whole breastfeeding thing wrong.

one more thing. is it any wonder why we have so many children suffering from obesity and disease? and this nutrition deficit carries on throughout life... we deny our kids natural breastmilk, but give them pepsi when they are 2?!?

this is a burden on our healthcare system too.

Vedd Hedd wrote:

Im also not worshipping a sun god, drinking river water, sleeping in caves and hunting buffalo.

Youre right though, nature dictates the normal age.

And in typical circles, usually anything over the age of 2 is abnormal as well.

If you want the child to get the breast milk, put it in a bottle and sprinkle it on their lucky charms.

An 8 year old sucking a teet is not normal, and in this day and age, it will become a problem down the road for the children.

I am ALL for breastfeeding, but thats just wrong.

My logic? My logic is that its wrong to breastfeed a child at age 8. And probably after the age of two.....that has nothing to do with my ancestors.

religion, sanitation, habitation and agriculture are not related to our evolution. yes, it's all good and fine to improve our ways of life, but we shouldn't deny our natural instincts, especially when we can back them up with science.

99.9% of mothers don't want to breastfeed until age 8, or past age 3 or 4. in this particular case, it doesn't seem to affect this girl in any negative way. they seem like a very nice family.

flywallyfly wrote:

In most animals that feed their young with breast milk the stoppage occurs when the baby grows teeth and it hurts the mother to breastfeed (ie cats and dogs). There are many benefits to babies to have breastmilk but at 8 years that benefit is gone because a healthy diet is more nutritious for an 8 year old(plus their immune systems are strong enough on their own now). Notice I said a healthy diet.....

Thanks for posting that.

On the psychological front.....the damage will show itself later.

Breastfeeding a kid that is eight years of age is gross.....something is deeply wrong with the mother...:mad:

blackredyellow wrote:

The natural urge of my niece the other day was to run as fast as she could down the steps... that doesn't mean that her parents were wrong in stopping her.

I just can't see how this woman doesn't have some psychological issues...

Well, yeah...there's harm in falling down steps. Where is the harm in this situation, other than it being rare and not something society would call 'normal'? Just because it seems so odd to you doesn't mean there is any problem with those girls breastfeeding longer than most.

Did you see any psychological issues? They seemed quite smart to me and the woman seemed pretty sane to me. Just because people choose to live in a way that may make you uncomfortable or a way that is very different than the paths most choose to take, doesn't inherently mean the person has mental problems. There were no signs of any such problems but because this was so out of the ordinary you automatically want to assume there has to exist some underlying issues present. I view that as arrogant and close minded but not intentionally just due to conditioning.

Is it "normal"? Not by most peoples standards. Is is "unhealthy"? Not by medical standards. As for psychological issues, if the child is not being forced to do this, there is very little likelihood that there will be any psychological reprocussions from it. Actually, she will probably be far more balanced than other kids her age simply because she had less stress in her early life.

Breastfeeding is a bond like no other. This child obviously feels safe and secure. Not any different than if she had a blankie or favorite toy she snuggled for comfort. It is unlikely that she will continue on much longer. She is at an age where natural separation from the parent begins.

Across the world, the average breastfeeding time is 2-4 years. Some tribal communities still breastfeed even longer to promote healthier children since food is scarce.

That said, I breastfed both of my children. My oldest daughter quit on her own at 3 months. My youngest was forced to quit at 16 months due to my having pneumonia. I was devistated and would have liked to continue longer with both of them. I also have a friend who nursed her sons until they were 6 ish. They have turned out to be very well balanced young adults. Quite smart and not a hint of any negative reprocussions from the extended breastfeeding.

LeatherMandi wrote:

I wasnt breast fed.... u sayin im all warped and affected? lol


You're right.... breastfeeding is great, it is natural.. 8 IMO is way too old though... I know squat about breast feeding, but it seems very un natural.. i mean, how has the mother been producing so much milk so after the fact? Ive known mothers who couldnt 'produce" that much after just a few months .. much less almost a decade!! Doesnt make any sense..

Women will produce breast milk as long as there is a demand for it. The more a baby is fed, the more milk is produced. Milk production is hormone led, via positive feedback. The nipple stimulation releases a hormone called prolactin, which stimulates further milk production. It's a little more complex than that, but thats the simplified version.
When you say you've known mothers who couldn't produce milk after the first few months, this is actually not true. So many women are told or believe that their milk "dried up", which is utter bullshit. There are different stages of growth and development in an infant, and at certain times their demands increase to match that growth, and it takes a day or two for the milk supply to increase in response to this. The basic rule of thumb for successful breast feeding are : 4 to 6 wet nappies a day, and a baby who is maintaining or gaining weight.
Baby health nurses and the like are geared towards seeing babies gain weight at the rate of a bottle fed baby. In the breast fed baby, you just don't see these huge, regular weight gains. They fluctuate and vary from week to week, as as long as a baby isn't consistently losing weight, then he is fine. Women and their partners need to be prepared for the fact that at time, breast feeding can consume 70 to 80 hours a week, especially in the first few months. I think a lot of the time, if a baby is crying and wanting to be fed every hour or two, a lot of women just assume they don't have enough milk and give up. It's a real shame.
As for this women........... 8 years? I dunno how I feel about that. I guess it's her choice at the end of the day. How much nutritional value breast milk offers to a child of this age, I don't know. The natural order of things would have a child weaned at around 3- 4 years, about the time another baby would come into the picture. In our society though, we don't pop out kids every couple of years.
Interesting story, whatever the case.

prljmngrl wrote:

I As for psychological issues, if the child is not being forced to do this, there is very little likelihood that there will be any psychological reprocussions from it. Actually, she will probably be far more balanced than other kids her age simply because she had less stress in her early life.

Shouldn't kids experience "stress" as part of their development?

I agree with everyone who says that a practice shouldn't be condemned just because it is unusual, however, I have my doubts that breast feeding by age 8 has no negative consequences. Seems like the "bond" everyone speaks of could be too strong by then, you know, the child being too dependent on the parent...seems like it could cause some psychological effects and impede some aspects of development. as kids grow they should gain independence.