I was recently accused ...

… ..That I too exaggerate the importance of breastfeeding after a year.

The bottom line is that the child of this mother is a little over a year old, and he fell ill with either a skin or a viral disease.

(I honestly reviewed my mail, but did not find the letter. Apparently, in the stream of letters, I did not postpone it in time.)

And she writes that she regularly reads my letters, and it seems to her that the benefits of breast milk after a year are greatly exaggerated. It seems like when breastfeeding the baby should not be sick.

At first I was surprised.

Then she got upset.

Then she calmed down.

Indeed, in breastfeeding after a year, there are many myths and underestimated benefits. Everyone looks at this from the side of their experience.

Have you heard the parable about the wise men and the elephant?

Its essence is that six blind sages wanted to "see" the elephant. Each approached him from his side and began to feel, telling others how he "sees" the elephant.

As a result, everyone thought that only he was right and knew what an elephant looked like. Nobody wanted to listen to what others were saying to him.

Therefore, they never knew what an elephant looks like.

This is very similar to what is happening in society:

• The pediatrician is watching from his bell tower.
• Dentist for dental health.
• Psychologist on the part of the behavior of an infant child.

And I want to ask you: Why are you or want to breastfeed your baby after 1 year?

Previously, it was believed that breastfeeding for up to a year was already a great feat, and the woman fully fulfilled her mission, but few mothers know the peculiarities of breastfeeding after a year.

And the most common problem is to blame a child who asks for a breast for all his misfortunes, fatigue and other troubles!

It happens that a thought rushes through your head:

• “How did all this get me?”, Or
• "Why is my child not like ...."
• "Or maybe give up this breastfeeding in one fell swoop and everything will work out for us right away: sleep, behavior, and nutrition ..."

If such thoughts come to you, I can reassure you - you are a normal mother, a good mother, and everyone has such periods.

Now there is really a special cult of relationships with a child, as if in revenge for the times when everyone was raised according to Dr. Spock, women went to work at 3 months, and children were handed over to a nursery along with a bottle of formula.

Now the scales have swung in the other direction: the child is our everythingi will give him the best, even at the cost of my own desires and needs.

And we come to the following options:

“I was on the verge of suicide last night. With my moaning, I scared the child, and in the morning I woke up and realized that my baby should not suffer from my problems ... ..
I WANTED to feed the baby myself. And we did it. When my son was one year old, I got pleasure from feeding, it was some kind of special communication. And then ... I don't know WHAT happened? How did it happen? One moment or accumulated for months, but in September I realized that I was TIRED from feeding. Psychologically, it is hard for me when my son pulls up my clothes and, with the words: "Mom, sissya," is applied to my chest. During the day it is tolerable, but to put it to sleep and at night is just torment, it is shifted several times from chest to chest ... "

“Tired of feeding! On the advice of a neighbor, I just abruptly stopped breastfeeding in the hope that my child, like her, will calm down in 3 days. But ... today is the 9th day - and it doesn't get any easier. Whims, tantrums, restless sleep at night - I am afraid that these tantrums will ruin the child's psyche. Maybe we should give him a breast again? "

What do these stories have in common?

1. Mom is tired.

In the second year, fatigue appears in almost every SECOND mother, both lactating and non-lactating!

You don't need to think that breastfeeding is to blame, and if you suddenly stop doing it, your health will improve in an instant.
Already now, today, start observing the technique of keeping yourself sane and sober :-)

RELAX!

Can you leave the house once a week and walk alone? Wandering down the street, looking at people, going to shops, sitting in a cafe and drinking coffee - quietly, peacefully, when you do not need to rush, and no one snatches the cake from your hands?
Do it!

And once a day you should have at least 30-60 minutes of your personal time! Only for myself! Do whatever the soul wants. You can just lie aimlessly on the bed staring at the ceiling.

Dad will sit with the child and the world will not collapse from this.

But it will allow you to make important, life decisions in your right mind, and not amid chronic fatigue!

1. There is no clear concept of education.

I don't know if these mothers were preparing for pregnancy and childbirth, but I believe that most of my readers take a deliberate approach to planning and having children.

And if everything seems to be clear with childbirth and pregnancy - books, courses, communication clubs, videos - there is a lot of everything and the interpretation is the same, then in raising children - everything is more complicated.

Many options, many approaches - and you just need to choose YOURS!

Children are all different, but different in character, appearance, demeanor or religion.

At the heart of infant needs are the same. And until 3 years old, until society began to actively participate in education - the internal needs of children are the same.

They expect a loving, caring, but at the same time a MATURE mother who LEADS! Those. shows how to live in this world and what laws are there. She knows when and what to end and does not act impulsively.

If you act situationally, impulsively, then you have not formed the basic basis of motherhood!

You didn’t think how you want to raise your child, until what time to feed, vaccinate or not, what time to send to kindergarten….

Yes, these are the questions that form your general point of view, your base, and based on it, you act in relation to the child.

How can I help you! There are paid courses, but there are also free ones!

And in Free webinars I give the BASE that works, you can only get the first changes after listening to them.

What's free?

Explore this!

Listen to yourself - what responds to you. Apply!

Also watch my video tutorial on breastfeeding after a year:

1. Desire to get a magic pill and a solution IMMEDIATELY!

The worst thing that can be done is to start changing the relationship with the child focusing on the neighbor, who, for example, weaned off the breast in 1 day, or weaned it off in a week….

After all, you only look at what hurts you, but do not analyze the situation as a whole - maybe after such actions the child began to suffer from nightmares? Or did they have to take a course from a neurologist? Or did the child have a developmental delay?

“Good” advisers are usually silent about this, who wants to endure all the consequences of rash decisions?

Just remember: this is YOUR child! This is the same baby that you gave birth to, whom you looked at with affection, and he himself was entirely placed in your arms and smiled joyfully and trustingly looking into your face! It was from his toothless smiles that your heart was filled with love and tenderness! It's still the same child!

If you ask grandmothers how much to breastfeed, they will argue that breastfeeding should be stopped after a year, since milk by this time has lost all its beneficial properties. And why should a child need milk if he is already big and can eat "adult" food.

If you ask pediatricians and breastfeeding specialists how much to breastfeed, they will answer: if breastfeeding does not give negative emotions to either mother or baby, then it can be continued.

In fact, there is no definite answer to the question of how much to breastfeed. It is solved individually and depends, first of all, on the psychological readiness of the child. This factor is the main one when weaning him from the breast. Some of the kids are ready for such a step already by the age of one year, some - only by the age of 2–2.5 years.

How much to breastfeed: Is milk still healthy after a year?

But is there any point in prolonged breastfeeding, and why not rush to weaning?

The widespread belief that after a year there is nothing useful in human milk is just a delusion. As the child grows up, complementary foods take up more and more space in the baby's menu and become the main source of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The composition of breast milk also changes to adapt to the growing body of the baby. The amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in it decreases, but this does not mean at all that milk is no longer useful. It's just that other functions come to the fore, namely: providing the baby's body with immunoglobulins and antibodies to protect against diseases, proteins unique in their structure and properties, as well as microelements and vitamins important for the crumbs (calcium, folic acid, vitamins A, C, B12 ). Mom, continuing to breastfeed after a year, thereby protects him from infections, because the composition of milk still contains immune defense factors: immunoglobulins, lysozyme, interferon, etc., which stimulate the development of the child's own active immunity. Another component of breast milk - oligosaccharides - contributes to the development of beneficial intestinal microflora of the baby, thereby protecting it from dysbiosis and allergies.

Due to the unique proteins of human milk, which are factors in the growth of nerve cells, the harmonious development of the child's nervous system continues.

Dentists say that breast milk creates a protective film on the baby's teeth, and the protective factors prevent harmful microorganisms from multiplying in the oral cavity, so the teeth of a growing baby are less prone to caries.

So, it turns out that breastfeeding after a year helps to strengthen the health of the child and his harmonious development. Therefore, before deciding on weaning, the mother must clearly understand why she is going to do it, and weigh all the positive and negative aspects.

The most important thing to consider when planning to complete breastfeeding is that after a year, breast milk for the baby is no longer a source of food, but mainly a means of emotional and psychological comfort. Breast sucking is for a baby a means of consolation, a comfortable, calm sleep and communication with mom. In the process of breastfeeding, the mother and baby develop a close trusting relationship built on deep affection. Untimely (without taking into account the baby's readiness) and early weaning can be very stressful for the baby, and the mother, in response to the “freedom from feeding”, will receive many “side effects” from the baby's side: whims, sudden mood swings during the day, various fears , urinary incontinence (enuresis), etc.

How much to breastfeed and when can you wean?

There are favorable and unfavorable periods for weaning that a mother should be aware of. The most optimal time is considered to be early autumn (September, October) or late spring (April, May). What is the reason for this recommendation? The fact is that during these periods the weather, as a rule, is comfortable, and there are no outbreaks of seasonal colds, which means there is less risk that the baby will get sick, having lost his "mother's protection". Not the best option for weaning your baby in the summer. Indeed, in the warm season, the risk of contracting intestinal infections increases.

It should be remembered that if the mother is going to start taking the child to a kindergarten or to a development center, then with the completion of breastfeeding, it is necessary to wait until the period of adaptation of the baby to a new place, which on average lasts about 1 month, is over.

Another important condition for starting to complete lactation is that the baby must be absolutely healthy. If the baby was sick, then at least 3 weeks should pass from the moment of recovery.

How to wean?

No drastic changes. The most correct and gentle way is to gradually reduce the number of breastfeeding during the day and night. The main task at the first stage is to exclude breastfeeding "out of boredom" during the day and to teach him to sleep during the day without sucking on the breast (night feedings are canceled last). This usually takes 1–2 weeks.

So that the baby does not remember about the breast during the day, the mother should try to captivate him with something: you can come up with new interesting games, read a book, draw, play, etc. Care must be taken not to provoke the baby once again and not to remind him of feeding. To do this, the mother does not need to sit down in her usual feeding places or undress in front of the baby. If the baby asks for a breast, the mother can try to pretend that she did not notice or did not understand it, and offer the child his favorite food.

When the baby is most difficult to part with feedings associated with sleep. Here you need to act very slowly. First you need to try to reduce the time you spend at the breast. If the baby usually sucked the breast for 20 minutes before going to bed, now you need to limit yourself to 10, carefully take the breast from him, and explain to the baby that, for example, “the milk is over”. After 2–3 days, the feeding time is reduced to 3–5 minutes, and then completely removed.

At the same time, you can lengthen the ritual of preparing for bed: read a book for a longer time to the baby, tell a new interesting fairy tale, sing songs. You can invite your child to drink milk from a cup.

The task of the mother is to make it clear to the baby that he can safely fall asleep without breast. But at the same time, it is very important that the baby feels that the trusting and close relationship between him and his mother will not disappear anywhere if he does not suckle.

More attention and tenderness! At the end of breastfeeding, the child goes through the stage of psychological separation from the mother, and she must make every effort to help him with this. It is during this period that it is necessary to pay more attention to the emotional state of the baby: to hug and caress him.

If the child has learned to fall asleep during the day "without breast", it is high time to move on to the next stage and gradually abandon attachments at night. If during weaning, the child has become more capricious, arranges unreasonable tantrums, sleeps restlessly, refuses to eat, then he is not yet ready to completely separate from his mother, and the completion of lactation must be postponed for now.

Most importantly, be patient in your decision to wean. It is important to listen to the child's needs and find a comfortable weaning rate for them.

Is your baby ready for weaning?

How do you know if your baby is ready for weaning? This can be determined by the following criteria:

• The baby has already erupted the main milk teeth, and he eats solid food well.
• The baby rarely breastfeeds during the day. There are only feedings before bedtime and after waking up.
• The baby stops using the chest for comfort or to attract attention when he is bored and does not know what to do. When a child asks for a breast during the day, the mother manages to switch his attention and distract him with some interesting activity.

Is mom ready for weaning?

In order for the completion of lactation to proceed painlessly and not to cause discomfort to the mother, the so-called involution of lactation should occur, when the mammary gland decreases in size and the amount of milk produced decreases. The breast adapts to long breaks between feedings (12 hours or more), stops pouring milk, so the woman does not have any discomfort and the desire to express. This usually occurs 1.5–2 years after the start of feeding. Weaning earlier if lactation is not completed correctly can have serious consequences. Abrupt cessation of feedings and hormonal changes in the body often cause painful sensations in the chest and the development of lactostasis (milk stagnation).

What shouldn't be done?

• Cannot be weaned if the baby is sick. Together with breast milk, the child receives substances (immunoglobulins, lysozyme, etc.) necessary to fight the disease.
• Weaning in summer. In the warm season, the risk of intestinal infections increases, and breast milk protects the baby from diseases.
• Interrupt lactation with special medications. Milk suppressants are not harmless and usually have many side effects, so only a doctor can prescribe them.
• Tug the chest. Doctors do not recommend doing this, as it can provoke a blockage of the ducts, the development of edema, milk stagnation and inflammation of the mammary gland (mastitis).
• Leave and leave the child for several days with relatives. The disappearance of the mother and the cessation of breastfeeding can cause severe stress in the baby. It is much better for the baby if, during the difficult stage of weaning, the closest person, who is the mother, will be next to him.
• Smear the nipples with mustard, brilliant green, garlic, etc. These deterrents are often very stressful for the baby. After all, his mother's breasts are associated with pleasure and pleasure. In addition, these folk remedies can cause a burn of the oral mucosa in a child, and in a mother, cause a burn or irritation of the delicate skin of the nipple.

The World Health Organization says that correct breastfeeding is up to 2 years old.

And many more say that HB after a year is harmful to the child's psyche.

And both statements about breastfeeding after a year are true!How so ?!

I will not talk about health issues and the importance of breastfeeding, but better i will recommend a specialist in this field .

But I’ll tell you about the dangers of long-term breastfeeding for the psyche.

What if the baby is painfully attached to the breast? For the answer to this question, see the Bad Habits video.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful moment of unity between baby and mother. And this unity is especially important for a baby under 1 year old (on average).

Up to a year between the child and the mother there are .

The baby does not separate himself from his mother. Mom is another part of the body.

And for a mother, a child is a continuation of her, which is why so often mothers of babies say “we ate”, “we pooped”.

After a year, the child begins to conceive I. He gradually separates from the mother.

This is due to the fact that his wishes do not coincide with his mother's. For the first time, the child encounters restrictions (don't go there, don't touch it).

And for the first time he realizes that mom is not part of him.

And if at the same time GW continues, then it can slow down the process of separation (separation) of the child.

Or maybe not slow down.

The whole question is in the organization of breastfeeding (HB) after a year!

Let's start with bad advice?)

1) Feed the baby on demand. For any squeak and discontent - chest! So what if he is no longer a month old. In any unclear situation, give breast!

2) Even if you specifically do not want to breastfeed right now, are busy, then drop everything, step over yourself and give the chest!

With these “great” tips, your child will regard you as their own and their need for independence will not be met. Well, the process of weaning from the breast can drag on for very many years.

There is a risk of becoming a veteran of longevity.

Now let's talk seriously!

How to breastfeed a baby after a year?

1) Mode. Usually at this age of feeding is worn at the moment of rituals, for example, before bedtime.

If you don't have a regime, then introduce it gradually, but confidently.

2) Feeding on demand is not necessary.

What was suitable for a month-old baby is not suitable for a baby after a year. The child grows and changes too. Now he needs a regime - this gives confidence in the future.

3) Teach your child to calm down without a breast.
Yes, it is sometimes very easy to breastfeed a baby, but is this not the only manifestation of your care that you can give to a baby? Little by little teach your child how to calm down when he falls or is upset, without a breast.

Hug, kiss, pity, take care. This point is also important because in the future the child will no longer eat from the breast, and the habit of sucking to calm down will remain.

4) “No” means no.
Do not be afraid to deny breastfeeding to your baby not according to plan. Explain in advance that you give breasts only at home, and even better, only in a specific place, for example, on the bed. Further, if a child asks for breast on the playground, calmly remind him that he only eats breast at home, and offer to go home to eat breast. If he asks for a breast in the kitchen, then you go to the room on the bed and breastfeed.

This is exactly the moment when the child realizes that the mother does not belong to him completely. More precisely, that the breast is not in his full power, that the breast of his mother.

5) Stick to the chosen line of conduct.
Do not get fooled by provocations and border checks. Of course, sometimes there are times when exceptions can be made, for example, when the child has fallen very badly, is sick.

And one more thing: No fanaticism!

Remember that the age limits are approximate, which means that there is no need to sharply set boundaries in the GV, as soon as the child is one year old.

For example, my son and I began to adhere to these rules around 11 months, when he already started to run fast. And for another child, this stage may shift closer to 1.5 years.

After a year, introduce changes in the organization of feeding the child gradually and systematically, if you have already introduced a rule, then adhere to it.

If you give the breast on the street, then do not give, the child will become anxious, capricious and hysterical from this.

Benefits of breastfeeding after a year

Long-term (more than a year) breastfeeding - good or bad? Is it worth continuing to breastfeed a child who already eats "adult" food with might and main? And is it possible to replace mother's milk with goat or cow?

To answer these questions, we turn to the WHO breastfeeding guidelines. Her experts advise to continue GV at least until the child is two years old. But what are these recommendations related to? Drinking water quality. This recommendation is relevant for developing countries and countries with low sanitary and living standards. For example, in some African countries, breastfeeding after 2 years is the absolute norm. But in developed countries, a mother cannot afford to feed her child for so long, since she wants to realize herself outside the home, at work, and does not want to endure the restrictions associated with HS. Including the refusal to consume allergens and alcoholic beverages.

Dr. Komarovsky said well about breastfeeding after a year. The meaning of his statements is as follows: up to six months it is necessary to breastfeed, up to a year - it is very desirable, after a year - if the mother and the child want it... A mother who has fed a child up to six months receives, as in school, a C grade. Up to a year - four. Well, up to 1.5 years old - a solid five.

In this case, it is very important to monitor the child's appetite. If he only sucks on the breast and eats other food poorly, something needs to be changed. Sometimes the only way out is to stop breastfeeding after a year if the baby begins to lose weight due to such feeding. Please note that the minimum amount of regular food for a one-year-old child is 600-700 grams. If the baby often wakes up at night and suckles, apparently, you need to increase the amount of this food and (or) its calorie content. For example, introduce milk porridge, if for some reason the child eats only dairy-free for some reason, or does not eat porridge at all.

In fact, you don't even have to argue about whether it's worth it or not. This is a private matter for each family. And it often happens that a mother who wanted to complete hepatitis B up to a year is happy to continue it until 2 or 3 years old, and the one who wanted to become long-lactating, on the contrary, finishes feeding quite early. Too many circumstances influence the decision.

Here are the benefits of breastfeeding after a year.
1. A child in the second year of life will have enough calcium, even if he does not consume dairy and fermented milk products. Not all children can use milk porridge, cottage cheese, kefir. Some people remain intolerant to cow's milk protein for quite a long time. They cannot use it. And then long-term breastfeeding is optimal.

2. The baby is easy to put to bed, soothe with the help of the chest. And no dummy is needed. Motion sickness is also unnecessary. Often those who rarely breastfeed a baby - usually only for daytime and nighttime sleep - speak out for long-term (more than a year) breastfeeding.

3. The mother always has something to offer the child without the risk of intestinal infection. For example, if they are walking in a park where there are no shops with baby food nearby.

4. Teeth erupt less painfully. Of course, milk does not have analgesic properties, but it distracts the child from thinking about itchy gums.

5. Health benefits of the child. Breast milk is healthier than cow's, goat's or any other milk. Even if a grown-up baby can no longer feed exclusively on mother's breast, he will take many vitamins and minerals from her milk.

6. Women who have been breastfeeding for a long time are less likely to have breast and ovarian cancer.

7. High level of iron in blood (hemoglobin), good mood, absence of premenstrual syndrome. Many women who breastfeed at intervals of no more than 4-6 hours do not recover their menstrual cycle. Often until the very end of the GW.

And this is potential harm to the mother from breastfeeding after a year, according to many Russian doctors and ordinary people.

1. Prolonged amenorrhea, low estrogen levels, more calcium loss in milk. Long-term breastfeeding is believed to be a risk factor for osteoporosis in women. At least that's what the leading endocrinologists say. Although there are some foreign researchers who argue that with HS, less calcium is washed out from the intestine, and that, on the contrary, breastfeeding serves as the prevention of osteoporosis.

2. Development of a strong psychological dependence of the child on the mother. Inability to leave the child for several hours. This negates many of the benefits of breastfeeding. You can avoid such a strong dependence if you introduce complementary foods in a timely manner and teach the child to satisfy their hunger with them. And use mother's milk as a source of additional nutrition.

3. Iron deficiency anemia in a child. With inadequate, poor-quality or unvaried nutrition, it often occurs in children over a year old. You can suspect her by the pallor of the child, his lethargy. Well, to accurately determine by the blood test, which all the children periodically take.
Iron deficiency anemia is treated by taking appropriate medications and excluding its cause. For example, if a child does not eat meat well, you need to try to accustom him to it, make the food tastier, grind the meat thoroughly and take other tricks. The composition of breast milk does not become poorer after a year of feeding, but the child's needs for microelements and vitamins are growing. And breast milk contains little iron, although it is easily absorbed from it.

4. Difficulty sleeping at night... It is said that babies stop waking up at night when they no longer breastfeed. In fact, this is not the case. A child can wake up at night even after folding the GW, if he eats too little, from hunger, or if his teeth are painfully erupting, the room is stuffy, the bed is narrow and not comfortable for a dozen other reasons. Although in some children, waking up at night does stop.

5. Lactostasis, if the amount of complementary foods increases sharply. A sharp weaning from breastfeeding after a year or the child's unwillingness to suckle as much and often as before, provokes stagnation in the mammary glands in the mother. Although, this can be safely avoided if you always monitor the fullness of your glands and do not forget to let the baby suck them one at a time. If any of the mammary glands is painful and enlarged, be sure to express until relieved. And do not be afraid that the child will remain hungry, this will not happen.

6. Baby bites. Babies bite their mother's breasts when their teeth are teething. After a year, fangs are especially painful. In order to prevent nipple bites, you need to try to put them deeper into the baby's mouth.

And remember, you don't have to tell anyone about how long you are going to breastfeed or why. It only concerns you and your child, very intimate. And let the acquaintances keep their opinion to themselves.

How to wean a baby from breastfeeding after a year

The most important thing is the readiness of the mother and child for this. Mom's preparedness must be psychological and physical. As for psychology, everything is clear here. But the physical one is that it does not have hyperlactation. Otherwise, only a very slow, gradual weaning after a year will do.

First, mom needs to remove daytime feedings that are not associated with putting the baby to bed. This is usually pretty easy to do. It is advisable to remove these feedings not at once, but gradually. Then the child will be calm, and the mother will not have milk stagnation, the mammary glands will slowly adjust to the child's reduced demands.
If, in parallel with the removal of daytime feedings, the child suddenly began to sleep poorly at night, perhaps he is not yet ready to give up hepatitis B and the rate of weaning should be reduced.

After that, the mother stops breastfeeding for daytime sleep (or dreams). For these purposes, mom will have to come up with some kind of ritual for going to bed. For example, reading a fairy tale. Just do not replace the breast with a dummy or a bottle, in the future you will have to wean the child from this already.

After all daytime feedings are removed, it's time to turn off nighttime feedings. If you and your child sleep together, then you need to start teaching him to sleep in his crib, separately from his parents. At the same time, if a child wakes up at night, it is not a mother who comes up to him, but another adult and calms him down. Usually a couple of nights is enough for the baby to stop craving for mom's breast at night.

Weaning after a year is best done in early spring, late autumn or winter when there is minimal risk of intestinal infections. On the other hand, in cold weather, the child is not particularly busy outside, which means that the process of weaning itself can be more difficult and lengthy.

You should not wean a baby during the period when his teeth are teething, if he is sick or he was vaccinated.

It would seem that the most difficult thing is to organize breastfeeding after cesarean or to teach to breast a child who refused it, but sometimes problems of a different kind arise when after a year this very breast cannot be taken away from the child. And then experts advise the mother, if there is such an opportunity, to disappear from the child's field of vision for three days. During this time, try to extinguish lactation as much as possible. Meanwhile, the child will forget about the breast.

So that mom does not have discomfort, you need to regularly drink sage broth. But only chilled. In general, hot drinks are still contraindicated as they stimulate milk production.

It is not worth pulling the breast in the hope of reducing milk production. Most often this leads to lactostasis and even mastitis.

If you are against breastfeeding after a year and there is a desire to quickly extinguish lactation, then you can do this medically. Usually, a single dose of half a Dostinex tablet is sufficient.

How to replace breast milk? Many women continue to give their child up to 2-3 years old only fermented milk products. Someone injects an age-appropriate mixture. Well, most give regular, unadapted whole cow or goat milk, or special baby milk, sold in small packages.

How to do it right? Doctor Komarovsky advises not to give a child under 2-3 years old to drink whole cow's milk, a mixture is better. But if there are problems with money, whole milk will do, but a child under 2 years old can drink it no more than 200 grams per day. Doctors say that a one-year-old child should drink 200-300 grams of breast milk, formula or whole cow's milk per day.

At first glance, “Baby milk” is no different from the usual one in composition, only more expensive. However, manufacturers assure that it is cleaner and does not contain antibiotics, which are often given to cows for preventive purposes in large farms.

The desire to breastfeed a baby after a year is natural for a loving mother, but often it is this desire that causes doubts and anxiety. The basis of the contradictions is the misinformation and opinions of others. Negative social pressure on the issue of breastfeeding arose in the 20th century, with the advent of equality, a woman's duty was determined not so much by motherhood as by work experience. But if we go deeper into history, we will remember that earlier children received mother's milk until 2-3 years old, grew up strong and healthy.

Now let's dwell on this in more detail.

The modern view of specialists on breastfeeding after a year

Not only young and already experienced mothers have begun to think about the benefits of long-term breastfeeding. This topic has interested scientists all over the world. The World Health Organization, together with UNICEF, has carried out serious scientific work on breastfeeding.

Numerous studies have examined the composition of breast milk, its changes after a year, and the effect on the health and development of the baby. The results showed that a lack of breast milk leads to physical and psychological retardation.

Modern scientists reject false theories that call to end breastfeeding after a year. It is possible and even necessary to breastfeed a child for two years.

Features of breastfeeding a child after a year

Starting the second year of his life, the baby is actively interested in the outside world, his attention is increasingly attracted by toys, nature, strangers. At this point, it is very important to build the right relationship. Breast milk at this age is a source of nutrition, but not comfort.

A child may ask for a breast out of lack of experience or out of boredom. It is much more important to provide him with impressions, otherwise long-feeding will really become the cause of backward development.

After a year, the baby should be fed with breast milk 2-3 times a day, not counting the nighttime meal.

Pros and cons of longevity

The main advantage of longevity is the naturalness of the product. Mother's milk does not lose its value after a year; it is a balanced and vitamin diet. In the second year of life, the child, along with the mother's milk, receives 43% of protein, 94% of vitamin B2, 75% of vitamin A, 60% of vitamin C, 36% of calcium from the daily requirement, as well as a sufficient amount of sodium, potassium, iron, folic acid.

The disadvantages of breastfeeding after a year are rather rooted in the woman's emotional feelings:

• General fatigue... A young mother may feel exhausted.
• A woman needs to eat rationally, while she has to give up her favorite dishes.
• There is a constant need for proper rest and sleep, which is not always possible.
• Breastfed mother cannot leave the child even for a couple of days.
• Problems in personal life may arise, not all men like the process of breastfeeding, many of them feel a lack of attention from their wife.

It is possible and even necessary to breastfeed a child for two years.

But these disadvantages are petty compared to the benefits of breastfeeding after a year for the baby and his mother.

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Read about what breast milk containers are here. They are essential for long-term storage of milk.

The benefits of long-term feeding for the baby

The benefits of long-term breastfeeding for the baby are obvious. The most important advantage is the provision of strong immunity, breast milk protects the baby from viruses, bacteria, and all kinds of diseases. Milk has a high content of immunoglobulins, antibodies, lysozyme, lactoferrin, this composition strengthens the baby's immune system.

Other benefits of breastfeeding after a year:

1. Oral health... Eating mom's milk and holding the breast solve the problem of malocclusion, and also significantly reduce the risk of caries. Teething becomes less painful.
2. Developed speech apparatus... Correct bite contributes to the normal development of the speech apparatus. Babies who were given milk by their mothers up to 2-3 years old begin to speak faster and better.
3. High intelligence and sociability... Long-term feeding has a positive effect on the intelligence of the child. Children who have been eating mother's milk for more than a year develop faster, adapt in society, they are calmer and not capricious.
4. Allergy protection... Human milk protects the baby from allergies, its composition creates a protective film on the intestinal walls and does not allow allergens to enter the bloodstream.
5. Emotional connection... Although after a year breast milk is best regarded only as a source of nutrition, the emotional connection between the child and the mother is very important, at these minutes the baby receives support, tenderness, love and care.

Children who have been breastfeeding for more than a year are less likely to catch colds, endure otitis media, ARVI. They are less prone to intestinal infections, as well as orthodontic and speech therapy problems.

For mother

Although breastfeeding is not always emotionally pleasurable for a woman, this does not mean that her body is suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The main supply of nutrients is consumed during pregnancy, while lactation, on the contrary, serves to accumulate them. But there is one condition - proper nutrition. Allergenic foods for a nursing mom should be avoided.

The lactation period and prolonged breastfeeding have a positive effect on a woman's health:

• Rest of the reproductive system... During breastfeeding, there is no ovulation in each of the three women, this is the best method of contraception and rest of the entire reproductive system.
• Prevention of cancerous tumors... Long-term breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing malignant tumors in the breast by 55%, and is the prevention of ovarian cancer.
• Weight loss... Long-term feeding reduces the weight gained during pregnancy. Milk production uses up to 500 calories daily.
• Prevention of osteoporosis... Long-term milk production prevents the development of osteoporosis.
• Maintaining beautiful breasts... If weaning after prolonged feeding occurs in the involution stage (at 2-3 years), it is possible to maintain a beautiful breast shape. This is due to the fact that the glandular tissue is gradually replaced by adipose tissue, preventing the breasts from sagging.

Watch a video in which a mother, who nursed her daughter after a year, shares her experience of longevity:

Medicine has stepped forward and moved away from the stereotypes of the last century, because the health of children is much more important than status in society and career. Breastfeeding a baby after a year is good for both him and his mother, as we have seen.

Twice mom, certified sling consultant, member of AKEV, translator. I love naturalness in parenting, so I carry children in a sling and breastfeed everyone within a radius of 100 meters.

What happens to milk after one to two years of breastfeeding? Is there anything useful left in it? What is long-term feeding: a bad habit of a child, a mother's whim or an objective need? We at citymoms.ru urge you to believe only scientific facts. This material consists of them.

The obvious is the incredible! When it comes to long-term feeding, one can hear the strangest myths: it is important to breastfeed only up to one and a half months, after nine months there is only one water in milk, up to two years old they are fed in third world countries, milk thinns the child's blood, the baby sucks out the mother's pituitary gland (?!) ... At the same time, for some reason, no one considers it necessary to take into account the amicable recommendations on the timing of breastfeeding up to two years with an emphasized convention of the upper limit of the duration of lactation (WHO, UNICEF, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the American Academy of Pediatrics).

Perhaps all of these organizations really overestimate the benefits of breast milk? Let's turn to the research of independent scientists.

Breast milk and nutritional value

Breast milk, many of whose components cannot be reproduced in the laboratory, meets 100% the food and drink needs of children under six months of age. And then, along with the age-introduced complementary foods, it remains a valuable source of nutrients. No formula can replicate the 500+ important ingredients in breast milk. And, of course, milk - a valuable biologically active liquid, "white gold" - cannot just take and turn into water at some point.

In 2005, Israeli scientists published the research paper "Fat and Energy Content of Breast Milk during Prolonged Lactation." During the study, the experimental group included 34 mothers with a lactation period of one to three years and three months. The control group included 27 mothers with a lactation period of six months. The groups did not differ in terms of the mother's diet, birth weight, and gestational age.

The level of fat was determined by the content of hematocrit (part of the total blood volume, which is red blood cells). In the group of long-breastfeeding mothers, the average fat content was 10.65 ± 5.07% (in the control group - 7.36 ± 2.65%). The average energy level of milk of long-term lactation is 3683.2 ± 1032.2 kJ / l (in the control group - 3103.7 ± 863.2 kJ / l). Scientists have noted the fact that breast milk makes a significant contribution to the supply of fat and energy to the baby, and the values \u200b\u200bof these two indicators increase as the lactation period increases.

Breast milk continues to be a valuable source of nutrients well beyond the baby's first year of life. This is the conclusion made in the scientific article “Growth and feeding of an infant. Clinical Pediatrics of North America ”published in the journal Nutrition. The article states that 448 ml of breast milk provides a baby aged 1–2 years (as a percentage of the RDA):

- 29% energy,

- 43% protein

- 36% calcium,

- 75% vitamin A,

- 76% folic acid,

- 94% vitamin B12,

- 60% vitamin C.

The conclusions of colleagues about the importance of breast milk in the organization of nutrition of children after one year are confirmed by the authors of the article "The importance of breast milk in the diet of young children in Western Kenya." Their study involved 250 children aged 1.2–2 years. The consumption of breast milk during the day was assessed by weighing the children; the researchers took into account their age and gender to exclude errors in the process. The results of the experiment are shown in the table "The contribution of breast milk to the nutrition of children 1.2–2 years old."

In addition to the general understanding of the value of breast milk, scientists have made an important conclusion for us: "Although the total amount of food consumed increases when breastfeeding is stopped, it cannot fully provide the baby with the same amount of nutrients that are present in breast milk."

Breast milk and baby's immunity

Children are born with an immune system that is not sufficiently prepared to withstand the huge number of microorganisms in the surrounding world. Finally, local immunity is formed by 6-7 years. At this age, all immune defense mechanisms reach the "adult" level. During the formation of the baby's own immunity, the immune factors that the baby receives together with breast milk protect. At the moment, the immune factors of breast milk are being actively investigated, an approximate list (research is ongoing) in comparison with the immune factors contained in the mixture is presented in the table "Immune factors found in breast milk to date".

In January 2016, US scientists conducted a study that evaluated breast milk samples from 19 women with lactation periods ranging from one to one and a half years. As the lactation period increased, the concentration of protein, lactoferrin, lysozyme, immunoglobulin A, oligosaccharides and sodium increased.

More specific figures are given by the National Academy of Sciences (Washington) in its 1991 Nutrition During Lactation Guidelines. The table shows the concentration of lactoferrin, secretory immunoglobulin A, lysozyme during lactation from two to three days to two years.

The data presented in this table have been confirmed by numerous studies carried out in different years in different countries. Here are just a few of them:

1. In the second year of breastfeeding, the concentration of protein, lactose, iron, copper, lactoferrin, lysozyme and secretory immunoglobulin A increases in milk ("Nutritional and immune properties of breast milk 1 year after childbirth, the justification for prolonged feeding of a child with donor milk", 2013 .).

2. The longer the baby receives breast milk, the more immune-rich it becomes. Since the child begins to suckle less with age, he receives less milk, while the concentration of immune factors in milk increases: from 1 month to 2 years, lactoferrin increases from 5.3 to 1.2 mg / ml, secretory IgA - from 1 up to 1.1 mg / ml, lysozyme - from 0.02 to 0.187 mg / ml (Lawrence R.I., Lawrence R. Breastfeeding: a guide for medical professionals, 5th ed., St. Louis: Mosby, 1999, p. 169).

3. Researchers at the Baltic Medical Education Center (St. Petersburg) took breast milk samples from 15 women over two years of lactation (over 7000 samples), in which the lactoferrin content was analyzed. In addition, 24 breast milk samples were obtained with record lactation periods of up to five years. Their lactoferrin content ranged from 2 to 5 mg / ml, that is, such milk was almost similar to colostrum. According to the results of the study, it turned out that every day a child receives more than 50 mg of lactoferrin with him, which is close to the therapeutic dose for cancer patients ("Analysis of the content and saturation of iron and copper lactoferrin in milk in women from the first day to 5 years of lactation", 2014 .).

We add that it is widely believed that a breastfed baby will not develop its own immunity (against the background of a passive one received from a mother). In fact, the baby receives a powerful immunization due to breast milk, under the protection of which a smooth and natural maturation of its own immune system occurs. Simply put, the child's immunity, not overloaded with the fight against infections, receives a kind of pause for full-fledged development. Of course, the child's immune system needs infections that help her progressively develop and improve, but it is best just when she is ready to take this load.

Do babies need breast milk after a year?

Definitely yes. The opinion of anthropologists regarding the timing of breastfeeding is curious. Scientists from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas, having analyzed the results of studies of weaning in the primate environment, concluded that the "natural" age of weaning of a person is from 2.5 to 7 years.

An important point! Extremes must be avoided. There are two common borderline situations that require correction:

1. Re-evaluating the benefits of breast milk (when parents do not consider it necessary to introduce complementary foods by age). Here it must be borne in mind that the ability to eat independently is also an important social skill. It is more convenient to develop the skills of chewing and swallowing solid food, eating behavior at the age of 8-9 months than at two years.

2. Underestimation of breast milk (a typical example is the early termination of breastfeeding due to the fact that the milk at some point "becomes empty").

In the National Program for Optimizing Nutrition for Children aged 1 to 3 years in the Russian Federation (2015), it is noted that more than 90% of doctors face alimentary-dependent conditions in children. Therefore, if a child over a year old does not receive breast milk, the introduction of infant formula or other specialized products is necessary. Positive trend: the same document noted that 66% of doctors recommend continuing breastfeeding after a year of life.

Is your doctor one of them?

Sources:

1. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 572n dated 01.11.2012.
2. National program for optimization of nutrition for children aged 1 to 3 years in the Russian Federation. 2015 g.
3. Discussion issues of the lactation period / O.D. Rudneva, M.B. Khamoshin, N.I. Zakharova, E.V. Radzinskaya. - M .: Editorial office of the journal StatusPraesens, 2013 .-- 20 p.
4. Fat and Energy Contents of Expressed Human Breast Milk in Prolonged Lactation. 2005 year
5. Dewey KG. Nutrition. Growth, and Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Infant. PediatrClin North Am. 2001 Feb; 48 (1): 87-104.
6. The contribution of breast milk to toddler diets in western Kenya. 2002 year
7. A longitudinal study of human milk composition in the second year postpartum: implications for human milk banking. Feb 2016
8. Nutrition During Lactation. 1991 year
9. The Nutritive and Immunoprotective Quality of Human Milk beyond 1 Year Postpartum
Are Lactation-Duration-Based Donor Exclusions Justified? 2013
10. Lawrence R and Lawrence R. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 1999, p. 169.
11. Goldman, A.S., R.M. Goldblum, and C. Garza. Immunologic components in human milk during the second year of lactation. Acta Paediatr Scand. 72 (3): p. 461-2. 1983.
12. Human milk - Tables of the antimicrobial factors and microbiological contaminants relevant to human milk banking (with continued updating) by Dr. John T. May, PhD
13. Dettwyler, K.A. A Time to Wean, in Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives, D.K. Stuart-Macadam P, Editor. 1995, Aldine De Gruyter: New York, NY. p. 39-73.
14. Analysis of the content and saturation with iron and copper of lactoferrin in milk in women from the first day to 5 years of lactation. 2014

Today, more and more women, giving birth to children, feed them with breast milk, and they do this for a fairly long time. I myself am one of such women, the experience of breastfeeding my own son is two years and eight months, and I can talk about long-term feeding not only as a pediatrician and breastfeeding consultant, but also as an experienced mother. We fed ourselves up to self-excommunication, smoothly and painlessly completing this pleasant and useful process. The question of how to feed a child never arose for me, but after crossing the milestone, first at one year, and then at two, I increasingly heard the question: "Why are you feeding for so long?" Let's answer it together.

Feeding after a year

In response to the questions that I was asked - "do you breastfeed after a year?", "What is the use of mother's milk after a year, there is nothing useful", I always ask a counter question: "who determined the date in one year?" Who has proven that there is no benefit in breast milk after a year? Opponents of long-term feeding usually answer these questions vaguely and unconvincingly - "Well, everyone says so!"

Usually, “everyone” is understood as the words of grandmothers and mothers of the older generation, by the way, who have meager experience of breastfeeding, since for a long time women were forced to quickly turn off GV and go to work 3-6 months after giving birth, sending their children to a nursery and transferring to mixtures.

Other opponents of long-term breastfeeding are old-school pediatricians who worked in the Soviet years, completely unfamiliar with modern ideas about hepatitis B and WHO recommendations, and still practicing regular breastfeeding with a night break and smearing nipples with green paint to prevent cracks. These opinions do not have scientific confirmation, these are just established and obsolete stereotypes that are high time to break! Such opinions cannot be trusted, it is necessary to back up any recommendation with proven facts and authoritative research.

To prove my words and my experience, I will cite the data of scientific research and the centuries-old experience of our ancestors, reflected, by the way, in the great and sacred books of our great-great-grandfathers. This will allow me to defend my point of view with arguments and not flaunt only my personal, individual experience of one baby - feeding is useful at one year, and at two years, and even at three!

The centuries-old history of breastfeeding

When studying books that came from antiquity, you can find a lot of interesting facts describing the process of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Let's start with our Christian Bible, which, although it does not stipulate specific terms for breastfeeding, many times cites the facts of long-term feeding of children. An example is the ending of a story from the Old Testament (Book of Maccabees), where you can read the phrase:

- "A son! have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months, nourished you with milk for three years, nursed and raised and raised you. (2Mac.7: 27) ".

The book of Genesis, the first of the books of the Old Testament, tells of Sarah, who suffered from infertility, who gave birth to her son Isaac in adulthood, and suckled him. At the same time, it indicates that the child was weaned when the child had already grown up, and at that time, babies were considered grown up closer to two or three years. “The child has grown and is weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. " (Genesis 21: 8)

Another fact is described, which is taken from the life of the prophet Samuel, where it is said that he was nursed by his mother's milk until ... “the baby will be weaned and grow up, then I will take him away, and he will appear before the Lord and remain there forever and ever". (1Sam.1: 22) "And the wife remained, and suckled her son until she suckled." (1 Samuel 1:23) That is, we are talking about a child who understands everything and walks confidently, and this is a baby at least two or three years old.

Now let's turn to the sacred books of other religions, and in them we can also find confirmation that in the ancient world, everywhere and everywhere, children were breastfed for a long time. The Talmud repeatedly gives descriptions of the fact that infants are recommended to be fed until at least two years of age, and it is quite possible to do this up to five years. The ancient Jews even had a riddle about babies and breastfeeding: “What does it mean: 9 leave, 8 come, two pour, one drinks, 24 serve”.

The answer to it is simple: nine months of pregnancy leave, they are replaced by eight days after childbirth before circumcision (a ritual that is sacred in Judaism), and then two mothers' breasts deliver milk to one child for 24 months, that is, up to two years.

Among Muslims, the process of breastfeeding babies is also not ignored. For example, the second Sura tells us: “The mothers feed their children for a full two years” ... Sura 14 (15) reads: “We told a man to bless his parents; the mother carries it with gravity and produces it with gravity; (and the resurrection of it and the distraction - thirty months) ". Sura 46 says about the time of feeding: "The period of wearing it in the womb and weaning (from the breast) will be thirty months." That is, according to Muslim canons, children must feed for at least 1.9 - 2 years, and longer.

For the full value of the story, I will give examples of champions in terms of breastfeeding - they turned out to be Eskimos and North American Indians. In their tribes, young men aged 12-15, returning from hunting with their elders, would kiss their mother's breast to drink a portion of their mother's milk.

Naturally, in modern society, no one calls on you to breastfeed your baby before the army or institute, but it is quite possible to follow the recommendations of one of the most authoritative organizations dealing with breastfeeding issues - WHO (World Health Organization). According to her recommendations, breastfeeding should be maintained for at least two years - and more, at the request of the mother and baby.

Data from modern science

Breastfeeding after a year is a completely natural process, and it is no less beneficial than breastfeeding an infant immediately after birth. Breasts and breast milk do not have clocks and calendars, and breast milk does not know that the baby is one year old. And this means that the milk in the breast does not spoil in any way exactly in a year, in honor of the onset of such an important date. A woman's breast is a special and very delicate natural instrument, and the milk in it over time, as the child grows and develops, gradually changes to meet his growing needs in order to cover them as much as possible. In this regard, I would like to debunk one of the global myths about the harmfulness of breast milk after the onset of a year, while citing scientific facts and real supporting arguments.

From birth to six months of age, breast milk covers all of the baby's nutritional and drinking needs - almost everyone knows about this. From half a year, complementary foods appear in the child's diet, while breast milk as a food product does not lose its benefits and importance. It covers a fairly large part of a growing child's nutritional and fluid needs. In the second year, milk replenishes up to 40% of the need for food and its total calorie content.

The baby begins to eat in the second year much less often, which leads to a gradual change in the composition of breast milk for his needs. The fat content of milk begins to increase approximately two to three times, while the amount of protective antibodies is also increased, especially for immunoglobulin A. This substance will protect the mucous membranes of the urinary tract and intestines, as well as the oral cavity from the introduction of pathogenic microbes into them.

Children who are breastfeeding after one year of age practically do not experience problems with a deficiency of mineral components in the form of calcium, potassium, sodium and iron, but only if the mother is properly and well-nourished (if she is not exhausted and healthy). Then, in breast milk, these minerals will be in the amount necessary for the needs of the child and, most importantly, in the most assimilable form, in contrast to complementary foods. In addition to minerals, breast milk in the second year will cover almost two-thirds of children's vitamin requirements. Particularly important in breast milk are ascorbic acid, vitamin A and group B, and folic acid.

Feeding children over one year old has been shown to reduce the risk of colds and other infections in children. Moreover, if babies get sick, they get sick more easily and recover faster than children who feed on formula. This is explained by the fact that breast milk contains specific antibodies and immunoglobulins, as well as many non-specific defense factors, such as lactoferrin, lysozyme and others. Children on HBV are less likely to develop intestinal infections, ARVI or otitis media, childhood infections.

It is especially important to feed children who are prone to the development of allergic diseases after a year. In such children, the intestines are especially sensitive and permeable to allergens from outside. Breast milk for them is a complete nutrition due to its special composition and the presence of special protective factors, due to which a dense protective film is created over the entire surface of the intestine, which does not allow strong allergens to penetrate into the child's blood in large quantities.

Breastfeeding after a year is also beneficial for oral health, the formation of a full bite and reducing the risk of caries development. According to dentists, children who have been breastfeeding for a long time have practically no problems with bite, the dentoalveolar apparatus develops correctly and there is less likelihood of dental caries damage. This is because breast milk contains antimicrobial factors that protect teeth from damage, and due to sucking, the muscular apparatus of the jaws develops fully and correctly, which helps in the development of the speech apparatus. These children usually start talking faster and have fewer problems with pronunciation.

According to teachers and psychologists who conducted massive comparative studies, children who breastfeed after a year are calmer than children who by that time had already been weaned. The influence of long-term feeding on the formation of intelligence was also revealed: the children who were breastfed for the longest showed the most outstanding success. For them, it is easier and faster to adapt in a team, and not only in the first years, but also in later life. Mom's breasts are a natural antidepressant, and children have reduced stress levels, due to which they grow calmer and are less capricious and crying.

Is there a benefit for mom?

Many of the parents believe that long-term breastfeeding can harm the mother's body, depriving her of some of the vitamins and minerals that are useful for her herself, and nutrients. But this is not true. A woman spends the bulk of the reserves of nutrients during pregnancy. And when breastfeeding, no matter how long it lasts, her health will not suffer in any way, if only mommy does not exhaust herself with strict diets and hunger strikes. She replenishes her reserves through nutrition quite adequately and fully. Moreover, doctors have also proven the extremely positive effect of long-term breastfeeding on the health of the mother herself.

First of all, breastfeeding gives rest to the reproductive system, since during lactation, almost a third of women do not ovulate during the entire period of breastfeeding. This process is especially strongly suppressed with regular and prolonged feedings at night. In addition, long-term breastfeeding women are 55-60% less likely to develop breast cancer, and long-term feeding is an excellent prevention of ovarian cancer.

In addition, prolonged breastfeeding contributes to the mother's weight loss, since usually in the first ten to twelve months of breastfeeding, the body spends all the reserves that it made during pregnancy by storing excess fat. Feeding after a year is gradually removed from the mother's body 400-500 kcal daily.

In addition to all the indicated advantages, with prolonged feeding, the weaning process will occur in the stage of involution of the mammary gland - its reverse development in about two to three years. This will allow you to maintain almost the original shape of your breasts. During involution, the glandular tissues are gradually replaced by fatty ones, which give the breast volume and shape, and then it will become more elastic and sag less.

The curtailment of breastfeeding occurs most physiologically during the period when the gland itself is ready for this, which means that the whole body and breast are not stressed. This further reduces the risk of all sorts of problems in the chest - lactostasis, mastitis, pain. Additionally, in the stage of involution, the breast itself prepares the baby for parting with it.

Psychological difficulties of longevity

Despite the obvious benefits of prolonged breastfeeding, many wean babies early, fearing various kinds of psychological difficulties, or under pressure from relatives, environment and other factors. Let's talk about that too.

The most important experience of mothers who breastfeed for a long time is the fact that the baby does not eat normal food well, and in the future it will also eat poorly and gain little weight. But both artificial and short-fed babies go through nutritional problems. Poor appetite is just one of the physiological developmental periods when taste and selectivity in food is formed.

In this regard, children who breastfeed for a long time have the advantage - everything that they did not get from the adult table, they get from breast milk. They usually do not experience problems with weight gain and appetite, they grow and develop according to norms, and artificial people suffer from anemia, malnutrition and feeding them is a whole problem.

Sleep becomes another important problem for children after a year. Babies constantly wake up in the middle of the night. Many "good counselors" say: you need to immediately wean the baby, and then he will sleep well all night and will not wake up at all. Moms follow these tips, and the result is an even bigger problem with sleep. If, when breastfeeding, the baby woke up at night, received a breast for food and calming, and then fell asleep with it sweetly, now he wakes up and does not get what he wants. As a result, night tantrums with whims arise, and the baby does not accept substitutes for himself in the form of water, juice, milk from a bottle, and even swinging in his arms.

At the same time, artificial people sleep no better than infants for the first few years, up to three years, intermittent night sleep is a physiological phenomenon for many children, caused by an excess of emotions and their active "digestion" by the nervous system.

In addition, at this time, the eruption of canines and molars occurs, which interferes with normal sleep. Sometimes children can write at night, which also causes them discomfort and wakes them up. Therefore, up to three years old, intermittent and restless dreams do not depend in any way on night breastfeeding or formula feeding. Babies after a year old will be in an advantageous position here - with the help of breastfeeding, they can calm down faster and more actively, relieve pain and stress from the day they have gone through.

It is impossible to spoil the child's mother's breast, he will gradually give up breast as he grows up - but everyone has their own age, in the period from one and a half to three or more years.

Photo - photobank Lori

IS THERE A BENEFIT IN MILK AFTER A YEAR

Breastfeeding after a year

Often, nursing mothers are told that there is nothing useful in milk after a year, and in this regard, it is necessary to excommunicate their children. I would like to draw the attention of nursing mothers that this is a delusion that is unsafe for the health of your babies. When someone says this to you, do not take it for granted simply because the person who said it is your relative or, for example, a doctor. Unfortunately, many doctors today do not have sufficient knowledge of breastfeeding and do not feel like filling this gap. This situation is not unique for Russia - the same thing is happening abroad, which has caused the need for the emergence of such a profession as a breastfeeding consultant, who collects information on breastfeeding and shares it with those who need it. If someone tells you that after a year there is nothing useful in breast milk - ask how the speaker knows this. Ask if he knows about the WHO recommendation to continue feeding until two years, and what caused the recommendation of the most authoritative medical organization, if there is really nothing useful in milk. Finally, ask how it turns out that up to 6 months milk was so useful that it replaced any other food, and in a year it suddenly ceased to be useful ...

Fortunately, not all doctors rely on the long-outdated recommendation of the 60s and 70s “feed up to a year and no longer”. Many people today are encouraging mothers to continue feeding, relying on data that are available to anyone who is at least somehow interested in it. Here are some of the data.

Not only abroad, but also in Russia, there are many studies that have proven the benefits of breast milk at any period of feeding. Indeed, after a year, breast milk changes its composition, but not for the worse. The main reason for these changes is that milk is no longer the main food for the baby, and other functions come to the fore. The older the child becomes, the more the concentration of immunoglobulins in milk increases, which protect the child from diseases. Breast milk contains leukocytes and a number of anti-infectious factors, as well as antibodies against infectious agents previously transferred by the mother. Infants between 16 and 30 months of age were found to have less pain and shorter durations than their non-nursing peers (Gulick 1986 study).

And, for example, the American Academy of Family Physicians specifically draws attention to the fact that if children are weaned before two years of age, the risk of any childhood diseases is greatly increased. The Mother and Child Project (John Snow, Inc., 2003) states that breastfeeding protects children under 2–3 years of age from some forms of diarrheal diseases such as cholera and shigellosis, as well as other infections such as otitis media and meningitis.

The optimal composition of human milk forms such characteristics of fat, carbohydrate, mineral and energy metabolism, which provide optimal conditions for the physical and intellectual development of the child, longevity, social adaptation, and the subsequent risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, leukemia and chronic bowel disease (Fewtrell, 2004; Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, 2004).

Immune support from mother's milk is never superfluous for babies. But beyond that, milk remains a valuable source of protein, fat, calcium and vitamins. So, in the second year of feeding, the usual daily dose of milk that a baby receives while breastfeeding (on average 448 ml) provides 43% of the need for protein, 36% of the need for calcium, 75% of vitamin A, 94% of vitamin B12 and 60% of vitamin C (Dewey study 2001). According to other sources, the vitamin A content in a daily portion of milk can vary from 38 to 75% of the daily requirement, and the vitamin C content can reach 95% of the daily requirement, depending on the mother's diet. But in any case, as the WHO Breastfeeding Guidelines and the Mother and Child course teach Russian physicians, “breast milk remains an important source of energy and high-quality nutrients for a child during the second year of life and beyond. Breastfeeding protects the baby from xerophthalmia (vitamin A deficiency). "

Breastfeeding is especially beneficial for babies who are prone to allergies. Substances contained in mother's milk create a kind of barrier in the intestines for potentially allergenic molecules. In addition, the anti-inflammatory properties of breast milk reduce the risk of infectious diseases, which themselves act as triggers for allergies. Children who are breastfed are less likely to develop allergic diseases: food allergies, allergic bronchitis and bronchial asthma (Guidelines for Physicians "Protection, Support and Promotion of Breastfeeding in Health Care Facilities for Obstetrics and Childhood", Ministry of Health, 2005).

Long-term feeding contributes to the correct formation of the maxillofacial skeleton, teething, development of the facial apparatus, and reduces the frequency of malocclusion. According to a Johns Hopkins study, babies who breastfed for less than a year were 40% more likely to have malocclusion than babies who continued to feed. Studies of Russian doctors also say unequivocally: “The longer a child is breastfed, the less the likelihood of malocclusion and the occurrence of caries. When breastfeeding up to 1.5-2 years of age, children rarely have dental and speech therapy problems ”(Guidelines for Physicians“ Protection, Support and Promotion of Breastfeeding in Medical and Prophylactic Institutions for Obstetrics and Childhood ”, Ministry of Health, 2005).

Today it is becoming very fashionable to bring up early independence in children, and premature weaning is seen by some parents as a means of making the child more independent. However, psychologists who are closely involved in the study of child development, warn that premature forced excommunication can, on the contrary, provoke a delay in emotional development and increase dependence on parents. Imposed independence turns into psychological isolation and abandonment. It is much better to give the child the opportunity to become independent when he is ready for it. This is well illustrated by the results of foreign studies: for example, one of them showed that the greatest achievements in school were in children who were fed longer. And another (a study by Ferguson et al, 1987) showed that the longer a child breastfeeds, the better social adaptation goes later, at the age of six or eight. Both mothers and teachers recognized that long-fed babies were much less likely to develop problem behaviors.

And Russian doctors, who undertook to study the effect of breastfeeding on the neuropsychic development of children, found that long-lactating babies show much better results both at two years old, with tests of speech development, and at three years, with tests of correct performance of skills (Dzhumagaziev A. A., Kozina TF and Rozhkova ON "The importance of breastfeeding and the psychological unity of mother and child for his neuropsychic development"). The smallest number of cases of rude behavior, including antisocial behavior, was noted in the group of schoolchildren who received breast milk at the age of 11-24 months (Dzhumagaziev A.A. et al., 2004, 2005).

But even if you don't count on the long-term effects, most breastfeeding moms agree that breastfeeding itself maintains feelings of love and intimacy. The feeling of tenderness that occurs when feeding a baby helps both mother and baby to relax and calm down. Babies over a year old are characterized by emotional instability, which infuriated more than one parent. But if the mother can give the baby breast, the whole family will pass the difficult time of age-related psychological crises much easier.