How much to breastfeed a baby. Disadvantages of prolonged breastfeeding. Types of breastfeeding

You should always remember that all cases are individual. There are no universal recommendations on when it is better to stop breastfeeding. But at the same time, there is no need to go to extremes: “I will feed as long as possible” or wean him from the breast in the very first months of the baby’s life. Neither one nor the other will benefit the baby and the nursing mother. There are families where the mother decided to breastfeed until the so-called self-renunciation (usually it occurs at about 2.5-3 years), but the child did not stop breastfeeding until the age of 4, and sometimes much longer. It is unlikely that psychologists will say that it is useful for a nine-year-old boy to suck on his mother's breast, to see his mother naked, etc.

Weaning a baby from the breast in the first months is also not worth it. Almost all nursing mothers periodically experience a lactation crisis: the amount of milk is reduced. So the woman's body seems to be checking whether breast milk is needed and in what quantity. Therefore, if in the third month milk suddenly became less or, it is worth fighting for the continuation of breastfeeding. But there is no need to go too far either. If the days go by, and the milk does not appear, the baby screams heart-rendingly for days on end from hunger and cannot sleep, it is better to buy a mixture. So it will be calmer for both mother and baby.

Doctors advise to continue breastfeeding until 1 year of age. This recommendation can be seen on the packaging of baby food. During the first year of life, all food that the baby receives besides breast milk is complementary food, and not the main food. By the first birthday, the child's diet should already include milk porridge, vegetables, meat and fruits. It is from this age that the baby goes to the "common table", that is, he begins to eat the same foods as his parents. Of course, the size of the pieces should correspond to the baby's ability to chew.

Therefore, from the age of 12 months, you can gradually curtail breastfeeding. Milk is no longer the main source of nutrients for the child's body. This does not mean that it becomes less useful. Just in the diet of the child already has everything you need.

Psychological factor

After a year, breastfeeding, if continued, takes on a completely different function. The baby begins to use breast sucking only for calming, contact with the mother, for falling asleep. If the mother has not established a warm relationship with her own child by that time, this leads to great inconvenience. Then the baby can calm down only with the breast or stop sleeping well because he cannot sleep. A nursing mother cannot go anywhere in the evening, because the baby will not fall asleep without her. It becomes difficult to do household chores, etc.

When weaning a child older than 1-1.5 years, you often have to come up with some tricks: smear the nipples with brilliant green or something bitter to make the baby stop sucking. Although this is not the case in all families. Some children easily and simply stop breastfeeding even at this age.

Dental health

Breastfeeding lasts the longest at night. In a dream, a child does not produce saliva, one of the functions of which is the disinfection of the oral cavity. Breast milk is less harmful to tooth enamel than formula. But, nevertheless, many dentists argue that sucking for a long time at the breast in a dream still damages milk teeth.

The child does not eat anything

There are children who are very fond of breastfeeding. They do not follow any regimen, they do not eat complementary foods well, being content only with mother's milk. At the same time, the baby suckles at the breast almost every hour and is naughty, because he still does not get enough. Some mothers decide in this case to continue breastfeeding longer, thinking that this is how the baby eats at least something. But often these babies begin to eat cereals and vegetables just after they are weaned.

The optimal age when to finish is chosen by the mother herself, focusing on her desire and the condition of the crumbs. Someone with very great difficulty retains breastfeeding for up to six months, and someone easily and comfortably feeds up to 2 years. This process should bring joy and satisfaction to both the baby and the mother.

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Article last updated: 02/04/2019

The question of the duration of the period of feeding a child with breast milk sooner or later confronts every nursing woman. This is almost a rhetorical question, which, although it is asked, does not require a loud and precise answer. There are dozens of different answers and recommendations for both continued breastfeeding and earlier weaning. Each mother must decide this issue for herself.

But in order not to be mistaken in solving such an important issue, the mother must responsibly weigh all the nuances of prolonged breastfeeding, evaluate the objective and subjective prerequisites for continuing breastfeeding or refusing it, and simply trust her feelings. After all, who, if not a loving mother, can understand and decide what is best for her child.

Feeding

After being born, a little newborn man needs only his mother, who carefully carried and waited for him for 9 months, and now she also gently cares for him, warms, feeds and loves him. And the best and most reliable means of comforting and calming a newborn in the first months of life is a warm mother's breast.

Breast milk emotionally and physically holds the unbreakable thread of unity between mother and child. Breastfeeding your long-awaited baby is the most magical time for all mothers on earth.

Experts have been repeating for a long time and tirelessly that mother's milk is the most ideal product for a newborn - it is completely digested without problems in a small stomach, absorbed by a tiny organism, strengthens and stimulates the child to grow, and also has a constant optimal temperature and is almost always ready to could eat a hungry baby. It is also the most economical way to feed your baby.

According to pediatricians, breastfeeding is the first and indispensable immunization of a newborn, necessary to effectively protect the child from many infectious and gastric diseases.

Breast milk, which contains all the necessary complex of vitamins and microelements, perfectly stimulates the normal development of the brain, cardiovascular and nervous systems of the baby, as well as the correct formation of all other systems of the child's body.

The statistics of medical studies on breastfeeding shows that in the current period, only about 12% of newborns under three months old receive breast milk, other children use artificial milk formulas.

Summing up, we can say that breast milk is the main building material for the baby, fully meeting the needs of the growing human body in vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, calcium, protective antibacterial elements and other useful components.

Scientific and non-fiction literature published by authors and medical staff of the World Health Organization on the subject of up to what age to breastfeed a child often states that the most optimal period for breastfeeding is around the age of two years. And the minimum duration of breastfeeding a newborn must be at least six months. The period of breastfeeding after six months is also useful for the child, but requires the introduction of certain complementary foods, since simply mother's milk can no longer fully satisfy all the biological needs of the child. After 12 months, the child's diet is usually already significantly varied, and from this age, breast milk can be fed to the child 1-2 times a day. It is best to feed in the evening or at night.

Mother's milk, for all its uniqueness, has another remarkable feature. With each month of growth and development of a newborn, milk contains exactly those biologically important components that a child needs during this period of life.

Immunity of a breastfed child

Breastfeeding gives the baby the necessary and strong immunity. According to experts, a newborn child up to about 5-6 months is protected by maternal immunity, which he received from the moment of birth. And it is believed that until this age, mother's milk plays a purely nutritious, but not protective role.

After six months, the production of mother's milk gradually moves to a more priority direction - nutrition goes by the wayside after receiving much-needed children's immunity. This also applies to the production of antibodies to chickenpox, rubella and other viral pathogens.

But in fairness, it should be noted that the immunity of a nursing woman with prolonged breastfeeding weakens a little and the functioning of her body is depleted. This is due to the fact that lactation and feeding is the primary task of a nursing woman. And if during this period the mother eats poorly, her diet is not balanced, or the baby drinks a lot of milk, the woman's body begins to use and burn its own resources, which leads to loss of health.

There may be cases of hair loss and deterioration, weight loss, brittle nails and dry skin. Therefore, every nursing mother who has such signs should carefully and responsibly decide whether she needs to breastfeed her baby for a long time to the detriment of her immunity and health. After all, a mother's health is very important for both herself and her child.

If the mother's immunity does not undergo any changes, then long breastfeeding carries certain advantages for the female body:

the risk of oncological diseases of the mammary glands and female ovaries decreases several times;
during the period of regular breastfeeding, a woman does not ovulate;
long lactation and natural feeding helps to reduce the weight of the mother, since the production of breast milk requires about 500 kilocalories from the woman's body.

Of course, lactation cannot last forever. Mammologists say that after 2.5-3 years from the start of milk production, the body of a nursing woman is programmed for involution (reverse development), that is, the breast gradually stops lactation and returns to its original pre-lactation state.

Key Statistical Stages of Breastfeeding a Baby

until the age of 6 months, breastfeeding is mandatory;
it is recommended to start the first baby foods after six months (plus or minus one month);
after 8 months, the child begins to receive various purees, cereals, infant formula and kefir, without ceasing to eat mother's milk if possible;
after the age of 12 months, the diet of the child is very diverse, and partly similar to the diet of an adult, but this circumstance is not a signal for a woman to stop breastfeeding.

The age after 11-12 months is characterized by intensive growth, the formation of the physical and mental development of the baby, and therefore it is possible and necessary to feed the child with mother's milk, if there is such a wonderful and useful opportunity.

In this regard, it is interesting and informative to learn the following fact from the life of mammals from the animal world. Many mammalian species can nurse their young 5-6 times longer than their pregnancy lasts. If we draw a parallel with the human body, then such a period should last up to 4.5 years.

Unfortunately, there are certain reasons that make a mother stop breastfeeding her baby. This happens:

if the natural function of lactation brings inconvenience due to possible feeding in crowded places;
the instability of the family budget forces the mother to go to work, prematurely ending maternity leave to care for the child.

How does weaning a baby

Nursing mothers who are concerned about the question of up to what age the child should be breastfed should firmly grasp that breastfeeding should in no case be associated with the calendar age of the crumbs. And also you can not focus on any indicators of statistics and the advice of girlfriends and grandmothers. All small children and nursing mothers are individual, and you should only listen to your feelings and feelings with which you feed the child, and act only in the interests and needs of the baby. If you are tired of breastfeeding, being tied to the time of feeding, and this process does not give you any pleasure and satisfaction, it is better to stop feeding.

And if you do not want to stop this intimate and emotional process of unity and warmth, you definitely need to feed further. The presence of the mother and tactile contact with her are very important for the baby. And if at the same time he also receives all the balanced useful elements for full growth and development, the answer to the question until what age should a child be breastfed is obvious - the longer the better. You should not tear off the crumbs from the chest before he himself comes to this.

But how to understand that breastfeeding is no longer necessary for the child and it is losing its importance and relevance for him?

Firstly, from this age, the child is already breastfed once or twice a day, and sometimes just for the purpose of calming himself, and not for the purpose of eating. But the baby does not want to completely drop the breast. In order not to upset the baby, you need to pay more attention and affection to him, hug and press him to you. It is not worth it, having felt freedom from breastfeeding, to shift the care of the baby onto the shoulders of a grandmother or a nanny. In no case! It is desirable that at such a time it is the mother who dresses, bathes and walks with the child, and he feels comfortable and easy.

Secondly, the laying down of the child in the daytime gradually occurs without breastfeeding. He calmly falls asleep even in the presence of his father or grandmother.

Thirdly, the older the child, the better he understands that there are other equivalents of comfort and relaxation than mother's breast.

No need to stop breastfeeding if the baby is sick. Especially if the disease is associated with gastrointestinal disorders. Mom's milk in such a period will be the best medicine for him. If the child has already lost the habit of breastfeeding during the daytime, milk must be expressed and be sure to give it to the child.

Also, there is no need to quit breastfeeding during the period of preventive vaccinations, because at this time the children's body is most susceptible to all sorts of infections and unpredictable reactions, which will help the use of balanced and healthy mother's milk.

To understand if a mother is ready to stop breastfeeding e need to do a little experiment. Leave your child for 7-10 hours, leaving him in the care of relatives. If the mother does not have a painful feeling from bursting and filling the breast with milk, then this may confirm the fact that the woman is also gradually preparing to stop breastfeeding.

After stopping breastfeeding, a woman may still have a clear liquid similar to colostrum for some time. This is a normal process that will end over time. Also, many mothers during such a period may experience psychological discomfort - she wants to cry, constantly keep the child near her. Do not worry, these are hormonal changes after weaning the baby from the breast, they will also pass with time.

The time of weaning always comes by itself, there is no need to somehow speed it up and rush it. Many mothers, desperate that her one and a half year old baby is “hanging” on her chest, are sure that she will have to feed him before school. Do not worry, everyone just has their own individual laws of development and formation. All mother-baby couples arrive at weaning time. But there is still a lot of everything affectionate and beloved!

Mothers often say: I’ll feed for a couple of months, then the milk will disappear anyway. Or: I will feed until six months, then complementary foods will begin, and in general, you can drink from a cup. Or so: I feed up to a year, in extreme cases, then the milk does not contain anything useful. Which of these opinions can be considered correct?

“Milk will quickly disappear anyway”

Indeed, at present, only 10-14% of children receive breast milk up to 3 months, the rest are already artificial. The reason for stopping breastfeeding so early is not that mothers do not want to feed, or they have to go to work early, or they are hindered by poor environmental conditions. The reason is surprisingly simple and unpretentious: women simply do not know how to do this - breastfeeding. Unfortunately, in modern society, there is practically no one to learn from them. And most women do not even think that breastfeeding needs to be learned. Meanwhile, breastfeeding is a female art, the same as, for example, the ability to embroider, sew, knit, cook deliciously.

For some reason, it never occurs to anyone to expect a chic sweater from a woman who first picked up knitting needles and yarn. But everyone believes that a woman who first took a newborn in her hands knows how to apply it to her breast. She could have known this if, throughout her previous life, starting from early childhood, she had watched other women breastfeed and care for their babies, then the skills of breastfeeding and caring for an infant would have been known and understood to her. But even in such a situation, a woman giving birth for the first time would need the practical help of a more experienced mother. It's one thing to watch others feed, and it's another thing to feed yourself. In a modern civilized society, the female art of breastfeeding has been lost, the culture of motherhood has been lost. A young mother, even ready to learn motherhood, may not find a woman in her environment who has experience in breastfeeding and caring for an infant. She will have many advisers who actually have no idea about the natural needs of the child, but are confident in their rightness. I would like to recommend to my mother, before listening to advice, to ask how long the adviser himself was breastfeeding and did he receive positive emotions from this? Unfortunately, for most mothers now the main sources of authoritative information about breastfeeding are district pediatricians, most of whom do not have personal, successful breastfeeding experience and the necessary theoretical knowledge, but who have vast experience in monitoring artificial feeding. And until now, advice from the constantly published and reprinted books of one male pediatrician who did not breastfeed anyone and did not even have his own children is still popular.

But what about books? Unfortunately, in many modern books, the advice that is given there on organizing breastfeeding and caring for an infant can be titled “What needs to be done to make more problems” or “How to lose milk faster”. Even if a mother has the best books on breastfeeding, where everything is correctly and in detail, she may not be able to breastfeed her own baby. Try, for the first time taking knitting needles and threads, to knit something according to the book. It is unlikely that you will succeed right away, but if you try for a long time, make mistakes, redo it again, someday you will really learn to knit. But mom and newborn don't have the time or opportunity to learn by trial and error. By making mistakes, a mother gets a lack of milk, or nipple disease, or a baby's refusal to breastfeed, or all of these together. If at this moment there is no person next to her who can point out mistakes and show how to correct them, she will not be able to feed the child. So it turns out that now in our country about 5% of women feed their child successfully and for a long time. These are the mothers who are lucky: the baby immediately took the breast correctly, and the mother, listening to her instincts and the needs of the baby, does not pay attention to the advice of “experienced” friends and relatives. Often such a mother doubts the correctness of her actions, because her child behaves in a completely different way from artificial children. And if she has the inner strength to resist persistent advice from the outside, breastfeeding for her and the baby develops quite successfully. Unfortunately, very often, a self-doubting woman, who actually did everything well, begins to listen to incompetent advice and repeat other people's mistakes.

“You can feed up to six months, then complementary foods and why suck when you can drink from a cup”

So consider people who relate to breastfeeding, only as a source of food for the child. Most of these people are now. If you act according to the “Baby Nutrition” book, treating breast milk only as food and replacing feedings with complementary foods, by nine months there will be one breastfeeding early in the morning, and you can replace it with kefir ... But in fact, the baby needs breast sucking not only in order to eat. He needs to communicate with his mother during attachment to the breast. Responding to anxiety and crying by latching on to the breast, without thinking about whether the child needs to eat, drink or sleep now, the mother forms the baby’s confidence in her, that she will always come to the rescue, that the world around her is friendly to the baby and loves him. All this is necessary for a little man to form self-confidence and a stable psyche, for successful social adaptation and much more. If the mother acts on the basis of the physiological and psychological needs of the child, gradually accustoming him to adult food, then the replacement of feeding with complementary foods does not occur. The transition of a child to a common table and breastfeeding are parallel processes, not interchangeable actions. They even sometimes intersect, because having tried new food for himself, the child can be applied to the breast, washing down the food with milk. It is not possible to replace feeding with complementary foods for a child who is on a properly organized breastfeeding, also because the child's main attachment-feeding is associated with dreams: the child suckles the breast while falling asleep and after waking up. And breakfasts, lunches and dinners, during which he gets acquainted with new food, occur during his wakefulness.

“After a year there is nothing useful in milk”

Mom's body does not know that the child has a birthday today and does not begin to produce a second-class liquid. Milk in the second and third years of lactation contains all the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements, hormones, protective factors and much more necessary for the child. During the involution of lactation, when breastfeeding ends naturally, breast milk approaches colostrum in composition. This is necessary in order to protect the mother's breast and the health of the baby as much as possible during the difficult period of weaning. The baby, having sucked milk for several months against the background of involution and having received large amounts of immunoglobulins and other protective factors, which are rich in milk during involution, does not get sick after weaning for at least six months. And his mother, having weaned the baby, never encounters problems and the form of mastitis, unlike a woman who stopped stable lactation untimely and illiterately. So milk after a year is useful for a child, just as he needs breastfeeding. After a year, a baby is applied to the breast when he falls asleep and during a night's sleep, in the morning, when he wakes up, he is applied during the day to fall asleep, he asks for breasts when he wants to drink or drink other food, when he is upset, offended, needs comfort, runs up to his mother to suck when he missed her. With age, the need for attachment to the breast decreases, because. the need for absolute maternal protection decreases.

All children are very different. There are babies who, at the age of 1.5-2, can quite easily do without a breast, and there are children who need their mother's breasts up to 3-4 years. The statement that breastfeeding for more than a year is harmful does not fit into the biological framework, if you look at a person as a mammal from the order of primates. Large primates feed their young for approximately six periods equal to the duration of pregnancy. In this case, the duration of breastfeeding in a person is 54 months, or 4.5 years. Maybe someone will not like the comparison with monkeys, but one must still take into account biology. In the first years of a child's life, the foundations of his physical health are laid, the systems of his body are being improved, the main growth of the brain falls on the first three years of a child's life. Breast milk contains a huge number of components necessary for the development of the baby. These components are not in the most modern mixtures, nor in the food of adults, and never will be. As mentioned above, these are immune defense factors, tissue growth factors, hormones and biologically active substances, forms of vitamins and microelement ratios that are optimal for absorption. All this needs to be received by the child not only in the first year of life.

There is no optimal duration of breastfeeding, because. There are no identical children and identical mothers. With the correct organization of breastfeeding, the end of this process is somewhere between 1.5 and 4.5 years, and does not depend on the opinion of doctors or close relatives and friends, but on the readiness to wean the baby from the breast and on the readiness of the mother herself to wean from the chest. And from nothing else.

The World Health Organization and pediatricians believe that breast milk is the best and healthiest food we can offer a baby.

Milk is a complete food. It is perfectly adapted to the baby's body, contains more than 400 nutrients, an ideal balance of fats, proteins and minerals that increase immunity, help with digestion, promote proper growth.

Babies who breastfeed for the first 6 months have fewer ear infections, fewer colds, no diarrhea, and fewer complaints to doctors.

The physical closeness of mother and child, breastfeeding, mother's breathing, the warmth of the skin help the baby feel safe when eating. Children grown on mother's milk have a healthy weight, grow well, and are distinguished by a calm, balanced character. Breastfeeding prevents the development of sudden infant death syndrome, diabetes, obesity, and certain types of cancer.

In this article, you will learn how long and how often you should breastfeed your baby and how long the baby must suckle to be completely satiated during feeding. And also a few other very important aspects.

What is the ABC of breastfeeding?

A = Absolutely comfortable conditions for the mother. This is an extremely important point. The mother's arms, head and neck should have extra support. Legs - placed on a stand. The body is in a relaxed position.

B = Great patience. The baby needs to be fed until full. You can not rush and interrupt the meal. About how much time the child should suckle the breast for one feeding will be discussed below.

B = Attention to the needs of the child. You need to feed the baby when he feels hungry. This mode is called on demand. In the first days of life, the baby requires from 8 to 12 feedings during the day. A hungry baby wakes up, starts moving his arms, makes various noises with his mouth, sticks out his tongue, purses his lips, as if he were sucking his mother's breast. In this case, you should not wait until the child starts whimpering or crying, as this is a signal of severe hunger.

How long should you breastfeed your baby

Children's pediatricians recommend feeding newborns exclusively with breast milk for the first 6 months. They also recommend introducing breast milk into the diet after the baby has been switched to solid food, until the end of the year of life and beyond, if the mother can afford it.

How often should you breastfeed your baby

A newborn baby should receive food 8-12 times a day during the first 30 days of life. If mommy feels that her baby is not full, formula milk can be included in the diet. Breast milk is easier to digest than formula milk because it is perfectly matched to the baby's digestive system, digests quickly and makes the baby feel hungry more often.

Frequent feedings stimulate milk production, especially in the first 7-14 days. In the next 2 months, the breastfeeding schedule will gradually decrease and may be 7-9 breastfeeding per day. It is better to feed the baby on demand, when he is hungry, every 1.5-3 hours. The interval of eating should not be more than 4 hours even at night.

How often and for how long a baby should be fed depends on the mother's body, the baby's appetite, and many other factors:

Volume and quality of mother's milk;

The rate at which milk enters the baby's body;

The correct position of the mother during meals;

Mood of mother and child;

General environment.

How long should a baby breastfeed in one feed?

The duration of feeding also depends on the age of the baby. Newborns need 20-40 minutes on each breast to get food. But as the child grows, he acquires the skills of fast food intake and over time receives food for 5-10 minutes on one breast.

How often should you rotate breasts while feeding?

To maintain milk production in both breasts and prevent painful swelling of the mammary glands, it is important to alternate breasts when feeding. Feeding time is selected according to the child's appetite and the characteristics of the woman's milk production. Some babies can be fed within 5 minutes on one breast, others may need 10-15 minutes on each breast.

Some experts recommend changing breasts in the middle of each feeding, and starting the next meal with a resting breast. Some women find this method extremely helpful and keep a notebook with them to keep track of their feeding schedule. Others reject this path and feed the baby one breast at a time.

In most cases, babies prefer to be fed from two breasts. But there are some babies who like feeding from only one breast. Which path mommy and baby choose depends on personal preference, but the method when two breasts are involved in the diet is more convenient.

How to understand that the child is full?

Young mothers, especially those who have become mothers for the first time, are often worried about the question of whether the baby is full after feeding or not. A nursing mother can be calm if the child:

Remains satisfied after every meal and falls asleep sweetly;

Produces approximately 4-6 wet diapers per day and has regular bowel movements;

Sleep well;

Attentive and calm while awake;

Gaining weight well.

If the baby does not receive enough breast milk, he:

Awake after feeding, continues to look for the mother's breast;

Does not produce enough wet diapers, has infrequent and scanty bowel movements;

Fussy, cries a lot;

Not gaining weight.

If you're worried that your baby isn't getting enough breast milk, call your doctor. Breastfeeding can be supplemented with formula milk.

Belching after feeding - is this the norm or a deviation?

It is normal for babies who are breastfeeding to spit up small amounts of food. However, vomiting, in large quantities, should be alarming. Vomiting after feeding is a deviation that needs medical attention.

Diapers as an indicator of proper nutrition?

Diapers are an excellent indicator of proper nutrition. The first milk is colostrum that a newborn receives. It allows the baby to produce 1 to 2 wet diapers in the first 24 hours of life.

In the next 3-4 days after birth, the milk acquires a more liquid consistency and allows for 4-5 wet diapers and greenish-yellow bowel movements once a day.

After 6-7 days of life, an infant should produce more than 6 wet diapers per day with clear or very pale urine. Fewer diapers indicate that the infant is not getting enough fluid. If yellow crystals appear on the surface of the diapers, you should immediately consult a doctor. Four or more yellow bowel movements during this period indicates the proper nutrition of the newborn baby.

This article is dedicated to mothers, who have already taken place or future, who are tormented by questions: “How long should I breastfeed my baby?”, “How long should I breastfeed my baby?”.

The publication is written to convince, be sure to feed your baby with breast milk.

Recently, on my blog, a survey was conducted. The question was: “How long should I breastfeed my baby?”. Nearly 3,000 people voted. Answers received the most votes:
“from 9-12 months” and a little less “from 12 to 18 months”.

I, as a mother who has already taken place, and breastfeeding with all responsibility, want to declare:
“The baby should be breastfed for at least 12 months. Breast milk is the key to the future health of the child.

Why is breastfeeding so important?

Up to 2 years, I consider acceptable, and quite sufficient. Breastfeeding longer than 2 years is normal only if there is nothing else to feed the child, and the mother has nothing else to do.

To be honest, when my daughter was born, I thought that nothing could be more valuable than breast milk, and sometimes I even inclined to think that I would feed the child, almost up to 3 years. But time makes its own adjustments. I think many breastfeeding mothers are experiencing a similar rethinking of values \u200b\u200band the need for breastfeeding. Now I am sure that a child needs no more than 18 months. Moms who feed their babies up to 2 years and longer cause me great respect, many times more than those who say that they lost milk at 3-6 months (although this happens).

If a mother has a desire, if she understands how important it is for her child, she will definitely have milk.

I know several young mothers who were already told in the hospital that they would not have milk ( and how could you say that?…) and with all their desire and perseverance, they breastfed their children for more than a year.

If you wish, if you see that you have little milk, or are afraid that you will not have it, you can find a lot of literature with advice on how to properly feed your baby and what to do if there is not enough milk.

The main reason for the disappearance of breast milk is stress - the only thing to really be afraid of.

The benefits of breastfeeding

So, advantages of breastfeeding:

Breast milk is the key to your baby's health and strong immunity.
Breast milk is an ideal food that is always "at hand", it is always useful for the baby. The composition of breast milk varies according to the age of your baby, breast milk contains all the necessary substances for a child of a particular age. Where else can you find such a unique product?
Mom's breasts are a wonderful sedative for any baby (but they should not be abused).
Breastfeeding, in addition to being very useful, is also very convenient.
Breast milk is always at the right temperature, it does not need to be heated, cooled, and there is no need to run at night for a bottle to prepare a mixture for the baby. Do you know how often children wake up at night?
Breastfeeding is a family budget saving. Good, age-appropriate formulas for feeding babies are oh, how not cheap.

There are probably still pluses, you can add them yourself - these are the main arguments in favor of breastfeeding.

Why You Should Stop Breastfeeding After One Year

Pros of stopping breastfeeding after a year, for those who are going to continue breastfeeding up to 2.5-3 years:

After stopping breastfeeding, children eat “adult” food better, their appetite improves.
Breastfeeding babies tend to breastfeed frequently at night. By stopping breastfeeding, you and your baby will be guaranteed a more restful sleep. You will understand that it was just a habit, a whim, and not an urgent need.
Your child will become more independent, which will also please you.
If you are afraid of terrible tantrums during weaning - do not worry. It's just your fear. Children after a year (2 years) are much easier to endure parting with sisey than their mothers. Just come up with an acceptable reason and explanation for the baby why you are.

A few touches to the higher that has been said:

I strongly advise all expectant mothers who want to feed their children with their milk to read and remember everything related to breastfeeding: how to breastfeed properly whether and how to express, how often to feed the baby, how to care for your breasts ... and much more that may come in handy. Study all the questions in advance when the baby is born, for sure, you will not have time to read books and look for answers to your questions. When there is no time to understand, the probability of making the wrong decision is high.
I also want to say, do not think that if a newborn baby cries at night, he definitely does not have enough milk. And you, having expressed “three drops”, decide that the baby is starving, immediately run for a bottle and a mixture to the pharmacy. I do not rule out that the baby may be hungry, but there are still many reasons why children scream. And the fact that you still have little milk suggests that a small child needs a small amount of food, moreover, the nutritional value of milk for newborns is such that a few drops are enough to get enough. Also, it is likely that the mother still has “tight breasts” and it is very difficult to squeeze something out of her, but the child knows how to do it and eats up.

Also, I want to speak in favor of only up to 6 months. I myself practiced this, and I think that a baby who is gaining weight normally does not need complementary foods.

I wish all mothers and their children to know the charm, and make their right decision in this matter.