Public breastfeeding has been a hot button topic for quite a while now. 27-year-old stay-at-home mom Amy is a mother who wants everyone to know that breastfeeding is a natural process – and that there’s no “right” age to wean a child.
Amy’s son Max is five years old, and he still breastfeeds. The pair lives in Lancashire, England, and Amy believes this feeding method is completely normal.
In fact, she makes a point that older children are easier to breastfeed, as they can be gently informed if something is painful or uncomfortable.
On top of that, it strengthens the bond between a mother and her child.
Amy wants other people to feel more comfortable when they breastfeed their kids, no matter how old they are.
On her Instagram page, she often shares pictures of her nursing her son, and she hopes that what she is doing will help shatter negative stigma surrounding breastfeeding.
She wants more people to be aware that it’s not at all a “weird” activity.
When Max first came into the world, Amy had breastfeeding troubles.
She felt shy breastfeeding him in public, and at six months old, started to try and wean Max and move him along to baby food.
Then, one day, Amy attended some support groups for breastfeeding mothers and eventually attended a breastfeeding festival.
There, she learned about the many benefits of nursing, and she suddenly wondered why she should be forcing her baby to stop breastfeeding at such a young age.
Amy almost didn’t arrive at this decision, though. At four weeks old, Max had issues with latching, which nearly caused them to quit.
But thanks to a little help, now Max has been breastfed for five years. He currently nurses a few times weekly, and neither he nor Amy are interested in stopping quite yet.
Amy believes that just because something isn’t a social or cultural norm, it doesn’t automatically mean that it is automatically incorrect or wrong.
After all, her body has continued to produce milk all this while – why shouldn’t she put it to use?
Before Max, Amy didn’t really understand how breastfeeding works. She originally thought all kids should be weaned at six months, but now is happy to wait until Max naturally weans himself.
Many of her friends have done the same, though most of them have had children who stopped nursing sooner than Max.
Still, Amy isn’t worried.
She notes that primates typically breastfeed until their babies have grown all their permanent teeth. In human children, that age is around five or six years old.
Amy also maintains that breastfeeding an older child is much easier.
Max only breastfeeds at home, so Amy can wear whatever she wants outside again without worrying about choosing something nursing-friendly.
She can also tell him when she feels sore or isn’t able to nurse at any given time, and he can understand or wait till later – something young babies, who need to nurse every couple hours, wouldn’t be able to do!
Of course, Max eats normal food when he’s hungry, and when he feels like nursing, that’s when he does. He never takes breast milk over food.
Amy says that a lot of this activity is more about their closeness and the comfort Max gets from nursing, not about hunger.
And of course, breast milk never stops being nutritious and healthy.
Amy has received both support and backlash on her Instagram pictures that feature breastfeeding, but she pays no mind to the naysayers.
Her goal is to normalize breastfeeding and encourage everyone to see it as a natural part of life!
SEE ALSO:
Pregnant Woman Orders Coffee, McDonald’s Serve Her Cleaning Solution Instead
