Extended Breastfeeding

I've been pondering over this issue for a while to come now as Faith's 1st birthday looms near. Like most moms that I know of, I've been thinking to wean her to formula around the time she turns one.

One of the key attraction of weaning Faith to formula is that it frees up more time for me as I wouldn't need to express breastmilk for her afternoon feeds. But at the back of my mind, I'm wondering if the introduction of formula would provide yet another challenge as Faith continues to have lacklustre interest in expressed breastmilk (EBM).

In fact, I've actually started her on a little formula some two weeks ago, with 1/3 formula mixed with 2/3 breastmilk. So far, the response to it has been mixed. Some days, she would finish her milk after much coaxing from my mom, taking nearly 1 hour to finish her bottle of milk. On other days, no amount of coaxing or cajoling would make her finish her milk, and she might only drink about 100ml or so.

All of these has been troubling me until a weekly email bulletin from Baby Center landed in my inbox, along with a particular article on extended breastfeeding, i.e. breastfeeding a baby beyond 1 year of age (click here to see Baby Center's article).

Truth to be told, I've never imagined that I would be able to breastfeed Faith for this long. In the first few weeks of delivery, back when Faith and I were working out the kinks in getting into the right breastfeeding technique, I swore that I would persevere only until she reaches the six month mark. Six months came and went and with her bottle rejection, I decided to continue with breastfeeding until she reaches the age of 1 year.

And now, with that date drawing near and her continued disinterest in bottle feedings or even in cups, I was wondering what alternatives do I have to make her take to formula. Reading the Baby Center article was like a godsend and in ways, an eye-opener for me.

All these while, I've not really thought beyond breastfeeding Faith past the age of one. Perhaps, you may call it selective retention or reading. Back then, I seem to get the impression that breastfeeding beyond the age of 1 is not required as the nutritional value of breastmilk after that age is no different from formula. Either that or contribute it to the successful marketing and promotional efforts of formula milk companies to create that illusion.

From what I'm reading and researching so far after the Baby Center article, the facts continue to point out that there are both emotional and nutritional benefits to breastfeeding a toddler. In fact, a child who decides to wean himself/herself more often than not results in a emotionally secure and independent kid.

To me, the other enticing attractions are that the IQ of a kid increases the longer they are breastfed and also that some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has states that mothers should breastfeed their baby for at least one year and as long after as both mother and baby mutually desire. Apart from AAP, both UNICEF and WHO also encourage breastfeeding for at least 2 years or longer.

Reading all these articles and information have given me much comfort and determination for extended breastfeeding, as well as hope for Faith's bottle/formula milk rejection issues. Perhaps one may surmiss that I'm putting off the inevitable issue to a further date in the future. But who is to know that? Perhaps as she grows older and is able to comprehend things better, she might be willing to drink milk from a cup. For now, the most important and key factor to me is that she continues to drink milk, which is still an important part of her diet for her growth and development.

Certainly, I know without a doubt that Faith enjoys the entire nursing process. Many a nights, she would be giggling or smiling in glee as I settle her into her routine for nursing. Most recently, when we were in Beijing and she was down with Roseolla and feeling cranky with a poor appetite for food and water, she was willing to nurse longer at the breast. That gave both her and me much comfort becos I knew that no matter how little water she drinks in the day, she at least would be willing to drink breastmilk and would not dehydrate in the dry weather.

I used to think that it wasn't necessary for mothers to breastfeed for longer than a year. In fact, I was amazed that one of my friend actually nursed her daughter for 2 years 3 months before weaning. Thanks to my daughter's little "intricate" problem, I'm now a wiser and more well-informed mom.

Perhaps she's telling me in her own ways that the time is not right and its too early to wean her off breastfeeding. As for me, I've always been concerned about Faith's low birth weight and her resulting small build and weight up until today. If nursing is the way to ensure that she gets her nutrients, coupled with all the positive benefits, I don't see any reason why I should stop.

Maybe my baby is wise for one of her age and knows what's really good for her. As for me, I'm lucky to have the luxury of time to be able to breastfeed her and put off the idea of weaning to a much later stage.

And if you have any interest on some of the articles about the benefits of extended breastfeeding, I've included some links to the articles below:

1) UNICEF - Promoting, Protecting and Supporting Breastfeeding
2) Pediatrics: Official Journal of AAP - Parental Concerns About Extended Breastfeeding in a Toddler
3) Parenting Web - Extended Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding beyond the first year
4) KellyMom - Factsheet on Extended Breastfeeding
5) About.com: Pediatrics - Breastfeed a toddler - Why on earth?