Biological norm for the human baby and yet often misunderstood, long breastfeeding has many advantages, both for the mother and for the child. But, from when can we speak of long breastfeeding? How to deal with derogatory remarks from those around you? Explanations with Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant.
You have been breastfeeding your baby for several months now and have chosen long-term breastfeeding? Young mothers who have opted for long breastfeeding often ask a lot of questions. Until what age can a baby be breastfed? What are the benefits for the child, and for the mother? What consequences on the weight? Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant, helps us see more clearly about long breastfeeding and weaning. And because breastfeeding your baby beyond 6 months up to the age of two is sometimes shocking, she also gives us some advice, to deal with the derogatory remarks of those around you.
From when do we talk about long breastfeeding?
Long-term breastfeeding has no precise definition and is very variable depending on the culture. In France, breastfeeding is considered long when it lasts more than 6 months, knowing that the natural weaning of the child takes place on average between two and four years. But, in some cultures, babies are breastfed until they are 7 years old. In general, the baby naturally begins to space out feedings as solid food intake increases, until it stops completely.
What are the benefits of long breastfeeding?
In addition to a special bond between mother and baby, long breastfeeding helps prevent the risk of allergy, obesity, diabetes type 1, cardiovascular disease and infections in the baby. Long breastfeeding also has significant benefits for the mother, in particular with a proven reduction in the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Weight loss is also faster after childbirth. Carole Hervé specifies thatBreastfeeding beyond one year has many benefits: in the second year, 448 ml of breast milk covers:
- 29% of energy needs;
- 43% of protein requirements;
- 36% of calcium requirements;
- 60% of vitamin C requirements;
- 75% of vitamin A requirements;
- 76% of folate requirements;
- 94% of vitamin B12 needs (when the mother is not strict vegan and not supplemented with B12).
Until what age to breastfeed baby?
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of ageto be continued throughout food diversification, until the child is 2 years old. For its part, the French Society of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding up to 1 year. But, if the mother and the baby wish, there is no time limit! The ideal duration of breastfeeding is the one that suits the mother and her child. It is perfectly possible to continue breastfeeding your baby until the age of 4 if you wish.
When you breastfeed your child for more than six months, disparaging looks and remarks burst from all sides: “Are you still breastfeeding him?”, “At this stage, it’s more for your own pleasure than for his well-being”, “When are you planning to stop?”. Carole Hervé advises mentally putting on a water-repellent jacket and letting those looks and remarks slide off you like rainwater. Then, to respond with humor and firmness “Yes, I’m still breastfeeding, it’s great isn’t it?” Or “I plan to breastfeed him until he goes to college.“, or “when he finds breasts he prefers to mine”. The person opposite will quickly feel disconcerted!
Is long breastfeeding tiring?
The production of breast milk causes the mother to expend 500 to 650 calories per day., when breastfeeding is exclusive. This is the equivalent of a great workout! But the first months of a newborn are, whatever happens, tiring for a young mother. Other factors come into play, breastfeeding is not the only cause of fatigue.
Can you lose weight when breastfeeding for a long time?
Long breastfeeding promotes weight loss because the body draws the energy necessary for the production of milk from the reserves it has accumulated during pregnancy. But, this is only valid if you eat in a healthy and balanced way because breastfeeding makes you hungry. In other words, if breastfeeding is exclusive, prolonged (more than 3 months), it helps to find the line more easily after childbirth.
Can you gain weight with long breastfeeding?
While breastfeeding does contribute to weight loss, certain factors can nevertheless cause the opposite effect. With lack of sleep and fatigue, we tend to turn to fatty and sugary foods. However, an unbalanced diet inevitably leads to weight gain. It is therefore not breastfeeding itself that should be incriminated, but the way in which we feed ourselves.
Can long breastfeeding and alcohol be reconciled?
It is generally accepted that alcohol consumed in small quantities and on an occasional basis remains compatible with breastfeeding. Provided you follow a few precautions! “Alcohol consumed is found in the blood and in breast milk within 30-60 minutes if the stomach is empty, 60-90 minutes if taken with other foods. A 65kg woman will take a little less than 2h30 to eliminate 33cl of beer, 14cl of wine or 4cl of spirits. it is recommended to limit alcohol consumption to one glass, at least two hours before breastfeeding. This period is extended by seven hours if three glasses of wine are drunk. To relieve the discomfort, it is possible to express the milk and throw it away. Note, however, that alcohol tends to reduce the milk ejection reflex“, informs the lactation consultant. In other words, a breastfeeding woman can have fun drinking a glass of alcohol from time to time without putting her child in danger!
“Alcohol consumed is found in the blood and in breast milk within 30 to 60 minutes if the stomach is empty, 60 to 90 minutes if taken with other foods”.
First of all, it is essential to explain to your child what will happen, why and how. For example, you can say “I loved breastfeeding you but I decided that from now on I was going to bottle feed you. It doesn’t mean that I love you less. You may not be ready so we’ll take our time“. It’s important to gradually familiarize the baby with the pacifier and the bottle, when he is not hungry, because the breast and the bottle are two completely different sensory experiences.
In practice, weaning does not happen overnight. “You can eliminate a feeding over a period of 3 or 4 consecutive days by offering a bottle of breast milk or artificial milk instead, or solid foods, depending on your baby’s age. Once he seems comfortable, you can skip a second feed, then a third, and so on. Nap and bedtime feedings are usually the ones that stick around the longest.”, advises Carole Hervé. Some mothers will continue to breastfeed for months in the morning, evening and night, others will see their lactation decrease and want to stop more quickly.
Most of the time, it takes 2 to 3 weeks to go from 7-8 feedings per 24 hours to 5-6 bottles per 24 hours. Feedings and bottles will alternate for the comfort of the mother’s breasts and for the common well-being of the mother and her child: feedings transmit much more than milk! The best thing to do is to listen to yourself, to go at your own pace and to wean because you really want to, and not fear the judgment of others.
Thanks to Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant, author of My tailor-made breastfeeding at Albin Michel editions and Choosing to breastfeed at First editions