When to Stop Breastfeeding

"A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy, the smile that accepts a lover before words are uttered, and the smile that lights on the first born babe, and assures it of a mother's love." ~ Thomas C. Haliburton

Mother's milk to a baby is the most healthiest thing in the world that a baby requires, both for physical and mental development and growth. Mother's milk has important antibodies which provide nutrition and immunity to the baby. So breastfeeding the baby is the best thing that you can do to be the best mom! But when to stop breastfeeding? Well, medically there is no set rule in regards to what age to stop breastfeeding. The World Health Organization has suggested that a mother should nurse the baby for at least 2 years, many doctors suggest a minimum of 1 year. However, being a responsible mom, it's up to you to decide if the time is right or not!

When is the Right Time to Stop Breastfeeding?

As I mentioned earlier, there is no hard and fast rule to it. What worked well for a mother and child in Dallas, isn't guaranteed to work for a mother and child in New York! Many mothers stop breastfeeding their babies within 6 months or a year. The reasons for this could be many, pressure of 'well-wishers', lack of support from spouse, discomfort while nursing, medical issues, and so on. According to the American Association of Pediatrics policy statement on breastfeeding, "Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits to the mother and child." There are many benefits of breastfeeding, therefore making the act a blessing in itself! These are discussed as follows.

Benefits to the Mother
To mothers, there are remarkable health benefits if she nurses the child for a longer duration. The benefits are:

• Breastfeeding reduces a mother's chances of having breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and even osteoporosis.
• A mother feeding her breast milk to the baby for a minimum of 1 year, reduces chances of suffering from breast cancer by 11%.
• If a mother feeds the child till 2 years of age, the chances to have breast cancer is reduced by 25%.
• If a woman has breastfed her child / children for a cumulative total of 7 years of her lifetime, the chances of breast cancer are almost completely reduced!
• If a mother is diabetic, then the requirement of insulin is reduced during the period of lactation.

Benefits to the Child
Obviously, a mother's milk is another way of God's blessings to a child. Babies who had stopped drinking mother's milk within a year are more prone to developing diseases and ailments as compared to children who have had mother's milk for more than a year. The benefits are:

• The United Nations Press had published The Food and Nutrition Bulletin in 1998. Their study shows that in the second and third year of a child's life, breast milk continues to be an important source of vitamin A.
• As compared to cow's milk which just provides 36% Vitamin A and 0% vitamin C in 15 ounces during the second year, breast milk contains 75% of vitamin A and 60% of vitamin C.
• The World Health Organization has stated that "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness."
• As I mentioned earlier, breast milk contains important antibodies, apart from this breast milk also has immunoglobulins which protects the child from various ailments in the long run and also increases the immunity.

What Age to Stop Breastfeeding?

From the facts mentioned above, it is clear that breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 years is necessary if you want to avail all the benefits, as mentioned above. But it is strictly advisable that for the first 6 months the baby should consume only and only breast milk! If a mother wants to increase the time span of breastfeeding, there is no harm in that ! After your child is older than a year or two, with gradual additions of baby formula, cow milk and solids, the frequency of consuming breast milk reduces. American Academy of Pediatrics writes, "There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychological or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."

How to Stop Breastfeeding?

Indeed, breastfeeding needs to stop at one point or the other! Many mothers / parents have difficulty sleeping in the night as the baby constantly wakes up and cries for milk. For this, what can be done is, feed the baby properly before going to bed. Babies mostly want to be fed properly for up to an hour before they fall asleep. Another thing to be kept in mind is that the baby's sleep tends to be very light. Even a slightest shake can disturb it. So, don't just move your baby to a different place when you notice that the eyes are closed for some time. Give your baby at least 20-30 minutes before shifting to a different place. Also, if your baby is more than 6 months old, then don't feed every time it wakes. Instead of that, rock, sing or swing the baby softly so that the baby goes to sleep.

Use your judgment to figure if your baby is ready to wean now! Don't force your baby to stop drinking you breast milk but make sure you do it slowly and with a lot of patience. Babies are gentle, both physically and emotionally. So they need to be pampered and taken care of. Start using bottles to feed the baby, this will gradually reduce the babies need to be near your breasts all the time. When the baby is older than a year, use other baby feeding techniques, start giving him solids, other liquids or semi liquids. This will gradually help the baby realize that he has more options. Babies also show signs when they are interested in eating solids. These signs are:

• Disappearing the tongue-thrust reflex which makes anything that the baby eats, come out of the mouth.
• Babies start to lean forward when they see others eating.
• They try to make gestures indicating that they too want to eat.

To conclude, all there is to say is that, there is no harm in extending the breastfeeding time if it benefits you and your baby. However, depending upon 'other' factors, deciding when to stop breastfeeding and move to weaning, is completely a personal choice. Both, a mother and a baby share this extra special bond which truly tells a mother what is best for her and her baby. I congratulate you for having the blessing of becoming a mother, and also wish you all the best to give your baby the best in life!