Nursing Past the Infancy Stage
There is a great deal of nutritional value in continuing to nurse a slightly older child even after she has passed the infancy stage. Not only does this mother/child relationship cause a great bond between the two but it also calms both the mother and the child, greatly reducing the stress levels of both. In the United States it is not quite so common to continue breastfeeding beyond the first ten months to a year, but in many other countries it is not uncommon for a mother to nurse the same child for two years or more.
Natural Weaning From Mother's Milk
Basically it is up to the family to decide how long breastfeeding should be carried out. The child will eventually wean himself as he grows older, the mother may run out of milk, or the father may have an opinion on the subject as well, so they all must work together to create the ultimately good experience that nursing is supposed to be. Many mothers will hurriedly start weaning away from breast milk as the child's baby teeth begin to grow in. For the most part, though, the fear of getting bitten should take a back burner to the fact that in order for the child to grow healthy, strong teeth, he must have the calcium that he can get from the best possible source, his mother.
Nursing for Two to Three Years
In the Philippines, for example, a mother will often nurse her child for a minimum of two years, and sometimes as long as three years. This seems to often be the case with Asian families. Tandem nursing is often the result, with the mother nursing two children at once, but frequently this is the form of birth control preferred by the parents. Obviously, lactation does not stop a woman from getting pregnant again, but it can slow down ovulation, thereby slowing down the birth rate.
A Longer Childhood Equals a Longer Nursing Period
Human beings have the longest childhood of any creature on the Earth, so it is natural that they would also require a longer nursing period. Most doctors will recommend that the family decide based on its comfort level, but they will also recommend that the infant is slowly introduced to solid foods as well as he gets older. This will eventually overcome the child's desire for mother's milk and he will be naturally weaned. The parents need to ask their pediatrician when it is the best time to start on solid foods, and how frequently new types of foods should be introduced. Children who are breast fed longer seem to have fewer food and other allergies than other children who have not had the benefit of extended nursing.
Getting That Figure Back Earlier
It has become known that a nursing mother will get back her pre-pregnancy figure a lot faster than a woman who does not breast feed her infant. The uterus tends to shrink back to its normal size faster, thereby causing the woman's body to assume a more pre-pregnancy appearance. Quite often we will notice that one woman seems to get her figure back right away after the birth and another woman may struggle for years to do the same thing. Plus, the natural affection between mother and child seems to increase when the breast feeding period is extended.
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