Breastfeeding is innate in our species, a distinct gift that mothers are blessed with to care for our young.
Every culture around the world has nursing mothers, an act that knows no barriers of race or ethnicity.
Depending on where you are from, it may be more acceptable to breastfeed a certain way, or to a certain age, but every mom and child is different.
In the United States, it is most common to breastfeed anywhere from 6 months to a year, assuming you opted for this method over formula feeding.
In other parts of the world, it is much more common to breastfeed for longer periods of time, which is called “extended breastfeeding.”
Ian Wickes wrote a paper called “A History of Infant Feeding, Part I. Primitives Peoples: Ancient Works: Renaissance Writers”, and in it, he explains the extended breastfeeding timelines for other people groups:
“Australian Aborigines for two to three years, Greenlanders for three to four years, Hawaiians five years and Eskimos for about seven years reaching a maximum in King William Land of up to 15 years.”
In an Instagram photo, an unnamed mother breastfeeding her daughter was called “disgusting” among other derogatory comments.
Thus, showing the world we still have a long way to go normalizing the most normal act of mothering.
The mother wasn’t breastfeeding a 15-year-old for goodness sakes!
Photos of the mother and children were taken by Sammi Snaps Photography in honor of National Breastfeeding Week, which ran for the whole month of August.
A “close group of friends” who were all nursing got together for a photo shoot, and to share their nursing experiences for a featured article on the site Love What Matters.
The empowering photos were meant to support the breastfeeding community and to show that people from all different walks, with different experiences, are united as women through this act.
According to Love What Matters the mother of the nursing 3.5-year-old reports on how it didn’t take long after beginning her nursing journey to realize that the stigma around breastfeeding needed attention:
“Shortly after she was born, I began to notice the stigma that surrounded breastfeeding, especially when it came down to breastfeeding in public. From then on, I knew I had to be more outspoken about normalizing breastfeeding. No woman should ever feel ashamed or judged for choosing to feed her child from her breast.”
The proud breastfeeding mother practices child-led weaning, which is where the child weans themselves when they feel ready to stop nursing.
Both her daughters enjoyed the bonding and nursing experience so they tandem nursed for some time before the eldest daughter self-weaned at 4 and a half.
The 3 and a half-year-old is still happily nursing, and mom reports “She will wean when she is good and ready”, according to Love What Matters.
This is not only normal but a healthy option for the children. Breastmilk never loses its benefits, it is just not as necessary past a certain age.
Minimal guidelines for breastfeeding according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is to nurse for the first year of your child’s life, with solids being added at 6 months old.
However, they also point out that if you choose extended breastfeeding, it offers boosted immunity and enhanced nutrition.
Users under the Instagram photo wrote pretentious comments, thinking that they somehow were the ones that get to decide what is beautiful or not, and what is natural or not.
One follower wrote, “ I do think it’s kind of gross, but that’s my opinion.” While another judgmental spectator wrote, “I am all for nursing but this is disturbing.”
Although negativity was running amuck, there were also followers who embraced the mother.
An insightful follower wrote, “Guess what? I’m not so arrogant that I think I have the right to an opinion on how another family parents their children. We all do what we think is best,” and “Why do people have to be so judgmental and outspoken? You’re not the one breastfeeding or feeding these children, I think we should empower women no matter what their decisions are formula or breast, 6months of feeding on breast or 4 years, as long as the child is well fed. WHO CARES!”
No matter what age you personally choose to breastfeed your baby until you are part of a community of like-minded mothers who are doing what they can to offer their children the best.
We need to support one another. Breastfeeding is not always easy physically, and then to add negative comments by people who have nothing to do with the care and upbringing of your child is something no mother should have to bear.
The stigma around breastfeeding is ridiculous and inappropriate. Don’t let the few dissuade you from feeling strong and confident in your breastfeeding decision.
Please let us know in the comments section if you have had negative experiences from others while breastfeeding, and how you overcame them.