What are the benefits, if any, of “extended” breastfeeding? As someone who’s doing it at 10 months and not planning on stopping until we want to, is this doing my child any good (or any harm)?
––Breastfeeding for a long time
I want to start with the most important benefit of continuing breastfeeding: it sounds like you enjoy it and it is working for you. This is awesome, and it is the best reason to continue.
On your question about harm, there is no reason to think extended breastfeeding (even long past where you are now) causes any harm. Globally, historically, breastfeeding until the age of 3 or 4 wasn’t uncommon. As long as it works for you, it works. (One word of warning: it can be more difficult to wean an older child if they do not want to — it’s hard to set this boundary. You may have to get creative, like the friend I have who rubbed garlic on her breasts.)
In terms of whether it is doing your child any good — again, I’ll say first that if it’s time you enjoy together, then yes. In terms of the data, the most well-documented benefits of breastfeeding occur early on: benefits to NICU babies, a slightly lower risk of gastrointestinal illnesses in the first month. There is no plausibly causal evidence on longer-term breastfeeding. There are correlations with child outcomes, but they are all likely driven by differences across people who breastfeed for a long time.
Ultimately, I always come back to Dr. Spock’s advice on breastfeeding, which is that it’s something you might try since you might enjoy it! If it’s working for you, it’s working, and that’s enough.
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