One mother has had enough of people judging her for nursing her 5-year-old kid.
Breastfeeding has long been thought to be the best meal for newborns since it contains everything a youngster needs to develop well. Breastmilk supplies all of the energy and nutrients that a newborn needs to thrive as compared to breastmilk alternatives. Breastmilk is also regarded as safe and hygienic. It also includes antibodies that may protect youngsters from disease.
According to one study, nursing may help a kid avoid becoming fat or developing diabetes, and breastfed newborns do better on IQ tests. Simply put, there are several advantages to nursing a child, and it all comes down to ensuring a child develops into a healthy adult and lives a long life.
So what is the ideal time frame for a baby to start breastfeeding? Infants should be exclusively breastfed for six months, according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Some women may want to nurse their newborns for up to two years or until complementary meals are introduced.
Lauren McLeod, a mother from Perth, Australia, responded to the outrage she got for releasing images of her nursing her 5-year-old kid in January 2023.
McLeod, a trained professional who helps individuals struggling with reproductive health concerns, gave birth to her son Bowie in August 2017. Tigerlily, her second child, was born in May 2020.
McLeod addressed her choice to continue nursing her child at age 5 in one of her posts, pointing out that women should continue breastfeeding their children until they are 7 years old. According to McLeod, it is naturally typical for individuals to wean until the age of seven.
She went on to say that she wants to mainstream it because of the stigma associated with mothers nursing their children beyond the age of two.
McLeod said she doesn’t mind the criticism since she believes she’s making a difference in people’s lives.
Nevertheless, she urged other mothers to do the same if they felt comfortable, claiming that it would help mainstream mothers’ decisions to nurse their kids beyond the age of two.
McLeod highlighted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidance on nursing until the child is two years old in another article. She said that mothers could breastfeed their children until they were two years old if they wanted to. She listed some of the benefits, such as better brain development and a lower risk of heart disease.
Breastfeeding a 5-year-old, according to McLeod, is neither “strange” or “disgusting,” despite the fact that it is not typical in today’s culture.
McLeod thinks it’s crazy that people think about it sexually. But it won’t stop her from doing what she believes is best for her kids.
