photo credit: christyscherrer

It seems that breastfeeding is an important part of communication. The delicate dance between mother and child as they work together to breastfeed plays a part in how a child later communicates with others.

When most mammal infants eat, they latch on and drink until they are full. Alternatively, human infants can get distracted, want to play, and often stop for attention from mom. According to Psychologist Kenneth Kaye, this is actually part of the early communication that happened between mother and child. The “conversation” that happens as a mother responds to a child that has stopped to play is important business. It has a rhythm, a give and take, an ebb and flow that develops into the patterns of verbal communication later on.

Much like when other primates groom each other, the basic communication is as much about exchanging information as it is about greeting and creating a bond. We know the roles to follow, when to speak and when to listen. Like when a mother gently rocks her infant who has stopped eating, we learn to step in the pace of give and take that conversation takes. And, like any good conversation, it takes both people to fully get it right. MOther and baby have to work together to create the rhythm of breastfeeding.

So if suckling is primitive conversation, then dance is conversation in its most sophisticated form. I don’t mean art-dance; I mean the dance we do when we are with friends and there is music. In our shared living space, or in the night club, we joyfully reenact the most basic fact there is about us: that we are from the beginning — from the moment of our first meal with mother — part of something bigger than ourselves alone; we are part of something that requires of us that we lock in, hold on, pay attention to the other, to the music, and at the same time, let go.

It is absolutely beautiful to think about. That from our first moments at the breast, we are learning how to be a part of this dance. This communication ritual that connects us all as human beings. Each sway, soothing sound, and moment of the two working together will teach the infant how to be a part of the rest of the human world.

And you thought it was just milk.

(article source)

It hardly seems common today, but for most of the world it was the norm. Breastfeeding into the second, third, or even forth year was just a part of raising toddlers. Despite the newer trend to wean sometime within the first year, some mothers are choosing to continue breastfeeding for as long as it takes.

The World Health Organization recommends that mothers breastfeed for at least two years, and beyond that for as long as both mother and child want. The American Academy of Family Physicians says that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years, and that children weaned before this are at rick of illness. According to many experts, breastfeeding into this second year of life provides many nutrients that a picky toddler may not be getting otherwise.

With all of this professional support, many people still balk at the thought of a mother breastfeeding a child over the age of 12 months.

My youngest child is now 15 months, and still breastfeeding strong. She comes from a long line of breastfeeding toddlers, with both of her older brothers nursing well into their toddler stages. I was lucky to be armed with information, a wealth of supportive friends, and a lifestyle that allowed me to parent in a way that felt natural to me. Weaning was something we explored when we felt ready, not when we had to.

Supporting breastfeeding mothers gives them a chance to breastfeed for longer periods of time. Education on the benefits of extended breastfeeding, to both mother and child, are very important. As are workplace policies and state laws that protect and encourage women to continue breastfeeding. But the most important support may be to just accept that breastfeeding a toddler is normal.

When a recent survey found that many mothers felt pressured to wean before they were ready, and many childless women felt breastfeeding should be done in private and only for a few months, it was a glance at the culture that denies breastfeeding toddlers is acceptable. Despite the health benefits of continuing, despite the health risks of weaning too early, when the general culture is one of weaning early many mothers will do just that.

So, we have to change the culture.

Which is a huge, big, mind boggling step. How do you change an entire culture to see that breastfeeding toddlers is normal? I mean, to make the change away we had companies throwing money around and doctors throwing their attitudes around. They certainly didn’t give a shit about offending people because the aim was to shame women into doing what they wanted.

But I don’t want to shame anyone, and I do care if they are offended (sometimes). I just want people to see breastfeeding for what it is, just another part of motherhood/childhood. We have to tread lightly, while still giving the correct information. We have to balance not wanting to offend others, with those who are offended by the idea that breast is best. And we have to resist the urge to smack anyone that proclaims breasts to be sexual only. That’s a hard line to walk.

photo credit: c r z

This is a static post that will be displayed at the top of my blog throughout World Breastfeeding week, 2010. For newer posts please scroll down.

August 1-7, 2010 is World Breastfeeding Week. To celebrate I will be sharing articles and blog posts that I find around the web. This post will be updated frequently, so please bookmark this link and check back often to see what else I have found. If you have a blog post or article that you wold like added to the list, please contact me and I will add it as soon as possible.

Enjoy!

• Surgeon General’s World Breastfeeding Week Statement – Blacktating
• In World Breastfeeding Week statement, Surgeon General says new Call to Action will focus on disparities – Motherwear’s Breastfeeding Blog
• Welcome to World Breastfeeding Week – Change.org (The photo being used, is me nursing Trey.)
• World Breastfeeding Week – The bee in your bonnet
• I Dream of a World (World Breastfeeding Week) – Tiny Grass
• World Breastfeeding Week “Perspectives: Breastfeeding from Every Angle” – The Leaky Boob
• Medela Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week (Giveaway!) – Safe Mama
• A Celebration of Breastfeeding WBW 2010 – At My Breast
• Why I Protest Nestlé’s Unethical Business Practices – PhD in Parenting
• Baby Friendly Hospitals Can Help Increase Breastfeeding – Growing Your Baby
• World Breastfeeding Week Birth Routes
• Happy World Breastfeeding Week! – Hobo Mama
• World Breastfeeding Week! – Living like a bunch of dirty hippies

More will be added throughout the week. Don’t forget to come back and see what else there is to read.