natural age of weaning and NT

[Guest guest]

Dettwyler, who has a PhD in anthropology, puts the natural age of

weaning in humans between 2.5 and 7 years of age. You can read her complete

article on the natural age of weaning online at

http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/detwean.html She also says that " A survey of

64 " traditional " studies (should be societies) done prior to the 1940s showed a

median duration of breastfeeding of about 2.8 years, but with some societies

breastfeeding for much shorter, and some for much longer. " I also recommend the

book " Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives " which she coedited.

Early weaning can be emotionally draining or hard on the mother as well as the

baby. Mom can have enduring feelings of rejection, and her confidence in her

bodies ability to breastfeed is undermined, perpetuating the cycle with the next

child. Mom does not reap all the benefits of breast cancer prevention, and her

ovulation returns earlier than expected. Why does early weaning happen?

Often we are too busy to nurse, and it is easier to give a cup or pacifier.

Babies pick up on the fact that you are too busy for them, and if they have

another available source of liquid, especially a bottle but also a cup- many

will choose it over the mom, whose let-downs are not as quick or easy when she

is not relaxed and totally willing to give her attention to the baby. Babies

with more independent personalities like my dd who was also walking at 9 mo) are

especially prone to this type of early weaning. This does not mean that babies

wean naturally before 18 months- and very few wean naturally before 2-3 years of

age. Their weaning has been encouraged by mom, whether or not the intention to

wean was present. Pacifiers have the same effect- the baby is taught to

self-soothe using a dummy rather than turning to mom for comfort. If the breast

if offered only as food, and not as nurturing and comfort, a baby who is

" gung-ho " for solids and who is given a cup on demand will often self-wean at an

early age. This does not make self-weaning before 18 months natural or child-led

weaning. Pacifiers and sippy cups are not natural nor were they available to a

child in raised in traditional cultures.

Another type of early weaning is the " nursing strike " which is a sudden refusal

to nurse. Nursing strikes are typically caused by physical pain such as teething

or an ear infection or emotional trauma, for example the baby bit mom's breast

and she yelled, and sudden separations of mother and baby like mom going back to

work after 6 months. A " nursing strike " isn't true weaning, and the baby won't

wean if mom persists through the strike, which may last for several days. LLL

has a pamphlet on nursing strikes that is available as well as all the

references to it in their normal literature.

If your babies weaned early, you owe it to yourself and to them to figure out

why and to put those regrets to rest. And then at the very least, to go out and

make sure it doesn't happen to your daughters and your daughters-in-law. Nursing

is a baby's birthright. If you are still nursing and having problems, get help.

Nursing is instinctive for the baby but is a learned behavior for the mother. If

your mother, sisters or mother-in-law haven't nursed a 1 year old successfully,

a LLL leader or lactation consultant is a good place to start.

Sally,

In regards to NT, the formula recipes should be there, but I think you should

have a brief section of why breast is best and explain that the formula recipes

are there for the mothers who've adopted and need to supplement mommies who've

already weaned and don't/can't relactate. You and might even find the

researching and writing why breast is best and the birthright of every baby

cathartic. And writing it from your perspectives might help mothers who are in a

similar situation overcome their problem. Or, have someone write it for you. I

have an online friend who practices " child-led " weaning, is into Price's work

and recently got her doctorate in history who might be willing to rewrite it.

WHY revise it? Not only because breastfeeding is every babies birthright and any

book which claims to be health oriented should recognize that, not only because

the relationship of breastfeeding to the development of the immune system,

palate and brain should not be overlooked, but because if not for that section,

a La Leche League reviewer could add it to the list of books approved for use

in group libraries. As it stands it is too neutral-to-formula, and the

recommendation to feed a 4 month old raw egg yolks would certainly not be

approved. Nor does it seem traditional to anymore than the formula recipes are

traditional. But for mothers who are adopting, or who have already weaned and

cannot or choose not to relactate, for mothers who have had mastectomies or must

take drugs that preclude breastfeeding, and for the *tiny* percentage of mothers

that are unable to breastfeed due to physical causes, this section is essential.

Making this clear would be more in keeping with the title " Nourishing

Traditions " while still getting the recipes out to those who *need* them. And

surely the percentage of mothers unable to breastfeed would drop to 0 should all

mothers begin to eat nourishing and nutrient dense foods prior to conception and

beyond. The fact that we have women who are diagnosed as unable to produce milk

or with a pelvis " too small " for vaginal childbirth is a sign of degeneration of

the species as well as ignorance in the medical community IMHO.

There are already several cookbooks that are approved for use in group

libraries. " Laurel's Kitchen " is one of them. This would be a big boost for NT

and get the health information out to *lots* of mommies who are already

interested and committed to health and what is best for their babies, but who

are currently being *inundated* with pro-soy vegan propaganda. I should know- I

was one of those mommies. I would LOVE to get a copy of NT into my group

library.

Love in Christ,

Alison