Breastfeeding 2.0 | Cesanne shares her extended breastfeeding story

Breastfeeding beyond the first year is normal and healthy: the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years or longer, for the health of both mother and child. Nutritionist Cesanne is still breastfeeding her son Ties, two years after her first blog about breastfeeding, and explains why breastfeeding in the second year is about more than nourishment: it is comfort, bonding and a lasting boost to your child's immune system and nutrition. Below she tells the story herself.

Why is Cesanne writing about breastfeeding again?

I wrote a blog about breastfeeding as a new mother before; you can find it at cesanneshealthyfood.com/mijn-bv-verhaal. Now, two years later, Kideo asked me to write a new blog about breastfeeding. This time it is about continuing to breastfeed, or extended breastfeeding: nursing when your little one is no longer a baby at all.

“Are you still breastfeeding?”

As a breastfeeding mum, but also as a nutritionist, I find this such a painful little sentence. Still, as if it were not normal to be breastfeeding after 3 months. Honestly: you hear this question from about 12 weeks after the birth. Apparently it is not socially desirable to feed your child for that long.

Strange, because the WHO actually recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years or longer, for the health of both mum and child. The next question is often: how much longer are you going to carry on? My answer: as long as he still wants to. As long as my little boy asks for “mummy milk”, I will keep feeding him. People raise their eyebrows at that too, often men or people who did not breastfeed themselves, or only briefly.

What is breastfeeding after the first year, beyond nourishment?

In the first year breastfeeding really is nourishment, of course, but it is so much more than that. It is comfort, regulation, bonding and taking in antibodies. Breastfeeding has many health benefits for mum too, and I could go on about that for a while, but that is not what this blog is about.

The second year is just as lovely as the first. Okay, the night feeds sometimes really wear you down, but once you have found a way to handle those, even the harder moments are all worth it. You can clearly see what Ties uses the milk for:

• After an exciting day full of stimulation and new things, he asks for “mummy milk” more often than on an ordinary day.
• If he is alone with daddy and they go off to do something fun or new together, a cuddle with daddy is enough. When mummy comes home, he still wants a quick drink.
• At bedtime I “have to” feed him to sleep. Daddy can just put him into bed: a cuddle, and sometimes the dummy, is enough. Just as well, it would be rather odd if daddy could suddenly breastfeed.

Why are those feeding moments so precious?

Feeding is not just nourishment. It is also comfort, support and safety, and it is a moment of bonding: a little mother-and-child moment. I love it when he lies on my lap drinking and then falls asleep. Yes, you then have to get 12 kilos of sleeping child into bed, or let him sleep on you.

In the first year those moments are everywhere; after the first year they slowly disappear. So when they do come back for a while, I really treasure them. A friend of mine put it beautifully the other day: it is only a few years in which you “sacrifice” yourself in this way, and you get so much beauty in return.

What is hard about extended breastfeeding?

What I personally find hardest is that my little boy has a complete cow's milk allergy, and I have a partial one. I cannot tolerate cow's milk itself, and he also cannot tolerate soured dairy such as cheese and yoghurt, basically all cow's milk products. Because I am breastfeeding, I am not allowed to eat those myself now either, and I love yoghurt and cheese so much. Especially brie.

I am willing to give that up too. Very occasionally I do eat a cream cake or a piece of cheese. Fortunately Ties does not get intense cramps straight away like some other children, so I can sneak a little now and then. Of course it would be better if I did not, but we are all human, and sometimes it is just really hard.

What are the benefits of continued breastfeeding for mother and child?

Alongside the emotional development and the moments of enjoyment, the nutritionist in me naturally also sees the physical benefits of continued breastfeeding, for you and your child:

• Immune system: you keep building up your child's immune system, and your own. If your child is ill, you immediately produce the antibodies he needs.
• Nutrients: your child keeps benefiting from the nutrients you take in. If he eats a little less veg one day, he still gets a small share through you. Less than in the first year, of course, but something is always better than nothing.
• For yourself: every feed reduces your risk of, among other things, breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Summary

• The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years or longer; “are you still breastfeeding?” is therefore a strange question.
• After the first year, breastfeeding is mainly comfort, support, safety and bonding, especially after a day full of stimulation and at bedtime.
• It can be hard too, for instance with a cow's milk allergy that means you as a mother have to give up dairy yourself.
• Continued breastfeeding keeps topping up your child's immune system and nutrition, and reduces your risk of, among other things, breast and cervical cancer.
• How long you carry on is something you decide together with your child: as long as he still wants to.

Frequently asked questions

How long can you breastfeed?

The WHO recommends at least 2 years or longer. Cesanne feeds for as long as her little boy asks for it himself.

Is there still any point in breastfeeding after the first year?

Yes. Your child still receives antibodies and part of the nutrients you eat, and the feed gives comfort and bonding. For the mother, every feed reduces the risk of, among other things, breast and cervical cancer.