I was talking to a dear friend on the phone the other day when I mentioned I was breastfeeding my oldest kid, 21 months.
“You’re still breastfeeding him? Because I listened to a very good doctor’s workshop who said that the eruption of a child’s incisors was the signal to stop breastfeeding and that to continue to do so is bad for the development of their gut.”
Or something to that effect. I can’t remember, actually, because I was busy taking one kid off a boob and putting another on.
FYI, I’m not that fun to talk to on the phone any more. Unless it’s on Skype. Then it’s a hoot and a peep show.
I told her what I will write below. She said, “Have you written any of that down? Because that makes sense, but I never thought of that before.”
Which is why I do what I do.
And I’d like to say one more thing. When I write posts like this, I often receive notes from parents who feel offended by what I write. That I am implying that they do not love their children as much as they could or should or are not smart, or whatever else.
Please understand this: I present biomechanical information because I hope that you might find it useful when making your own decisions. If I felt badly every time someone’s decisions did not align with mine, I would spend a lot of time suffering. I choose not to suffer.
I, instead, choose to blog. And breastfeed. And watch Top Chef.
So,
Imagine an apple.
Now imagine all the things you can create from that apple. Apple juice. Grated apple. Cooked apple. Apple slices. Maybe you extract the pectin. Or the vitamin C. Or, dehydrate it, ground it, and make apple powder.
Do they make apple powder?
These things all came from the apple, but they are not The Apple. Because the apple is both what is contained in and what is experienced by eating the apple. The forces created by chewing our food have a purpose. Meaning, food has at least one purpose beyond nutrition. Food provides the necessary mechanical stimulation for the development of multiple systems. I mentioned bone development last time, because that’s the variable I teased out, but chewing (and ripping and tearing and swallowing) mechanisms and the frequency of these mechanisms affect all tissues involved; the jaw bone, the muscles of the throat, swallowing strength, vocal cord development, Eustachian tubes, sinuses, face muscles, the glands in the throat, and the list goes on. All tissues involved in eating (go grab an apple and observe everything related to eating it) are loaded differently when we alter the natural mechanisms of eating.
Now imagine a breastfeeding boob and some the things you can create with it. Like breast milk. Dehydrated breast milk. Pendulous movement. A wet shirt.
Turns out there’s not as many items as the apple.
Anyhow, the experience of drinking from the boob is different from drinking what the boob produces.
Why is this important? Because breastfeeding, too, drives the mechanism of tissue development. My last post pointed to some of the most recent literature on hunter-gathering (H-G) populations having jaws and teeth better suited and aligned for teeth/bite as compared to agriculture-based ones. But this was the interesting part: Hunter-gathering children start eating entire meals of food later than agricultural-based ones. So, what’s the deal? Do the mechanisms of chewing develop the jaw or not? The answer (probably) lies in looking at other loads to the jaw during the critical period of face/skull tissue formation.
Breastfeeding creates a very specific load to the mouth. And when I said this to someone the other day (who? I can’t remember) they said, “So it turns out all that sucking makes a difference?” And I said, “It’s not sucking, it’s milking.”
For those of you who have never milked anything, the mechanics of milking are very specific. It involves grasping. And rolling in a wave-like fashion. Tall boots, and possibly a short stool.
The milking baby has to use the muscles in the tongue to create and maintain a U shape, cradling the nipple. {For those of you think you genetically cannot U, read this (click).} Then the tongue has to do a crazy amount of work (as in W=F x d) that changes based on where their tongue is on the nipple, but never decreasing to the point of losing a muscular vacuum. Which is why you need calculus to model the forces of breast feeding. It’s hugely complicated. And FYI, so it eating. I mean, eating is easy. But the muscular forces involved in getting food to your mouth, chewing it and then swallowing are numerous. Which is why they have you get a Master’s Degree to do oral/swallow/speech therapy (or any physical therapy). It’s not as simple as a month-long (or a year-long) course makes it appear.
Bottle nipples differ (mechanically speaking) from human nipples in that you don’t milk them, you suck on them. And the synthetic nipple does not deform as the breastfeeding nipple does, nor does an artificial nipple adapt to the growing mouth of the growing child. Meaning, the baby’s mouth sets the geometry of the breast’s nipple, and not the other way around.
Data collected from H-G populations in the 1990s shows that mothers nurse just over two years. Before 1965, the average weaning age was closer to four years. Why the change? Hunter-gathering populations are now more stationary. Information collected in interviews tells of mothers weaning earlier because food is available and nursing is no longer necessary. Only to the body’s tissues, it kind of is. And, breastfeeding is not breastfeeding is not breastfeeding. Breastfeeding frequency is also a variable to consider.
Like exercise, there is a physiological difference between doing 10 repetitions thirty times a day — 300 reps — and doing three sets of 100 reps — also 300 reps. The body would adapt differently under these conditions. Many H-G populations nurse 1-2 minutes only, but multiple times an hour. And it just occurred to me that a lot of women’s aches and pains while nursing probably have more to do with being in a weird position for 20 minutes than for only three or four.
And a note: The super-short, super-frequent style is how I do it, because I wanted to see if I could. It is NOT a convenient way to nurse but as surely as you are reading this, I still get my work done.
This is what happens for twelve minutes of at least two days every three weeks:
When it comes to human development, is nutrition an important piece of the human development puzzle? Absolutely. Without the proper nutrients, the building blocks of development are not there. But you can have the best nutrition available and still affect growth by mis-loading. Nutrition cannot compensate for a load deficit. You need the entire “apple,” in its natural form, to optimize natural (that is as determined by nature) and reflexive development.
Some important info: Hunter-gathering populations is a broad category that includes both groups that migrate all the time, to only small portions of the time. It’s also important to realize that H-G populations are not living fossils. These populations are developing in a globalized community as we are. They share our modern air and changing climates. They see airplanes. They receive our “help.” There are no relics of natural movement alive on this planet. Not even close. But we can use what data we do collect to understand some of the differences in current human experience.
Want more info, these are great sources:
http://www.kathydettwyler.org/dettwyler.html
http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/bfeed_oralcavity.htm
Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods: Evolutionary, Developmental & Cultural Perspectives
Great post! But children’s feeding patterns do vary, I had one short nurser and the other two stayed on for Ages! Thank goodness for slings
and laptops
LOVE IT! \m/ Oh yes, I just gave biomechanics of breastfeeding a “devilhorns” sign. ’cause Breastfeeding is so metal.
I was eating an apple when this post popped in my feed.
And they do make apple powder, I saw it recently in the ingredients of some fruit snacks. I think they used it to keep them from sticking together.
This post is really interesting. I’m long done nursing my daughter, but I truly wish I’d known more about this back then. I let working interfere in our nursing relationship and I do regret that. But I wanted to tell you that I wasn’t offended, and didn’t take your words as an assault on how I did things – and anyone who does needs to look inward to deal with those thoughts. Your posts are always informative and helpful – thank you for all the hard work you share with us!
I nursed all three of my children for an average of 3 1/2 years. While the oldest needed braces(and he nursed the longest), the others don’t. As a side note, this same boy didn’t eat solid food until well into his second year, and he’s incredibly healthy. And tall.
While I appreciate my contribution to their biomechanical fitness, the best benefit I got from this is the nicest, most reasonable teenagers I have ever met. I believe this is because they’re secure; they got what they needed as infants and toddlers. That’s the main reason I breastfed for so long. they are also very independent, loved, and loving kids.
So, I am delighted to see another justification for doing what I felt was natural and right at the time–and I am blown away at what you accomplish with two little ones, Katie! I tandem nursed the oldest two and I was happy to just get myself bathed and dressed.
Ha! How ya like them apples?
This post is awesome sauce, kind of like breastmilk itself. I posted a picture just like the one you have here Katy on my blog 2 weeks ago… two sleeping babies courtesy of breastmilk.
My experience is similar to yours though Lisa. My weaned kids (4 so far, a tot and baby still nursing) all weaned at 4 1/2 – 5 years of age. But the 11 year old is getting an ALF (stands for advanced lightwire functional, it’s a “functional orthodontic appliance”) on Thursday for crowding. He is a beautiful kid and doesn’t have a narrow face, but there just isn’t enough room for his teeth.
In my research I’ve learned that maternal pre-conception nutrition stores (and that of Dad) are also a piece of this puzzle. I simply did not eat enough food before, during and after his birth, due to lack of knowledge and a vegetarian diet, which for *me* is not adequate. I hafta have my meat!
My next child has more room in her mouth. I did everything the same except I had discovered raw milk during my pregnancy and drank it by the gallon. Bingo.
Another piece of the puzzle would be to look at your birth history. Your child may need orthodontia, not because of extended breastfeeding (mine breastfed for almost 5 years and her teeth are perfectly straight, no overcrowding or small mouth), but instead due to birth practices (interventions, pelvic floor issues, nuchal cord or arm, doctor pulling on baby’s head to assist with delivery, vacuum or forceps delivery, etc.). My daughter was pulled out with tons of force on her head after her head was delivered, to “prevent” shoulder dystocia. As a result, her vagal nerve was stuck and she was a horribly painful breastfeeder for her first two weeks. She has had CranioSacral Therapy throughout her life to help release restrictions. When she had the CST in her first weeks of life, the nursing pain went away and her vagal nerve was freed up. I credit the CST with ensuring that her mouth and teeth came into good alignment. (I had horribly misaligned teeth due to being born by cesarean and was desperately afraid that she would also need orthodontia when she is older.)
Interesting how many things play a role in our children’s development!
I have two wonderful young men, and I believe the nursing relationship started a very healthy development, and grew me as a parent. It’s a whole person process. And yes, I know very good parents and kids who weren’t able to breastfeed. But I’m thankful for the process and that women like yourselves continue to give real information and support to the work of parenting.
I will be sharing this far and wide.
Another tandem nurser here. I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.
My son was a long, luxurious nurser. My daughters tend to be snackers more in line with what you note the HG societies experience. I figure each child gets what s/he needs.
It’s difficult, though, to talk about my daughters’ BFing habits with healthcare practitioners. Even some LCs have fussed at me for not doing the textbook nursing of every three hours, both breasts, etc. I’ve always looked at BFing as a relationship and not an act. Consequently, I feel like it is something each mother/child dyad needs to develop together.
Thanks again for the exceptional post.
Nothing wrong with nursing longer … I nursed my youngest until he was 3 and had I known more I would have worked harder with the older 3 who all nursed til around 12 mo.
I’m breastfeeding my 17mo old and I’ve been fascinated by the all of this information. A biomechanical reason to keep at it…
The only real drawback to such frequent breastfeeding, as I see it, is a psychological one. There’s growing evidence that crying in babies is a form of emotional healing and stress release, and I think any breastfeeding mother can attest to the fact that babies use breastfeeding in response to emotional upset. If the baby doesn’t “get” the opportunity to cry safely in someone’s loving arms and instead nurses, repression occurs, stunting psychological well-being. These patterns begin in infancy and continue throughout a lifetime.
You might be interested in checking out Aletha Solter’s work on this here: http://www.awareparenting.com/comfort.htm
Undoubtedly, through your work you explore and/or witness how psychological and emotional well-being impacts biomechanical possibilities, especially as it relates to trauma. Babies (and we all) have this innate ability to heal from trauma through crying, further enhancing their ability to live Aligned and Well.
I became convinced of this fact after observing physical changes in my son when he was about 7mo old. Instead of stopping his cries one night (through nursing or other means), we held him lovingly, and listened. He cried for about an hour straight. The manic kicking of heels together that had been with him since his traumatic birth and seemed to escalate whenever he was overstimulated stopped immediately and never returned.
Food for thought….
Jen (who just breastfed while doing a psoas release)
I haven’t seen much in terms of growing evidence in regards to that. I mean no mom forces their baby to bf if they dont want to, but I haven’t personally seen any legitimate scientific data saying its harmful to let them breastfeed more, from a psychological standpoint. If anything there is more and more science showing the opposite.
The “self soothing” has been scientifically discredited many times, and while I appreciate you are saying “while in arms”, I just havent seen anything recent or significant to back what you said. Anecdotal is always hard to argue with though… The link you posted has many references at the bottom, yet many dont even relate remotely to what the article (non-science based, non-peer reviewed) seems to push. I dunno, I guess I just expect views to be backed up by science, in a What Would Katy Do (WWKD) kinda way.
jani:
Wow. That’s a strong response. Why are you playing the heavy on the comment?
First, it’s not self-soothing. It’s allowing safe space for emotional expression and developing a trusting relationship for as much while providing a critical release point for children.
Second, it’s actually grounded in science, and I’d suggest you read Solter’s book array before waxing glib and, quite honestly, snarky.
Thanks for your comment, Jani. I hear that you are wanting scientific data that you consider legitimate and views to be backed up with science. Obviously, you know your own criteria and so are the best judge of what research and viewpoints merit your consideration. While Solter’s work is scientific, you are right that it seems to also be anecdotal. In what is an emerging field (and all of psychotherapy is really emerging), I am comfortable with a mix of the anecdotal and the scientific.
Additionally, I think people create their views for loads of reasons. Katy’s work certainly reveals that over and over again, highlighting cultural biasases on biomechanics. There’s also something about intuitive resonance that I think is important. That’s how I came on board with this alignment work – it is partially about the science (and I’m relying on Katy to do her homework on that front), and it’s a lot about the fact that it hit me in the chest with a certain rightness. This idea of Aware Parenting and the practice of crying-in-arms hit me with that same rightness. My experience of both the alignment work and the crying-on-arms continues to confirm what I have learned. And hence the “proof” for both becomes largely anecdotal in my own life, even as they are two of the most profound practices I’ve discovered.
And for the record, I’m a fairly classical attachment parent in the modern parlance, so I breastfeed on demand, co-sleep and I am not into “self-soothing.”
I wonder if the way (frequency) one breastfeeds affects the “shape” of the child. Think Chubby versus skinny. Also tandem nursing an 18 month old and a 3.5 year old here!
Kate – you rock!! Tandem nursing, awesome blogging and so much more. I will be sharing this article far and wide.
I however do not rock, sorry for typing your name wrong (and I can’t even blame the little ones for getting between me and the keyboard as they are asleep!)
One of my favorite H/G books — which talks a lot about differences in child rearing then vs. now — is The Old Way by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. Fascinating stuff and highly recommended.
Okay, let me get it right this time. The Old Way is one of my top H/G books, but the child rearing book I was thinking of (based on the author’s time living in H/G cultures) is The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff.
YES, love this book. And didn’t she mention that the babies rarely cried? And hasn’t the same thing been said about the !Kung babies who nurse several times an hour.. they don’t cry? I wonder if they all grow up with psychological issues?
I don’t doubt it’s true what you write, and I would have loved to have breastfed my daughters longer, but unfortunately I had to go back to work as we cannot survive on one salary. Breastfeeding 8 and 9 months respectively, I thought I did quite well.. What advice would you give to mothers who have to work away from home?
I don’t know if I have advice. I can only offer a biomechanical perspective. If I did have advice, it would probably be this: you know your requirement for survival in the environment in which you dwell. You weigh options. You make decisions. You act. Regret seems to come when behavior does not match beliefs. Be completely aligned with your beliefs, no matter the sacrifice. If a mom returns to work because, if she doesn’t, her family will not have food or shelter — the “what about the loads on the jaw” is a ridiculous thing to consider. There are women who don’t produce milk. Should they feel like failures? Not at all. The love for a child is infinite. The place for activism, if there is one, would be for the presentation of accurate information. The requirements for human development as they are. Not modified for the purpose of saving feelings. Let the parents be in charge of deciding based on their survival requirements. If only I gave advice
Katy, I’d like to add to this question though. What practical advice would you offer? To pump even if you aren’t getting the biomechanical benefits? Are certain bottles better than others?
Thanks!
See my comment above for practical advice. Re: Bottle – Who can say (besides the bottle makers)? If you do a lit review, you can see how the bottle and the boob’s nipple differ. Not only are there too many variables to evaluate, there is no model on all that is happening when a nipple maker goes to design one. Duplicating nature is fairly, if not actually, impossible.
“Regret seems to come when behavior does not match beliefs. Be completely aligned with your beliefs, no matter the sacrifice.”
I love this. It pretty much sums up my parenting philosophy.
http://kristinerudolph.com/fluffy-bottomed-self-awareness/
I see this one a lot… I know people who can work and breastfeed. Your milk adjusts to how much comes out, so if you can also nurse before work, after work and night time, then your milk adjusts to that. My advice to working moms is to just try to balance doing both, and if its not working then reassess. I mean some jaw stimulation would be better than none, just like that gut would appreciate some BM vs. none. Its tricky because life is already so complicated once you have the joys of children mixed with career.
I didnt work, but I went back to school at 10 months, and though it was tough, we managed to go to 2.5 It came at a cost, of course, I personally never cut out night nursing.
Also to Katie my kiddos have alwasys been the 2 minute nurser, 20 billion times a day. I read your post a while back and it pleased me slightly to know that the nurse on demand was paying off in some sense.
Everyone’s work circumstances are different, but I pumped at work and my daughter did a mix of bottles (at daycare) and direct breastfeeding until I was blessed to be able to make the choice to stay home when she was 1-1/2. During periods of time almost all her nutrition was from breastmilk bottles because she was hungriest during the day, but we never used bottles at home. As I weaned from the pump, she held onto morning/evening/nighttime nursing sessions. Now, at 2, she still nurses and my pump and bottles are a distant memory.
Breastfeeding has been one of my favorite parts of being a mom! And part of that has come from me feeding on demand and just being in tune to what my little guy needs. He’s almost one now and still gets most of his nourishment from BFing. He is interested in solid food, but still won’t eat more than a few tablespoons at a sitting. I am so glad I have the view I do on BFing or else we’d both be really frustrated if I thought he should be weened now. I plan to nurse him as long as he needs, which will most likely be through my next pregnancy as we want our kids close in age. Thus it occurred to me that I may end up being a tandem nurser, a thought that I hadn’t considered before. But I am looking forward to it! My boobs are bigger (naturally, and for free!), I have a special relationship with my baby, and I am giving him super nutritious food! Why would anyone discourage this?
A few comments on the other comments up here: For Jen – I fed my baby “on demand” but that does not mean he wanted to nurse or suck all the time. He was a “snacker” but really did just nurse to be full, not for comfort at every upset. (Now he eats on more of a self-developed schedule). And for Robin, I BF very frequently, but my guy is a learn, sturdy boy, and never has been very chunky.
Yes! I breastfeed on demand, too. I think it can be tricky to sort out what is a demand for milk and what is a demand for…stress release, for example, especially as the baby gets a bit older.
I breast fed my first until he was 4. I am now bfing my 15 month old for however long he decides he wants to. He nurses like the the H&G description. It’s both funny and annoying. I’m a walk up milk fountain.
I love this article!
And I have an awesome drawing by Canadian artist Yuka Yamaguchi of a woman peeling an apple/breast, which is from a dream she had about presenting her breast to her baby like a fresh apple!
“Now imagine a breastfeeding boob and some of the things you can create with it.”
A spontaneous fountain w/ orgasm
A portable ‘squirt gun,’ good for chasing the cat
A secure and contented toddler
A few things I experienced nursing my kiddos (past 3), that weren’t on your list.
Another awesome blog Katy, and nice boobs!
Sigh!! I wanted to tandem nurse my boys, but a nasty stomach bug while pregnant, and nursing effectively wiped out my milk supply. I’ll get over that someday… My first turns two years old in two weeks, and he asks to nurse sometimes still. His little brother is four months. I’d let him if I thought I wouldn’t hate my life weaning him again… Would that be weird?
Melissa,
It is surprising how quickly they forget how to nurse. I just can’t tolerate nursing while pregnant, for some reason it is extremely uncomfortable for me. Consequently, my daughter was weaned much earlier than her brothers. She was recently fighting a virus. Hating her suffering, I asked her if she wanted to nurse. (I’m still pregnant and these boobs certainly aren’t empty.) She said yes, tried, failed, quickly said she was all done, rolled over and went to sleep. She just didn’t know how to do it anymore. She had probably stopped nursing only 2 or 3 months earlier. (She was 2y 8mo when that occurred.)
I think I remember one of my boys wanted to try to nurse when his brother was born as well. He didn’t know what to do anymore either.
*sigh* I get so jealous when I see leaky boobs like that and hear wonderful stories of nursing through pregnancy. with both my girls I ran dry when I was about 5months pregnant with their sibling. I’m 37weeks now, and just hoping that I can unween my middle child when the baby’s born, but I’m also worried about supply. I’ve never been a super producer. I can’t pump or express it out, and even on demand seems to leave baby JUST full enough. I’m never engorged or uncomfortable at all. I guess I wouldn’t make a good Hunter gatherer.
You probably won’t see this as it’s been a while but I just wanted to say that leaking and expressed amounts are absolutely no indication of quantity of milk production. I don’t do engorged, I’ve never leaked and I can barely get more than a few ml unless I pump for like… an hour(!)
HOWEVER… I fed my daughter for 2 years and am currently feeding a beautifully chubby 91st percentile 9 month old. Thems gold in these here boobs. Trust in yourself.
Question – how much later do hunter-gather kids typically eat meals? my LO is supposed to be one according to her blood type and she is definitely not eating meals.
One more thing – is hunter gatherer related to super producer? That would explain a lot for me!
Thanks for this fun article.
My kids were on the breast for 3.5 years each. (That’s just for authentication)
My point is about the HG system. If a child is on the breast for the bulk of his/her nutritional needs, food doesn’t have to be collected for him/her. Feed the milk producing women of the group and EVERYONE, even the other adults, can be fed.The milk producing women may get tired of being used like cows (haven’t we all?) but those women can serve a valuable function in times of famine.
Maybe I’ve gone too far afield with this concept.
If the child gets fed from the breast, it saves on work for the HG crews.
Also important to know is, modern H-G children begin their own gathering about the age of two. It takes a few years for their gathering intake, in calories, to outweigh their caloric expenditure doing it. They are not solely breastfed. They do eat solid foods beginning at 6 months, similar to modern populations. They just also breastfeed. The sum calories of BF and inefficient gathering is actually a very wholistic, efficient biological system. When evaluating behavior, it’s necessary to pan out a bit and evaluate not one person (a child or a mother) at a time, but an entire population mathematically. -KB
Britt – check your kids for tongue tie and lip tie. Often it is the child’s structure that is a factor in maternal milk supply. Brian Palmer DDS and Larry Kotlow DDS have loads of information. Kiddsteeth.com
Great article Katy. I wish I’d known you back when I was BF my two kids. Lots of criticism from others for BF my daughter past 2. Some wanted to know if I was planning on BF her through college! (no)
My son was a ‘grazer. My daughter refused to take any bottle, even if it was my pumped milk. Sometimes I still have dreams of BF them. Wish either one of them had slept like yours in the photo. I did look like your tshirt shot often! LOL
Thanks for all that you do for us. Quite a feat when you are BF those 2 as well.
Love your article, shared it with anyone who is willing to read it. I BF my twins who are now 11, my 2 year old (only 9 months, she wouldn’t go any further, I was pregnant with my son and wonder if that is why she stopped, I know I didn’t) and currently nursing my 18 month old. Thank you for information that keep us motivated and knowing we do what we do for the RIGHT reasons!
Always fascinated with all the sensible information on the subject (that’s why I do my best to publish it). Still, my usual answer to the now-not-so-frequent-anymore-because-people-got-bored-over-time-or-just-packed-me-up-as-a-lost-cause-or-followed-my-example “Why the hell are they still breastfed*?” is “Because they* still breastfeed.”
*Technically, it’s “he”, now. Big sista weaned 3 months ago, aged 6 yrs 3 mths.
I am spanking brand new to your work and blog and this is what I read first. Fantastic! I BFd my son until he was three and a quarter and stopped when I got pregnant with my daughter (born Dec ’12) as it was so painful. I felt bad as he didn’t want to give up. Everyone I know thought I was weird to BF for so long. It just felt right. I co-sleep with them, and yes, I know this is also viewed as dangerous and contrary to cot-death data etc. But again, it seems unnatural for me to sleep away from my babies.
Great work, can’t wait to start the learning how to realign my body and correct my diastasis. Am guessing I need to work from the feet up for the whole body work….
For working moms, if they goggle Breast feeding after reduction that and it’s sister website have the best collection of which bottles and how to bottle feed. They use ultrasound to monitor baby’s tounge positioning on the breast and on the silicone nipple etc…. There are other sites about “bottle nursing” that will walk you through trying to make bottle feeding more like nursing.
Great post Katy, you knew I would love this one!
As I read through the information and the multitude of responses It sparked several thoughts for me. Being an RN specializing in Lactation and Perinatal Education (working with new moms and babes) I thought about an additional difference and the possible resulting mechanical outcome for a baby who is primarily bottle fed. In bottle feeding the tongue of the new born is thrust forward to stop and start the continuous flow created by gravity (this varies depending on type of bottle/nipple). In addition a much “tighter mouth” is created by only having to open wide enough to accommodate the more narrow bottle nipple. The breast fed newborn must open their mouth wide keeping the tongue down which is necessary for proper latching and the cupping/milking motion used to draw the milk from the sinuses in the aerola, thus allowing the baby to have more control over the flow. Could this repeated motion from bottle feeding create a smaller tighter mouth? Just a thought. , I was bottle fed and have small teeth and a pretty small mouth although, most who know me would argue that point
I am also the mother of three boys who were all breast fed for various lengths of time for various circumstances; 2 of the three having had cleft lips/palates, and one just plain hungry hungry boy who could not wait for the letdown. I have learned that for the most part we do the best we can with what tools we have at the time. Admittedly, there are times when we take the “easy” road even if we “know better”, at least I know I have. All three of my boys were breast fed or given breast milk by other means:a bottle, cup, special feeders, all three co slept with us and all three have very varying temperaments, gifts, strengths and weaknesses. I can neither take all the credit when they shine nor do I choose to receive all the blame when they don’t. I do believe breast milk (a living organism – check it out under a microscope!) is superior to formula. As Katy stated, “Duplicating nature is fairly, if not actually, impossible”. If you don’t or can’t provide breast milk you can still rear some pretty amazing children. My momma raised me on evaporated milk (Yikes!) and although I have my issues, I believe I have a lot to offer the world, imagine if I had been breast fed
Be kind to yourselves as you raise your babies and keep my two favorite lines of Katy’s blog in mind :
“Regret seems to come when behavior does not match beliefs. Be completely aligned with your beliefs, no matter the sacrifice”.
AND
“”If I felt badly every time someone’s decisions did not align with mine, I would spend a lot of time suffering. I choose not to suffer”.
My son will be 3 years old next month and is still breastfeeding. In other words, he is a typical primate. However, when I tell most people about this the reactions I receive run the gamut from mild confusion to serious discomfort. Their concerns are usually that extended breastfeeding could be stunting his independence and emotional development–the “Linus Blanket Syndrome” in the words of Michael Zollicoffer, a pediatrician at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Worse yet, they hint that it might even cause “destructive” psychosexual problems that he will be burdened with throughout his adult life. Could they be right? Was our choice “a prescription for psychological disaster” as Fox News psychiatrist Keith Ablow wrote in response to TIME magazine’s provocative cover article on attachment parenting? Just when is the natural age to stop breastfeeding?
Research by Kathy Dettwyler suggests it would be around the time that adult teeth erupt.
I can only laugh at the Linus Blanket syndrome. My DD (almost 4) never had a transitional object (besides my boobs). She loves going on sleep-overs at her friend’s house and still doesn’t need a lovey to go to sleep (all on her own).
Then around 8,000 years ago, the first farming populations appeared on the continent during the so-called Neolithic transition.
Hi Katy,
what a fabulous article thanks so much for these thoughts on the importance of the whole breastfeeding experience, it’s not just about the milk.
xox,
Heather
http:www.Facebook.com/mama.is.comic
I thought this was a great post with some interesting thoughts to consider. I shared on facebook and my friend pointed out that your F=m x d formula doesn’t seem to match what you were referring to, work. So, did you mean F=ma? Or F=m/d? Could you clarify? Thanks!
ACK, thank you. I don’t know how I missed the typo. Oh, wait. Breastfeeding two kids probably explains it. Just fixed, it thank you — I was just referring to mechanical work
Thank you so much for this post. I love your humor! My first born weaned himself around 13 months but my 2nd is still going strong at 26 months. I have lots of “concerned relatives” wanting to know when I’m gonna stop already!! Nice to have some support through your post.
Have to comment on Leon’s comment. Seriously, Linus Blanket Syndrome? That’s a medical term? Will I find it in the DSM? Little humans are meant to be “sucky” for years!I’m not seeing psychosexual problems in my married adult children, who were all lengthily nursed as babies. They are all married, considered nice people by their co-workers, nurture their friends and family, etc. etc. If this is what results from nursing for two or three or four years, more people should be privileged to do it.
Fabulous post, thank you. I am a Speech and Language Therapist with post graduate dysphagia qualification and then a Masters degree too (7 years- yep, swallowing is complex stuff!) here in England and you ave beautifully explained somethng that many people find tricky to understand. Thank you.
Natural term breastfeeding (my eldest self weaned at nearly 4, the little one is still going strong at nearly 2) – from a breast- prevents a host of anatomical and physiological problems. Atrificial feeding – and artificial delivery of milk – are hazardous.