March 23, 2001, Newsletter Issue #35: Weaning
Tip of the Week
We`ve spent the past few weeks talking about breastfeeding your baby. The topic that naturally follows is weaning.
Though it is rare in our culture, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed for at least twelve months, and thereafter as long as both mother and baby desire. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at least two years. The many benefits of breastfeeding do indeed continue beyond the first year. In fact, it is interesting to note that the antibodies in breast milk actually increase as baby reaches about one year, corresponding with the time that they become more mobile and presumably exposed to more germs.
Regardless of the age at which your child weans, it should be a gradual process. Sudden weaning is not only traumatic for the baby, but can lead to plugged ducts or mastitis in the mother.
Babies not only get their nutrition from breastfeeding, but they associate the closeness of nursing with love. Be sure to replace the time at the breast with at least as much time spent cuddling, snuggling together to read, or in some way sharing the special closeness formerly provided by nursing.
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