Malaika
How long can you breastfeed a child?
Breastfeeding is a natural and beautiful bonding experience between a mother and her child, but there may come a point when it is no longer appropriate. The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding up to the age of two, but continuing to breastfeed an older child raises concerns about boundaries, social norms, and the child’s emotional development. It is critical to consider the physical, emotional, and social consequences of prolonged breastfeeding and determine when it is time to wean a child.
After all, once a child is old enough to eat solid foods, continuing to breastfeed him or her is extremely unusual. I believe it has more to do with the mother’s mental state than with the child. Some mothers are drawn to the bonding experience that breastfeeding provides and do not want to stop. The following story is not any different and is just as strange as it sounds. The original poster (OP) has a seven-year-old daughter, and his ex-wife is still reluctant to stop breastfeeding her. He was not sure how to approach this situation, so he turned to Reddit to ask for help.
Scroll down to read the full story for yourself.
Source: Reddit
The father came to Reddit asking for help over the fact that his ex is still breastfeeding his 7-year-old daughter.
He and his ex separated when the kid was only a few months old, and his ex hasn’t stopped breastfeeding since then.
OP has tried to wave the issue away by making a few jokes, but his ex isn’t taking him seriously at all.
OP has also tried communicating his concerns with her, but she always waves them away.
She always says that she will stop breastfeeding when her daughter is ready for it, but the daughter is now 7 years old.
Via Reddit
OP is even ready to bring this issue to court, as he is clearly worried about it and its serious implications.
This may sound extreme, but I believe the OP should discuss this with his doctor. I believe the doctor is the only one whom the ex-wife might listen to. And if that doesn’t work, the OP may need to take even more drastic measures, such as including the law. I don’t like passing judgement on people, but if this continues, the kid’s mental health will suffer in the future. I can only hope the woman realises she is ruining her child’s future because of her own attachment issues.
People in the comments had a lot of good advice to give.
It would be better to talk about the custody arrangement.
Getting his daughter to stay with him overnight might help with the breastfeeding issue as well.
Some people even gave him advice on how he could get his ex to see how ridiculous she was being.
Via Reddit
Involving the doctor might be a good choice as well.
The daughter will stop herself once she realises what is happening as well.
It does seem very weird.
There isn’t much the OP can do in this situation.
This can cause some serious attachment issues in the future.
Via Reddit
I haven’t heard of anyone breastfeeding their child when they are already seven.
I would have to agree that this isn’t normal anywhere.
The story is quite bizarre.
If it had been months, then it would have been perfectly normal.
This kind of thing isn’t good for a child’s development.
Via Reddit
What are your thoughts on this situation? How would you convince the woman to stop breastfeeding her seven-year-old daughter? Or do you think it is acceptable to continue breastfeeding regardless of age? Comment below to let us know, and don’t forget to share this story with your friends so they can add their thoughts as well.
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