Two hormones are involved in lactation: oxytocin and prolactin. Oxytocin is responsible for the release of formed milk, prolactin is responsible for the production of milk during breastfeeding. If oxytocin and prolactin are disrupted, the young mother faces difficulties.

Milk changes in composition over several months, from its formation in the prenatal period until the beginning of the child's second month of life. As a result of "evolution" breast milk divided into 3 types:

• colostrum– from the third trimester to the 3rd day after birth,
• transitional– from 4 days after birth to 3 weeks;
• mature– from 3 weeks after birth.

In perinatal centers and maternity hospitals Doctors teach mothers feeding techniques, but do not always voice the beneficial and harmful properties of breastfeeding.

Benefits for the child

Breast milk is equally beneficial for the baby at all stages of infancy.

Balanced natural nutrition

For a child, mother's milk is a source of nutrients, the only sterile and natural product nutrition. It is completely digestible and has the right temperature.

Colostrum, which is secreted for the first time in a woman’s mammary glands, contains a lot of protein and elements that protect the child’s body from pathogenic bacteria and help to grow.

Formation of immunity

With regular consumption of breast milk, the child's body becomes less susceptible to infectious diseases. By receiving enzymes and vitamins contained in mother's milk, the child grows and develops in accordance with the norm. Feeding prevents the development of anemia, gastrointestinal diseases and diabetes.

Benefits for mother

Continuous breastfeeding over a long period of time has a positive effect not only on the health of the baby.

Convenience and simplicity of the procedure

The mother does not require additional equipment and time to prepare the product, as is the case with infant formula. You can breastfeed your baby anywhere, at any time and in any position, which also makes the situation easier.

Prevention of female diseases

Regular breastfeeding will help prevent the development of mastitis and breast cancer.

Establishing an emotional connection with the baby

Lactation consultant Irina Ryukhova in the book “How to Give Your Baby Health: We Breastfeed” writes: “The first attachment is the recognition of each other’s existence and the first acquaintance. It must take place at least in the first day after birth.” From the first feedings, an emotional connection is established between mother and child. During contact with the mother, the child feels calm and protected, and the woman experiences joy from physical unity.

Sometimes breastfeeding is not possible for reasons related to the health of the mother or child.

Contraindications to breastfeeding from the mother's side:

• bleeding during or after childbirth;
• operations during childbirth;
• decompensation with chronic diseases lungs, liver, kidneys and heart;
• acute form of tuberculosis;
• oncology, HIV or acute mental illness;
• taking cytostatics, antibiotics or hormonal drugs.

The presence of an infectious disease in the mother, such as a sore throat or flu, is not a reason to stop breastfeeding. During illness, entrust the main care of the child to another family member and wear a protective mask and wash your hands before each contact with the child.

Contraindications to breastfeeding on the part of the child:

• prematurity;
• developmental disabilities;
• hereditary enzymopathies in a child;
• circulatory disorders in the head of 2-3 degrees.

The vast majority of mothers are confident that the harm of long-term breastfeeding significantly outweighs its benefits. Guided by this belief, many mothers wean their children after a year and a half. Moreover, often children and mothers themselves experience this process painfully. Let's try to figure out what the optimal duration of breastfeeding is.

As a rule, if the mother managed to establish breastfeeding at the beginning of this process and maintain it for up to six months, then no further problems arise. But closer to a year and a half, the mother is getting ready to go to work, the baby is being prepared for kindergarten. And here the question of weaning arises. Moreover, what primarily requires attention is often not taken into account: “Is the baby ready for this?” After all, for a mother, a violation of her usual way of life and feeding rhythms causes stress (and she is an adult!). What is it like for a child?

To understand whether the baby himself is ready to wean, pay attention to the following. Can a baby fall asleep without mother's milk? Did you have a positive experience of falling asleep without your mother - with your grandmother, father, nanny? Can a baby calmly, without hysterics, stay overnight at a party (for example, at grandma’s?). Does your baby often breastfeed at home? Can you come to an agreement with your child and not feed him in front of guests, on the street, or in public transport? If your answers are positive, then the weaning will go smoothly and will not cause any stress to the baby. But if not, you need to learn more about the specifics of feeding a baby after a year and a half, about methods of combining mother’s work, kindergarten with breastfeeding. Then you will act as wisely as possible, focusing on the real needs of your beloved baby. Here main principle- "Do no harm!"

It is noteworthy that we have many myths associated with the duration of feeding. For example, you can often hear about the dangers of long-term breastfeeding for boys. They say, for example, that if a grown-up baby continues to feed from his mother’s breast, he receives an excess of female hormones, which in the future can provoke a tendency towards homosexuality. In fact, WHO (World Health Organization) studies have shown that breast milk is always optimal in composition for of this age child. Therefore, there is no need to talk about any excess of hormones. And long-term feeding (if properly organized) is equally beneficial for both boys and girls. What is its use?

The main benefit of long-term breastfeeding is tangible support for children's immunity. After all, after one and a half years, the so-called involution of milk occurs. In its composition it is close to colostrum. Yes, and outwardly it is noticeable. If you express even a drop of milk during this period and examine it, you will notice that its color is not whitish or deep white, like mature milk from a nursing mother. It is grayish in color and liquid and watery in consistency. Essentially, it is diluted colostrum. Well, I write a lot about the benefits of colostrum now, so there’s no point in talking about it specifically. So think about whether it is necessary to voluntarily refuse such noticeable support child's body. Moreover, if the baby has to get used to kindergarten (stress!), encounter infections in the children's group, adapt to them (and this is a serious test of the baby's immunity!).
Well, if the benefits of prolonged breastfeeding are so great, can you tell me whether it can be combined with the mother going to work and the baby visiting the kindergarten? Of course you can! To do this, it is important to follow a number of rules.

1. It’s good if, long before going to work, the mother leaves the baby for a short time, leaving him with a person he knows well - a grandmother, a friend, a nanny. You can leave starting from 4 months (for an hour or two). After six months you need to go away - preferably 1-2 times a week for two to four hours. After a year or a year and a half (depending on the child), you can go away for 6-8 hours twice a week.
2. Teach your baby after a year that we eat milk not wherever he wants, but at home, in his room, without prying eyes. Do not allow your breasts to be exposed in front of guests. But behave calmly and affectionately, do not provoke stress in the child. Support him: “You are already big, smart, independent!”
3. Be sure to feed your baby milk immediately after returning from work, from kindergarten, or after any separation. The baby must make sure that he is still loved and expected.
4. Organize (if this has not happened before) or continue co-sleeping with your child. If you are unavailable to your baby during the day, let him feel your presence nearby at least at night. In order to avoid night terrors and running to the parent's bed at the age of 5 - 6 years, when the child is already really big, it is better to nourish him with his mother's warmth before the age of three. After three, such children usually go to a separate bed themselves, declaring that they are already big.
5. Remember that the usual feeding regimen for a child after one and a half years is breast milk before bedtime and immediately after, as well as after the mother comes home from work or after kindergarten. + Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack (if in the garden), dinner - according to the usual routine of life in the family or in kindergarten.
6. If an older baby begins to ask for the breast too often, like a little one, then either he is experiencing a lot of stress (look for the reason!), or he has a lot of free and unorganized time (organize communication with friends, visiting a circle, etc.)

As you can see, the harm of breastfeeding is a controversial point. The benefits are palpable. But the best guide to the need to remove from the breast or lack thereof will only be the child himself. If in the period from 2.5 - 3 to 5 years there is a moment when the baby does not ask for the breast, do not offer it. If he is ready to wean himself, he will not ask for milk. If not, calmly wait for the right moment. This way you will give your child the most important thing - stability of the nervous system, excellent health and full development. After all, children who have been breastfed for a long time do not have problems with speech therapy or bite, they are often ahead of their peers in mental development, they are strong in spirit, cheerful, and sociable.

Breastfeeding is beneficial for both the baby and the mother - this is a generally accepted fact. Women's breast milk contains a huge amount of unique nutrients that a child needs in the first year of life. It’s quite difficult to argue with this, but as for the duration of breastfeeding, this is where the debate begins.

Many modern emancipated mothers are convinced that feeding a baby with breast milk after the age of one is harmful for his future development as an individual. By and large, this is just an excuse for mothers who need to go to work after the baby is a year and a half old. In fact, there is nothing wrong with longer lactation; it’s all a myth. But sometimes life circumstances do not allow you to continue breastfeeding for a long time.

Weaning is a huge stress for both the baby and the mother. Now imagine if a mother, an adult, has difficulty coping with changes, then what is it like for a child! But if you still have to soon separate your baby from mother's milk, first you need to watch him.

If the child calmly falls asleep at a party or even in the absence of his mother, if he succumbs to persuasion to skip one feeding when the mother receives guests or is in public transport, then the process will go faster and easier!

There are many different myths about the dangers of breastfeeding depending on the gender or age of the child. All these are prejudices, rest assured! Breast milk constantly changes its composition and properties throughout the lactation period to meet the growing and changing needs of the child. The child has many stressful situations ahead, so strengthen him immune system is necessary now, and the best remedy For this purpose - mother's milk.

Considering the enormous benefits of breastfeeding, you are already convinced that you should not give it up. But what to do if you are required to go to work, that is, you will not be able to regularly put your baby to your breast?

First, practice your absence. Starting from the age of three months, leave the baby for a short period of time with someone close to you so that he understands that his mother is not around. Secondly, instill in your child after the age of one year that milk is available to him only at home in certain circumstances, and not always and wherever he wants. Just do it kindly! Third, take your child to your bed at night so he will feel needed.

And finally, when the time comes to go to kindergarten, feeding can be continued, but only in the morning before kindergarten and in the evening upon returning home.

So where is the information on the topic of the article - about the dangers of long-term breastfeeding?
How many articles have I reviewed today? Everywhere it’s the same thing: feeding is good for you, and the only harm is that the mother is too tied up, and she has to go to work, etc.
Not everything is so rosy.
My daughter is almost 1 year 10 months old and we are still breastfeeding. Just six months ago I thought that I would feed her until she herself refused due to her age - at least until school, but what, they say?
But over the past few months, I've learned a lot that it's not always all about the good. First of all, the child’s appetite began to decrease. She eats less and less (and only the same 2-3 dishes), titya sucks more and more, now sometimes the daughter hangs on her chest for 3-4 days and becomes hysterical at the slightest attempt to offer her other food or drink. She was tortured allergic dermatitis, we’ve both been on a diet for a month now, to no avail. It turned out that from such a diet, my daughter’s hemoglobin dropped sharply and she lacked other substances (hence her appetite).
And all my chewing teeth have completely fallen apart and I have been suffering from eczema on my fingers for a month now (this has never happened before in my life!). All the doctors shout in unison: stop breastfeeding!
That's a benefit for you.

There is no benefit from a long breastfeeding period; it is a kind of fun and self-justification for a mother who does not want to put up with the fact that the child is growing up. Or, as the second option, you feel sorry for the child - like he needs it, since he asks. But the child, in fact, does not need this either, because... he sucks as a result of an instilled bad habit. It's not so easy to break bad habits, isn't it? Long breastfeeding does not affect the immune system in any way - these are fairy tales, in addition, over-aged breastfeeding patients sleep very poorly at night, constantly latching on, which greatly torments the mother. It is not customary to talk about this “advantage” of a long breastfeeding - “everything is fine, beautiful marquise.” An over-aged breastfeeder, as a rule, has a poor appetite and ignores normal food, while hanging on his chest, and if he refuses, he becomes hysterical. At the same time, in 100% of cases the child has low hemoglobin, because breastfeeding does not satisfy the needs of the growing body, and he refuses to eat other food. The mother loses calcium: teeth crumble, calcium is also washed out (read “sucked out”) from the bones - hello, osteoporosis. Hair and nails are also not in the best condition. Nerves from constant lack of sleep are naughty. And it seems that I don’t want him to grow up and still be a “baby”, up to 3 years old, but he also overcomes the constant lack of sleep. Some attempts are made to wean her off, but under the pressure of hysterics, the mother again gives in and endures, consoling herself that this is useful and will soon end. Such psychological tossing: I don’t want to let go of myself, but finally I want to feel like a full-fledged person, and not a feeding tank. But, damn it, I’ll be patient - it’s useful! But in reality there is no benefit. You need to complete the war on time; moderation is good in everything. Here’s the truth of life, and everyone just repeats one word - “useful” and adjusts their rose-colored glasses.

I’ve been breastfeeding my second child for a year and ten, we’re not going to give up, we’ve been sleeping until the morning since I was five weeks old. I don’t see any harm, the article confirmed this

My son is 2.5 and still on breastfeeding. For me, a huge minus is that he has a terrible appetite, except for the breast, he practically does not recognize anything. They tested his hemoglobin is very low, and I thought that I was giving him everything he needed. (The only thing is We are having real feeding, the breasts are still full of milk, he is feeding on it, no, as they write, pure affection is like a pacifier. I desperately urgently need to finish this, but it is terribly difficult, methods with brilliant greens, etc. do not work. Mommies, really It just takes time, after a year the child actually eats everything and our boobs won’t help in any way, it’s just difficult to wean them off in the future.

So after a year they recommend that it is correct to reduce the number of feedings. A really well-organized long-term breastfeeding is in the morning to wake up in the evening for sleep. That's it! What a low appetite, what hemoglobin, what are you talking about? During the day - regular food, not breast... We need to organize it correctly..

I completely agree with the last review. I work with a 1 year old child. We are 2 years old and we are still sucking. When we went to a (private) nursery, adaptation went without problems, the girl is very sociable, but I decided to leave breastfeeding for psychological comfort and immune support. The breasts were left in front of the kindergarten, after kindergarten and at night. We eat well in the garden, and at home too: soups, meat dishes, sour milk. GV helps with illnesses, all ARVIs are tolerated very easily in 2-3 days, the child never gets nervous - or rather, easily calms down under any stress. The girl is very self-confident, with leadership qualities. She does not perceive the nursery as a “maternal betrayal.”

So today I want to talk and listen to your opinion about long-term breastfeeding, which is an integral part and continues to be a controversial issue among others.

It just so happens that a woman, in moments of difficulty, which include periods of lactation crises, rushes to her friends and mothers-grandmothers for help. Sometimes - to the doctor. And he roughly listens and follows their advice, many of which are not at all aimed at successful and long lactation.

The child is crying - it means he is hungry - give him some formula.

You have a fever and runny nose - stop feeding.

Mastitis? - especially “no!” GV.

The result is cessation of lactation.

But many problems could be avoided by contacting lactation consultant. Now there are special sites GW support, and hotlines, and offices at children's hospitals.

Unfortunately, even many doctors (due to their own reluctance to learn or ignorance) do not have adequate and correct information about breastfeeding, introduction of complementary foods and baby care. Therefore, quite often you can come across stunning statements when a child is transferred to formula at 2 months, although the mother is able to breastfeed; when juice is introduced at 3 weeks and its usefulness is proven to others.

I, as I said before, am for a long, reasonable breast-feeding . Its duration for me is not determined by book norms and advice from the older generation. Neither the lamentations of grandmothers - “Oh, he’s so big, but he eats boobs!”, nor the instructions of a gynecologist and the “smart” speeches of some pediatricians will make me early deprive the baby and myself of such pleasure that nature gives us, - lactation.

After a year of feeding mother's milk continues to perform all the same functions as before.

Its composition changes, adapting to the needs of the baby's growing body. In some ways, the milk becomes more like the first colostrum - its fat content increases and the amount of anti-infective and immunomodulatory components increases.

Among other things, mother's milk contains growth factors and hormonesus, which can control the child’s metabolic processes, and even his behavioral reactions. And the content of estrogen in milk, which has anti-stress effect, protects the child and increases his mental abilities. Therefore, during periods of age-related crises, breastfeeding can perform real miracles, calming and supporting the baby in stressful situations and balancing his emotional instability.

Long, productive breastfeeding increases the baby's IQ and also helps in adapting to different situations.

No need to simplify role of breast milk as food for children over 1.5 years old. In addition to the main “adult” food, a baby sucks on average 500 ml of sweet milk per day. Such food satisfies the baby's body's needs for 94% of the daily dose of vitamin B12, 75% of vitamin A, 60-80% of vitamin C, folic acid - 75%, calcium and protein up to 40%.

The rich qualitative and quantitative composition of milk, harmoniously determined by nature itself, is aimed at reducing the risk of allergic reactions, therefore, diathesis in a child on long-term breastfeeding with proper nutrition of the mother practically does not occur. Breastfeeding babies after a year helps to develop strong immunity and resistance to various diseases.

In addition to all of the above, milk, as a liquid medium of the body, is carrier of genetic information and has biological specificity, that is, optimally adapted to the needs of a particular organism. According to some spiritual teachings, along with mother’s milk, the experience and wisdom of previous experiences are passed on to the child. their generations.

There is an opinion that prolonged breastfeeding negatively affects women's health - hair falls out, teeth deteriorate, and excess weight appears. I can't agree with this. After all, if a mother looks after her health, leads healthy image life, eats properly and rationally - nothing threatens her. In addition, long-term breastfeeding is an excellent preventative against malignant tumors of the female reproductive system.

And also long feeding– this is an extension of the feeling of unity with your child, the opportunity once again hug and kiss him, whisper words of love and tenderness, this is a strong emotional and spiritual connection for life.

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Mikhnina A.A.

Breastfed after 2 years - my youngest son

In this article I would like to discuss a rather controversial question: should you breastfeed your baby for as long as possible? What are the risks of long-term lactation?
Let me warn you right away that there is no clear answer to this in modern medicine. There are camps of opposing opinions, but on the whole the prevailing maxim is that this question remains at the discretion of the nursing woman herself, depending on her personal beliefs and state of health. Neither psychologists, nor pediatricians, nor therapists, nor gynecologists have sufficient scientifically proven arguments either for or against. There is research-confirmed data on the composition of breast milk in different periods of lactation, on the basis of which, in fact, the main conclusions of supporters of long-term breastfeeding are drawn. But far-reaching conclusions about the higher intelligence of breast-fed children or their clear health advantages in adult life are not supported by serious research, and, in my opinion, cannot be proven. Still, genetics is primary.

There are official WHO recommendations to continue breastfeeding children up to 2 years of age and longer link, there are research results confirming the benefits of long-term lactation for a woman’s health. In particular, the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and osteoporosis is reduced (link to study in Russian) link1

All that remains is to choose which of the reasoned concerns of the camp of opponents of long-term breastfeeding or, conversely, the calls of its supporters are close and understandable to you personally and are most consistent with your model of motherhood and general attitude towards health issues.

Likewise, there is no clear concept of how long breastfeeding is considered “normal” and physiologically conditioned. People today are far enough from nature to be guided in such matters by natural needs or instincts, which are often dulled.
In popular journalism, long-term lactation is considered to be breastfeeding after the baby reaches the age of 12 months. In the public consciousness, this line, oddly enough, has been pushed back somewhat further. Many tend to agree that there is nothing prejudiced in breastfeeding a child under 2 years of age. However, in some medical sources and studies (Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed to expect (Dettwyler 1995), etc.) I also found figures such as 4 years of continuous breastfeeding of one child, as normal options. The study in parentheses looked at children who received breast milk until they were 7 years old!

The most common arguments in favor of breastfeeding for as long as possible:
- maintaining a close psychological connection between mother and child
- satisfying the child’s psychological need for calm by sucking
— replenishing the deficiency of calcium and various microelements in the child’s diet (the mother eats more varied foods if the baby is not allergic, but children themselves often do not eat complementary foods well)
- receiving with mother’s milk her immune complexes that support the child’s own unformed immunity ( This is also true for babies older than one year: Lawrence RA and Lawrence RM. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2011, p. 153-195. See particularly Table 5-2 on p. 164: “Concentration of immunologic components in human milk collected during second year of lactation”)
- the benefits of long-term lactation for a woman’s body

The most popular arguments against:
- excessive dependence of the child on the mother is formed (even sometimes they talk about the mother’s manipulation of the baby’s feelings and artificially tying him to herself and inhibiting natural development (including the phase of separation from the mother and awareness of one’s own “I” at a certain age))
- a prerequisite is created for possible sexual deviations in the child in the future (some even see some kind of debauchery in the mother’s behavior)
- not decent from the point of view of public morality (it is worth mentioning here that this point can be considered in the case of feeding children in crowded places).
- there is no longer anything beneficial for the child in milk (sometimes it is argued that it is even harmful. One can agree provided that the mother’s diet is completely unhealthy, she uses medications, or she has bad habits).
- the mother greatly harms her health (risk of mastitis, demineralization of bones and teeth, hormonal characteristics of lactation, additional psychological stress from complete attachment to the child), without bringing any benefit to the baby

Since I didn’t find anything concrete and proven about the harm of long-term lactation for a woman or the poor quality of breast milk, as well as psychological trauma for an older child as a result of long-term breastfeeding in serious modern medical literature, I personally decided for myself that breastfeeding my son is convenient for me . Therefore, I will continue this until my son refuses on his own (he really loses the need to suck), or some signals from my body in the form of deteriorating health or serious life circumstances force me to forcibly stop breastfeeding.

In addition, after analyzing my child’s diet and potentially narrow areas in it from a qualitative point of view (richness in vitamins, proteins and microelements), I found the following arguments in favor for myself:

1) My son does not like fish, practically none and in any form. Due to his age (at the time of writing this article he is 1.4 years old), it is not yet advisable to give him fatty foods (fatty fish, cod liver, fatty meat). Therefore, in his diet, according to my estimates based on tables of nutritional value of foods, there is a lack of fat-soluble vitamins A and E, as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids. For now, I cannot expand the child’s diet to a complete diet: allergic reactions+ difficulties with introducing new products (conservatism of children’s habits).
But I can enrich my diet, including by taking vitamin complexes and Omega-3 capsules. He will receive some of these substances the baby needs through my breast milk.
2) I don’t give my son sugar. He gets it in small amounts from fruits (in the form of fructose) and baked goods. I don’t give my child any cookies, candies, sweet drinks, jam or sugar for porridge, or industrially sweetened porridges or curds. I consider sucrose, in principle, harmful both for teeth (risk of caries) and for the development of the endocrine system.
But sugar (or rather, glucose!) is necessary for the body, especially children, for normal nutrition of brain cells. I also deliberately refuse to feed the baby a bun, from the starches of which he can easily and in sufficient quantities obtain glucose, in order to form healthier food preferences.
And the solution for me is breast milk, which contains lactose - a sugar that has been proven harmless to teeth and is a regulator of calcium absorption in the body. One continuous benefit for the child.

In general, for now, my son and I plan to continue breastfeeding until his second birthday.
If you have ideas and arguments regarding longer periods of breastfeeding, or vice versa, you are ready to argue against it, welcome in the comments!