How long should I breastfeed my baby?

Breastfeeding is such a special journey that nourishes your baby with essential nutrients while nurturing a unique bond between mother and child. As a new mum, you might be wondering “how long should I breastfeed my baby?” You might have even been asked by others how long you will breastfeed for. This is such a personal decision and is influenced by so many factors. The answer will be different for each individual mum. Yes, mumma! This is your choice and nobody else’s opinions matter in your decision. In this blog post, we’ll explore the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations and the benefits of breastfeeding into toddlerhood and beyond. Let’s dive in!

The World Health Organization recommendations

The WHO is a United Nations agency that works to promote health for all people, in all countries of the world. They’re a leading authority in maternal and child health and have clear guidelines on optimal breastfeeding duration. Here are their recommendations:

Exclusive Breastfeeding for the First Six Months

The WHO advises exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of your baby’s life. This means giving your baby only breastmilk without any additional foods or liquids, except for medicines and vitamins as prescribed by a healthcare professional. Exclusive breastfeeding offers so many health advantages, including enhanced immunity, protection against infections, and optimal growth and development. Breastfeeding is also important for the health of mums. Check out this blog post for more info on the amazing health benefits for mums who breastfeed.  

Continued Breastfeeding with Complementary Foods

The WHO recommends continuing breastfeeding alongside the introduction of nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods when your baby is around 6 months old. This gradual transition lets your baby benefit from the ongoing nutritional and immunological benefits of breast milk while exploring and learning new tastes and textures. Breastfeeding, in combination with complementary foods, should continue up to two years of age or beyond as long as mum and baby wish.

These are world-wide recommendations for every single country, no matter the wealth and resource status.

Benefits of breastfeeding into toddlerhood and beyond

Breastfeeding into toddlerhood and beyond might seem unusual since it’s not something we often see portrayed in movies or on TV, but it’s more common that you might realise. The worldwide average for children to stop breastfeeding is between 2-7 years of age. The mainstream (US/UK) societal expectation that breastfeeding should stop before the age of 1 goes against the natural biology of humans and the norm of many cultures all over the world. Extending your breastfeeding journey beyond the first year offers a multitude of advantages for both you and your baby. Let’s explore some of the benefits:

Optimal Nutrition

Breast milk continues to be a valuable source of energy, essential nutrients, antibodies, and bioactive components as your baby grows. According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association, breastfeeding your toddler can provide:

• 29% of daily energy needs
• 43% of protein requirements
• 75% of Vitamin A requirements
• 60% of Vitamin C requirements.
• 76% of folate requirements
• 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
• 36% of calcium requirements

 With these nutrients, breastmilk still protects your toddler from illness.  As the number of breastfeeds your baby takes reduces, the concentration of immune factors increases. Your breastmilk adapts to meet the changing nutritional needs of your child, providing a perfect balance of nutrients for optimal development that continues for as long as you keep breastfeeding. There’s no expiry date on your milk!

Enhanced Immunity

Breast milk contains antibodies and other immune-boosting factors that protect your baby against various illnesses and infections. Continuing to breastfeed helps strengthen your child’s immune system, reducing the risk of respiratory infections, gastrointestinal issues, and allergies. This can be especially important as they grow and start moving around, and have more close contact with other children (e.g., at daycare).

Emotional Bonding and Comfort

Breastfeeding fosters a unique emotional bond between you and your baby. It provides a sense of security, comfort, and closeness, promoting your child’s emotional well-being and fostering a strong mother-child relationship. This is something the continues into toddlerhood and beyond. The closeness and connection of breastfeeding helps your child to regulate their bodies and their emotions while they’re still learning to do these things themselves.

Long-Term Health Benefits

Breastfeeding has been associated with numerous long-term health benefits for both mother and child. It reduces the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancers later in life.

Making the Decision

Deciding how long to breastfeed your baby is a personal choice that depends on so many factors, including how breastfeeding is going for you, your baby’s needs, and your own needs among other things. It can help to remember that as your baby gets older, it’s ok to introduce some boundaries as to when they breastfeed. The breastfeeding patterns of toddlers usually look very different to breastfeeding newborns. You won’t be doing 3 hourly breastfeeds forever! While the WHO recommends breastfeeding up to two years or beyond, the decision ultimately rests with you and your baby.

You might find your goal for how long you breastfeed changes over time. Lots of mums have some idea on how long they’d like to breastfeed for before their baby’s born. It’s very common for that goal to change depending on if breastfeeding is going well, or it’s a difficult journey. Taking it a day, week, month, or many months at a time, is ok. You don’t have to decide right now. You can just keep going as long as it’s working for you and your baby.

It’s so important to surround yourself with a supportive network, including healthcare professionals, lactation consultants, and other breastfeeding mums who can offer guidance, information, and encouragement throughout your breastfeeding journey. The support system you have can make a big difference to how breastfeeding goes for you.

No matter how long you end up breastfeeding for, you can be sure that every single drop of breastmilk has been important for your baby. Breastfeeding is an amazing gift that provides your baby with invaluable health benefits and nurtures a special bond between you. Following the World Health Organization’s recommendations to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months and continue breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for up to two years or beyond can provide your child with optimal nutrition, enhanced immunity, and long-term health advantages. But ultimately, the decision on how long to breastfeed is yours to make, considering your unique circumstances and your baby’s needs. Trust your instincts, seek support, and cherish your beautiful breastfeeding experience.

Did you have breastfeeding goals? And did they change over time? Send me a DM on instagram and let me know what your goals were/are, if they changed, and what they changed to.