Comments on: The Journey of a Green Girl and a First Time Mom Breastfeeding Beyond First Year

By: Does Bottle-Feeding Cause Postpartum Depression?

Does Bottle-Feeding Cause Postpartum Depression? — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:48:50 +0000

[...] But whether a woman breastfed or bottle-fed their infant did. Breastfeeding mamas were less likely to have postpartum depression. [...]

By: Mamas Don’t Get Support for Feeding Formula : Eco Child’s Play

Mamas Don’t Get Support for Feeding Formula : Eco Child’s Play — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:05:49 +0000

[...] about 22 percent are breastfed through the recommended year. That means many, many parents turn to formula at some [...]

By: Pure Mothers

Pure Mothers — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:30:11 +0000

Great post. I am still breast feeding my 23 month old. He is down to 2x per day (before bed and in the morning). We are working on gentle weaning now. This sentence bugged me though:

“the prenatal nurse confided in me that she nursed for years. She whispered to me with sincere conviction, “There really is nothing like it.”

What a shame that a nurse had to “confide” and “whisper” this information to you. A symptom of the promotion of formula and lack of real breast feeding support given at hospitals. This is truly pathetic.

I am so glad you have a beautiful breast feeding relationship with your daughter. It’s so beneficial for both of you.

By: Susan Kuchinskas

Susan Kuchinskas — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:36:04 +0000

Thanks for your lovely and really honest story. Although there aren’t any scientific studies I’m aware of showing that kids who are breastfed are emotionally healthier, rat studies have shown that babies that get more nurturing from their mothers grow up to be better mothers. Nurturing actually helps determine the number, distribution and sensitivity of oxytocin receptors in the brain.

So far, all human studies of oxytocin’s role in social interaction show that we respond similarly to animals. I don’t see why this would be different.

I think that when you breastfeed, you are literally teaching your child to connect and love.

By: Jaynee

Jaynee — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:10:19 +0000

What a great article! I breastfed both my children until they were 18 mos and 24 mos. I think the benefits for the child are not only healthy, but also emotional as they get the closeness with their mother while nursing. Best wishes to you and Layla!

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:41:24 +0000

You have gotten it exactly right. My sons breastfed until they were 14 and 16 months. They are the ones who “let go”, almost literally. No matter how harried we were as a family, sitting down and nursing settled us all.

Although this is anecdotal, both of my sons are incredibly healthy compared to their peers. I would love to ascribe some of that to their early immune build-up through nursing.