How Long Is Too Long? Meet Mom Who Still Breastfeeds Her 5-Year-Old Daughter
In what might come across as strange, a mother of two has been found to still be breastfeeding her 5-year-old daughter.
Sophie Mei Lan, 29, has revealed how she breastfeeds her little girl at home and in public, and says it tightens the bond between her and Jasmine – though it has caused friction with her husband.
Sophie, a popular blogger says she sleeps with her daughters, Jasmine, who started school last year, and two-year-old Arianna, so they can latch on for feeds during the night.
Sophie, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, admits bystanders often “stare” when she breastfeeds her older child in public, explaining: “I feel a bit awkward”.
”I don’t think there’s anything strange about feeding your children. Breast milk is nourishing, soothing and it’s free. I must have saved thousands of pounds over the years,” she told Fabulous Magazine.
READ ALSO: ”Women should breastfeed children until they’re 8.” Mum Says To Promote Breastfeeding Older Children
However, she said it has sparked arguments with her husband, Chris Hale;
”It’s caused a bit of friction in my relationship,” said the mom, a “former career girl”. We do argue about it, but we know breast milk is one of the healthiest things we can give our children.”
Now five, Jasmine is showing no signs that she wants to stop latching on to her mum. And neither is her younger sister.
”Jasmine started school last year and I told her not many kids in her class would be feeding, but she’s not bothered.
When they get molar teeth it’s supposed to be harder for them to latch on, so maybe she’ll wean herself off when she gets to around seven.”
Sophie however said she would “like to stop” breastfeeding eventually – and that she believes Jasmine will wean herself off at the right time.
“When I first got pregnant I never imagined, well that I would be pregnant at 22- 23, but also that I would end up breastfeeding. So I got all the usual nappies, dummies, formula milk and what not.
And then once I had the baby I was really encouraged to breastfeed by the midwives,” she admitted in one of her YouTube videos , uploaded earlier this year.
“So I started and it didn’t feel natural – it looked so natural in the adverts and what not. You see a mother there just cradling their child.
And so I was like, this is definitely not like the adverts… I’ve got this wriggly little octopus trying to bite at me but not knowing what to do. So it was a bit of a learning curve for us both really.”
READ ALSO: What You Need to Know About Breastfeeding Your Baby in Public
Sophie also runs her Instagram page and a blog, on which she describes how she “ditched her dream job to ‘stay and work at home’ with her girls.
Most mums stop after six months but new research by the American Psychological Association claims late breastfeeding could have benefits lasting for years.
Photo credit: Instagram
Good for her. She has the strength for it.
This is insane.