What's the optimal period of time to breast feed for--according to scientific studies/real research?

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The World Health Organization says that, according to their investigators' review of current research, it is best to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months. The American Association of Pediatricians agrees, and states that breastfeeding should continue (along with the introduction of supplementary foods, particularly those high in iron) until the baby is at least 1 year old. They do mention that some babies may require the introduction of complementary food items as young as 4 months of age, while some may refuse the introduction of other foods until 8 months.

WHO and UNICEF suggest breastfeeding in conjunction with other foods for at least 2 years after the initial 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, but I haven't been able to find a reference to the study supporting that (that number may just be a reflection of the relative unavailability of affordable healthy foods in economically disadvantaged countries). Either way, there is apparently no evidence that continuing to breastfeed in conjunction with other food until the age of 3 (or even beyond) is harmful (physically or psychologically). So, to some extent it depends on the baby, but in general, the optimum is 6 months of only breastfeeding, and at least 6 months of breastfeeding with other food, maybe longer (depending on what the baby and mother want).

The WHO (World Health Org) says 6 months exclusively and then continue to supplement baby's diet with breast milk until 2 yrs.. various research says nutrition needs can be met fully for 6 months then add food! I breastfed 4 babies and my own experience confirms that minimum of six months is filled with benefits for the baby. My babies were healthy and happy and their immune systems strong.. that continued throughout their lives.. it is such a great start that a mother can do for her baby.

The generally stated minimum optimal time is six months--all else being equal--as stated above, but there is no danger to going over that period as much as another twelve months (that is rare, but not unheard of). I know this, because Dr. Ruth Lawrence, author of "Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession" (presently in tis 5th edition), co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics official policy statement supporting breastfeeding, and the person the previous Pope called over for a private visit on the subject, told me while I was being the father of three of her grandchildren. The bottom line, she always told us, is that if the child is responsive you can't really do it wrong.

According to the doctor whose lecture I attended in the first source below, the longest scientific studies have only been conducted on live, human subjects to the age of 36 months. But in every case health benefits were shown. As Dr. Jack Newman said in this lecture, "How does human milk suddenly become white water, when, before that age, it had all kinds of health benefits?"

Dr. Kathryn A. Dettwyler estimates humans were made to be breastfeeding should be from ages 2.5 to around 7. In many cultures around the world, children are nursed until they want to quit, usually sometimes between the ages of three and four.

Obviously, if studies support nutritional benefits (as if they were the only benefits) of nursing until 36 months, and most children given the choice are weaning themselves somewhere between the ages of three and four, there are most likely still nutritional benefits to the milk. Research does *not* support weaning toddlers who are not very interested in solids: --quote-- Some doctors may feel that nursing will interfere with a child's appetite for other foods. Yet there has been no documentation that nursing children are more likely than weaned children to refuse supplementary foods.In fact, most researchers in Third World countries, where a malnourished toddler's appetite may be of critical importance, recommend continued nursing for even the severely malnourished (Briend et al, 1988; Rhode, 1988; Shattock and Stephens, 1975; Whitehead, 1985).

Most suggest helping the malnourished older nursing child not by weaning but by supplementing the mother's diet to improve the nutritional quality of her milk (Ahn and MacLean. 1980; Jelliffe and Jelliffe, 1978) and by offering the child more varied and more palatable foods to improve his or her appetite (Rohde, 1988; Tangermann, 1988; Underwood, 1985). --quote-- Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol.

6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp.99-103.) The modern American fad--and it is a fad, considering the last 80 years in terms of the history of the world, and considering there are many societies around the world today that don't even have access to artificial milk for babies--of weaning children at a few weeks or even months is thus not scientific at all. It was thought to be somehow more "hygienic" in the Twenties and Thirties; you can boil artificial milk.

But mother's milk does not need to be boiled. Boiling it would denature a lot of what is beneficial about it.

World Health Org says: Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond.

According to my doctor the answer is 6 months. This yields the smartest babies.

According to the study on breastfeeding conducted by researchers of the University of California-Davis Children's Hospital, the University of Rochester and the American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Child Health Research, it is revealed that babies had a lower risk of developing gastrointestinal infections if they were breastfed until six months.

Our little girl is only 4.5 months, so we're having a lot of discussions about this right now. I can totally agree that 6 months is the recommendation for breastmilk-only, but that is also a ballpark figure.

The six months is the minimum period for breast-feeding which is necessary for proper growth and development of a child. However, some recent researches also say that it should be at least for 2 years for best results. As far as the optimal period is concerned, there is none.

Although it seems awkward, but there have been numerous instances when children consume breast-milk even in their teens, provided the mother must be lactating (there are numerous examples where mothers continue to produce milk for years after the birth of the baby, mostly due to hormonal activities. Sometimes, this continues for decades, although rare). Here are some citations; kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2008/05/22/bre... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding Hope that answers.Thanks.

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