'I still breastfeed my five-year-old - mums should wean at their own pace'

04 February 2024 , 14:44

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She believes there's nothing wrong in waiting until your child is ready to stop (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images)

A woman has spoken candidly about her decision to continue breastfeeding her five-year-old son, arguing that 'just because it's not a cultural norm doesn't mean it's weird'.

Amy Hardcastle, 27, originally only intended to breastfeed son Max up until the age of around six months old, but soon changed her approach after hearing other mothers' stories, and decided to just keep going until he wanted to stop.

The Lancashire-based mum, who nearly quit breastfeeding after four weeks as she initially found latching too painful, discovered new ways of thinking after coming across online mums' groups, and after attending a Manchester-based breastfeeding festival where she learned she could continue past the one-year point.

Amy told Cafe Mom: "At first I just said, 'Well I don't know how long, I'll just keep going', and then I joined groups for feeding older babies. Because even when you get past about one [year] or 18 months, that's when people consider that ... like 'Ooh, that's old'."

Being around other mothers breastfeeding 'older' babies taught Amy about 'natural weaning' - whereby the child is the one who decides when they want to stop nursing. According to Amy, she'd be happy to stop whenever Max wants to, and she believes this process 'just depends on the child'.

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Nowadays, Max will only nurse around twice a week, and it's now more about receiving comfort than getting the nutrition he needs. She explained: "From being a tiny baby, that's what he's done. When he's hungry, when he's sick, when he's upset. It can help him calm down after a tantrum. You know when he was really young and he couldn't talk, and [when] he was having a whole meltdown, I'd be like, 'come here do you want some milk?' And then we take a second, he can chill out, and we're hugging at the same time. It is more of a comfort thing now."

Although she has had to face some harsh criticism, especially after sharing a photo of her feeding Max in the bath, Amy says she doesn't care what others think anymore. Going forward, she hopes her story will help other mothers know that their breastfeeding journey is personal to them and their child, and shouldn't be dictated by societal expectations.

Julia Banim