Breastfeeding Norms in Other Cultures

I think it's a Western thing, not just US. And the interventions begin with the the births themselves. I think one of the biggest interventions that causes issues is the idea that early independence is a good thing. Babies were meant to be dependent on us. They were meant to be within reach at all times, or better yet, attached to us, and meant to nurse on demand 24 hours a day (it's biologically normative for them and us). Everybody's obsession with sleeping through the night asap drives me crazy. I get it, we need sleep too, but really babyhood is such a short time. I think if we try to remember they are supposed to be dependent and listen to our instincts rather than others it can go a long way to supporting nursing-friendly practices.

There was a great article in Mothering a few months ago (maybe Aug or Sept?) written by a Canadian woman living in Mongolia about their breastfeeding culture. Breastfeeding is highly valued, babies are nursed every time they make a peep and no one thinks it's weird no matter how long someone is nursed. There is no weird stigma attached, no one has issues about it. You should check it out.

I'd recommend, as others did, any Dr. Sears book. I'd also recommend finding other moms who are like minded through LLL or API meetings or whatever. If you are surrounded by people who think breastfeeding is normal, it is easier to get beyond all the negativity from others.

Hi S., check out www.mothering.com for great breastfeeding and attachment parenting advice and support. I have subscribed to the magazine since having my 1st baby (6 years ago) and love it.
Good luck!

I breastfed all 3 of my kids until they decided they were done. For 2 of them that was when they were 5. My other child was 3 when he was done. I nursed through the second 2 pregnancies. We have practiced co-sleeping all along. Still do! Car seats are necessary for safety. When my kids were little and we were in the car I would sit in the back next to the car seat and would lean over the seat to nurse if they were hungry. Wasn't the most comfortable way to travel but it appeased the crying, unhappy baby, in which turn appeased the driver. Slings are great for nursing in public. These are some of the ways I adjusted my "American lifestyle" to raise my kids the way I wanted to.

You can read about all of this and more in Mothering Magazine or at mothering.com. It's a great resource for mothers with thoughts of raising their kids in a natural, attachment parenting manner.

From what I've learned, babies don't get all the nutrients they need from solid foods until they are at least eight months old. Some moms have actually nursed their babies until they were seven years old. I can't remember what culture it was that did that, but I know in the Bible seven is the number of completion, so I can see where that number makes sense. I have always co-slept with my babies until they were either ready to sleep on their own (which my youngest decided on her own) or I ran out of room in the bed (I had twins my first time). I don't know where car seats really fits in with breastfeeding. The only time my kids were in their carseats was when they were in the car. If they needed to nurse while we were in the car, we would just pull over for a while until they had nursed and then been changed. And my daughter weaned herself for the most part. She started weaning by only nursing in the morning, being too active during the day to really think about nursing. Then she only nursed on Saturday mornings because Saturdays were relaxing and not so rush-rush like the rest of the week. Then it was over, and she was about 14-15 months old. I know that people in this culture look at women as being weird (at least ones that I've talked to) if they nurse to even two years old, forget nursing until the babies are 3 or 4. So, that's the information that I've looked up and been told about. I hope this helps you.

i nurse when my baby wants it. no matter where we are, i almost always use a cover in public bc that is what i prefer but if i have forgotten i still nurse. if we are in the car and not close to where we are going i will pull over and nurse in the car. i use a sling whenever possible, she sleeps in a bassinet by my bed but when she was little and wanted to nurse at night (and i was exhausted) i would just lay on my side and nurse in the bed. it is a committment to nurse and you have to be willing to do so whenever and wherever

You should read about Attachment parenting... Dr. Sears wrote a few good books about it. Almost every other culture sleeps with their babies for up to 3 years... that is what I did with my boys and it was great... we never used a crib. Solids shouldn't be given until 6 months at the earliest but only limited. As for weaning, babies don't have to be weaned at all... just let them decide when to stop nursing... my oldest stopped when the new baby was born (he was 3 and he had only been nursing for a few minutes at night for the past year but I didn't want to wean) Car seats are important for safety. Hope that helps... Good Luck!

Certainly these 'norms' are Western ideas, many of them solely American. I write a lot about this on my Eco-Babyz blog. I am breastfeeding my daughter and she just turned one a week ago. Already I am getting the "When will you wean?" from everyone I meet. I am contemplating waiting until she weans herself, despite all the opposition and weird looks I will get (even from my own family). I agree with Paula N., early independence is not necessarily a good thing. Everything does start with birth, and I chose to give birth naturally without drugs and have been nursing on demand since that day. We co-sleep, thankfully my husband does not mind (for the most part). The average age of weaning worldwide is actually between 3 and 4 years old, at least that makes me feel like I am doing the right thing. On car seats though, those are needed for safety, I am from a country where those are not mandatory (or at least were not when I lived there) and car crashes there are pretty much always fatal for babies and children without car seats. I just try to schedule every car ride in such a way so that she is either well fed or ready for a nap.

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