A YOUNG mum who still breastfeeds her three-year-old has hit back at the haters who say it’s unhealthy.
Madison Simpson, from the US, welcomed her daughter Amaya in March 2022, when she was just 19.
Madison Simpson has hit back at trolls who call her a predator for breastfeeding[/caption]
The mum continued to breastfeed her three-year-old and says it comes with benefits for both[/caption]
The 22-year-old mum says doctors said her baby may grow slower than other babies due to a rare condition called intrauterine growth restriction.
Amaya was born weighing just four pounds, but within three months, she was thriving.
Three years on, her daughter has beaten the disease and is now way over the average weight for girls her age – and Madison believes it’s all thanks to her breastmilk.
That’s why Madison decided to continue to breastfeed her daughter long after she started eating solid foods.
“Breastfeeding definitely made her grow off the charts,” she told the DailyMail.
“She ended up growing out of her IUGR and she is now so strong. Something about my milk brought my baby out of her medical condition at just three months old.”
The NHS recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months.
Her daughter is turning three next month and Madison was breastfeeding multiple times a day up until January of this year, when Madison decided to cut back to nursing just once before she puts her to bed.
But Madison revealed she has had a slew of nasty comments over her decision to continue breastfeeding.
She said some nasty trolls have even branded her as a ‘predator’ and have called her ‘sick’ because of it.
Madison also revealed that strangers stare at her ‘all the time’ if she breastfeeds in public.
“It’s my child, my body, my choice,’ she said in response to her haters. ‘[Haters] are simply uneducated about breastfeeding.”
Madison insisted that extended breastfeeding has come with lots of benefits for Amaya, like boosting her daughter’s immune system.
“For the child [breastfeeding] creates so many different benefits for what they need at that stage in their life,” Madison explained.
What are the recommendations around breastfeeding?
The NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively (feeding them breast milk only) for the first six months, but it’s completely up to you to decide when you want to bring it to an end – and there’s really no right or wrong way to do it.
The NHS says weaning often happens gradually as your baby begins to eat more solid foods.
They note that solid food shouldn’t replace breast milk, as there is evidence to suggest breast milk helps a baby’s digestive system when processing solid food for the first time.
“Once they are eating solids, your baby will still need to have breast milk or formula as their main drink up to at least their first birthday,” recommends the NHS.
“Cows’ milk isn’t suitable as a main drink for babies under one, although it can be added to foods, such as mashed potatoes.”
You can also combine breastfeeding with formula, too and the NHS says “phasing out” of breastfeeding is often the easiest way.
For example, dropping one feed in the day or at night time.
After around a week, you can begin to think about dropping another.
“If your baby is younger than one year, you’ll need to replace the dropped breastfeed with a formula feed from a bottle or (if they are over six months) a cup or beaker, instead,” they say.
You can breastfeed for as long as you want, and while the NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively for the first six months, you shouldn’t feel like you cannot continue for longer.
The World Health Organization 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.”
The mum said the one concern she has had from breastfeeding for so long is that her daughter has ‘attachment issues.’
“She’s attached to me at the hip, it’s been harder to get her to be independent,” shared the mum.
The mum hopes that by sharing her story on social media she can normalise extended breastfeeding.
And since going online, she realised she’s not alone.
“[Thousands] of mothers have [reached out to me],” she shared. “They were in the same boat, and some had breastfed for even longer.”
