Breastfeeding past 6 months by Cordelia Uys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz en-us 2017-12-04 22:26:39 UTC 2025-09-24 10:59:35 UTC hello@padlet.com I wanted to mention how brilliant it is that you are still breastfeeding. Only 34% of mothers in the UK are still doing any breastfeeding at 6 months, only 17% of mothers are exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months, only 12% are exclusively breastfeeding at 4 months, and fewer than 1% are exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months, so you deserve to feel very proud. cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101595 2017-12-04 22:28:12 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101595 Have a look at this chart detailing what's actually in breastmilk. It's mind-blowing: cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101635 2017-12-04 22:28:27 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101635 I'm attaching some information on the advantages of continuing to breastfeed past 6 months. Continued Breastfeeding (From BfN website): cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101722  Breastfeeding continues to be important for children’s nutrition, development and care after the first 6 months of life. On average, breastfed babies of 6-8 months obtain 75% of their energy needs from breastmilk, this falls to around 55% at 9-11 months, and 40% at 12-23 months. When breastfeeding is well established, it can contribute an even larger percentage to energy and nutrient requirements. Breastmilk is also a major provider of protein, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and protective factors. It provides more calories and nutrients per ml than most of the other foods, and much more than the soft cereals, baby rice or pureed vegetables that are typically some of the first foods given to older babies. If babies’ stomachs are filled with nutritionally poor foods, they will take less breastmilk and their overall diet and health will be inferior. The contribution of breastmilk is often overlooked in the enthusiasm to get complementary feeding started. The challenge is how to feed other foods so that they add to the nutritional contribution of breastmilk, rather than replace it. ]]> 2017-12-04 22:28:51 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101722 Some interesting links on continued breastfeeding cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101956 http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/

http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/toddlernursing/

http://whale.to/a/newman.html

]]> 2017-12-04 22:30:09 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213101956 One good reason, of many, for continuing to breastfeed past 1 year (alongside giving solid food, of course) is the evidence that infants who are breastfed into their 2nd year have higher IQs. At around a year, when babies are experiencing a period of rapid brain growth, the fat content in breastmilk increases. A lot of that fat is in the form of triglycerides, and it's triglycerides that form the main ingredient in myelin, the fatty sheath that coats the axon of a neuron and speeds up the transmission of messages from one neuron to another. cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213102359
Here’s an important new study from Brazil linking duration of breastfeeding with IQ: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)70002-1/abstract]]> 2017-12-04 22:32:53 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213102359 Your baby will also continue to be protected by the antibodies in your breastmilk for as long as he or she is getting any breastmilk: "Breastfeeding toddlers between the ages of one and three have been found to have fewer illnesses, illnesses of shorter duration, and lower mortality rates (Mølbak 1994, van den Bogaard 1991, Gulick 1986).” cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213112696 2017-12-04 23:42:19 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213112696 There are also massive health advantages to mothers of continuing to breastfeed past 6 months. The protection again all the ‘female’ cancers is dose-related, so the longer you breastfeed, the more protected you are. And breastfeeding protects women against type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease : cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213112912 2017-12-04 23:44:21 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/213112912 ABM Breastfeeding past infancy cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/819804564 2020-10-11 16:36:02 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/819804564 ABM guide for GPs on breastfeeding past infancy cordeliauys https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/819805191 2020-10-11 16:36:47 UTC https://padlet.com/cordeliauys/cohl7u9ylwlz/wish/819805191