Despite the countless recommendations from different official pediatric institutions on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months and complementary feeding up to 24 months (2 years) or, as long as the mother/baby duo wants to extend it, it is still a theme of several "opinion makers" that prolonged breastfeeding is "unnecessary, immoral, and more an unnatural desire of the mother than of the baby or child."
These judgments can be from within the mother's immediate circle of friends, family members, medical specialists, and outsiders who even berate a mother breastfeeding an older child.
The results of these judgments are very discouraging when looking at statistical data shared by INEGI in 2014.:
This data indicates that due to many myths or misinformation, the regular mother cannot complete even the ideal recommendation of breastfeeding time, let alone extend it beyond two years.
In this section, we are interested in making clear the best recommendations of international specialists so that your baby gets the most significant possible benefit from this beautiful experience; also, if you decide to extend it, it should be with the best possible support to be able to assert your decision without fear.
Breastfeeding is like a wrestling match: no time limit.
All official pediatric institutions, associations, and studies dedicated to this subject are unanimous in this statement: the age limit for breastfeeding depends entirely on the mother and child.
The recommendation is for a minimum of 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and, ideally, up to 24 months with complementary feeding support. However, on maximum breastfeeding times, it is left to the decision of the mother and child in terms of desire, comfort, tastes, and ideology, always seeking that when one party no longer wishes to continue, weaning is done respectfully.
The "real" milk
The introduction of cow's milk is usually presented as "the real milk" to nursing mothers as if the milk they produce for their babies were "fake". The reality is that it is healthier for a baby to consume lactose specially designed for them than cow's milk, which is usually fattier and with other hidden products due to the animal's feeding and handling.
If, in addition to the mother's milk, the child would like to consume another dairy source, they can do it when their system is digestively mature (after 6 months) and not because it is "necessary" since their need is covered with their mother's milk, but because they have a craving to consume it.
So what is the "normal" breastfeeding time?
It is necessary to define what is normal since this varies according to society and what is accepted. As we have commented above, there are no time limits.
If we go back to past times, breastfeeding was extended even more due to the lack of formula milk and instinctively could be extended up to 7 years.
Our best answer is: "Try exclusive breastfeeding until six months, and then consider 12 to 24 months ideally with complementary feeding support. The maximum time depends on you and your baby".
What is the justification for extending breastfeeding beyond 2 years?
We can mention some, such as:
Its great capacity for adaptability. Since breast milk is a living tissue that responds biochemically to your baby's needs, it adapts to what your baby needs to continue nourishing them with immunoglobulins, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. In other words, it never turns into water, as is erroneously believed.
It does not mean that by breastfeeding, the chances of suffering from these diseases are nullified, but there is a correlation where there is a decreased risk compared to mothers/children who did not breastfeed. It has also been shown that these protective effects increase the longer the breastfeeding period.
Fewer risks than you might think
To put it bluntly, the greatest risk of extending breastfeeding beyond 1 or 2 years is the unwanted "what will people say?":
When the time comes to stop, especially if it is a decision that you are making, it is essential that you do it gradually and exercising what is known as "respectful weaning" we have a section on the subject.