Thread: Thai paediatrician says it's perfectly fine to breast-feed a child up to the age of 6

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/loca...the-age-of-six

Paediatrician says it's perfectly fine to breast-feed a child up to the age of six

• Published: 24/06/2012 at 02:04 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Breast-feeding a child until six years old produces smarter offspring and happier mothers, a leading paediatrician says.


CHILD’S BREAST INTERESTS: A top paediatrician says that breast milk is the healthiest for children.

Dr Sutheera Uerpairojkit, an active promoter of long-term breast-feeding, believes society has developed negative attitudes towards mothers who breast-feed their babies to an older age.

Long-term breast-feeding has become a controversial topic again after Time magazine featured on its cover a picture of a model mother breast-feeding a baby who stares at the camera.

Dr Sutheera, 42, a mother of two who breast-fed her second child for six years and 11 months, slammed the picture, saying it was posed in a way that did not show mother-child affection but depicted the woman as a sex object.

"People have negative views about mothers who breast-feed older babies because of insufficient acknowledgment of the benefits of breast-feeding, even when babies are older than the socially accepted age. There are also the savvy marketing efforts of baby milk producers that shape society's view away from scientific proof of what is best for an infant," the doctor said.

Dr Sutheera last year wrote a book called Sang-Chevit-Mahasachan-Duai-Namnommae (the miracle of breast-feeding). She said mother's milk improves a child's immunity, provides protein and increases natural DHA which improves brain function, while milk from animals does not have DHA.

She said the nutritional benefits in mother's milk promote a child's development in a way other milk can't. So babies raised on mother's milk are healthier, physically and intellectually.

"When is the limit to this you ask? Until a child expresses his own intention to stop. The best age for natural weaning is six to seven years old," she said.

"As mother's milk is more nutritional than everything else, why not give your baby the best. We are too subservient to cultural weaning, not natural weaning."

At the age of six to seven years old, when permanent teeth start to replace primary teeth, a child's antibody production is at the level similar to adults.

It has been found that these children are more capable of making complex decisions and are more independent.

"Long -term breast-feeding shows benefits. It will not spoil a child or make a child too dependent on a mother if you raise a child properly," she said.

Tan, 39, who breast-fed her only son until he was four years old, said she believes in keeping going until the child wants to stop.

"At about four years old my son asked if he could discontinue breast-feeding. I was not sure if he was embarrassed by it, but I responded to his request. I wanted to do my best for him," she said.

Mrs Tan said a teacher at her son's school suggested breast-feeding a child at an older age might not be a good idea as some psychiatrists said it could cause a child to be too dependent on a mother.

"That's not my case. I don't see my child being too dependent on me. In addition, if we look at it, our ancestors were all breast-fed until whenever they chose to stop. It's human nature and I think what is natural is best," Mrs Tan said.

The percentage of mothers breast-feeding their babies has increased over the years. A decade ago, 5% of mothers breast-fed their babies until six months. This figure has increased to 15% now and continues to climb because of more awareness of the nutritional value.

Dr Sutheera said some new mothers panic when they think they might not have enough milk. But research shows that up to 97% of mothers have enough milk for their babies. Mother's milk is produced as long as breast-feeding continues regularly.

"If mothers are given correct advice and proper solutions to their problems, almost all of them have enough milk for their babies. So I encourage mothers to contact the Thai Breast-feeding Centre's clinics and for paediatricians to pay more attention to breast-feeding," she said.

Dr Sutheera criticised pediatricians who accept incentives given by baby milk producers and overlook their primary role of giving the best advice to their patients.

In Thailand where baring one's breasts in public is taboo, sensible working mothers pump their milk into a bottle and refrigerate it for use later on.

Meanwhile, new products to support public breast-feeding such as specially designed blouses are becoming more popular as are innovative milk storage bags and pumping tools.

Web boards such as ศูนย์นมà¹�ม่à¹�ห่งปรภ°à¹€à¸—ศไทย, pantip.com and momypedia.com are seeing more participants sharing ideas on their breast-feeding experiences.

The Thai Breast-feeding Centre regularly visits businesses such as factories, banks and hospitals to educate and promote breast-feeding.