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Mother defends decision to breastfeed five-year-old son and other people's babies
Mother defends decision to breastfeed five-year-old son and other people's babies
A mother who breastfeeds her five-year-old son as well as other people's babies has today insisted that she is 'doing nothing wrong'.
Amanda Hurst says she still feeds Jonathan and is convinced she is doing 'the right thing', despite facing criticism.
The 29-year-old said she had intended to stop when her son reached six months – like most mothers do - but continuing became the 'natural thing’.
And, despite her critics, Mrs Hurst, who is seven months pregnant, is so convinced of the benefits of breastfeeding that she also feeds other people’s babies as well.
The childminder said she is a ‘firm believe that breast is best’, adding that breast milk is ‘amazing’ and full of protein, fat and sugar.
‘It not only boosts Jonathan's immune system, it keeps me healthy too, by lowering my risk of breast cancer,’ she told the Mirror.
‘I childmind my friends' babies and, provided I've got permission, I breastfeed them too. The parents love it - it means they don't have to worry about expressing milk - I've got more than enough to go round.’
A leading parents' charity today voiced its support for Mrs Hurst, saying mothers who breastfeed older children face 'cultural opposition' to the practice.
Mrs Hurst – whose husband Roy, 31, fully supports her decision – said she only gives Jonathan ‘lellow’ – what he calls breast milk – at home after he decided to stop doing it in public when he was about three.
And she said that she has formed an ‘incredible bond’ with her son because of the practice.
‘We just never stopped,’ Mrs Hurst, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said. 'Breastfeeding is a quiet time for us.’
The mother of one said her son considers it a treat ‘like eating chocolate’.
Heather Welford, National Childbirth Trust breastfeeding counselor, said: ‘There is no evidence that breastfeeding children at any age is in any way harmful to the mother or child, either psychologically or physically.
‘In our 21st century European culture it is very unusual, but it's not unusual historically or in other countries.
‘Sometimes you will get psychologists talking about it and saying it may be detrimental, but I don't think they're aware of all the facts.
‘You even get some healthcare professionals who will advise women to stop breastfeeding after six months, telling them there's no goodness left in the milk.
‘That's not right, the milk remains as healthy.’
