A mother-of-two who still breastfeeds her five-year-old son has said she'll only stop when he asks to, despite receiving online backlash from trolls. Lauren McLeod gave birth to her first child, Bowie in August 2017 and initially planned to breastfeed him until he turned two, the Mirror reports.
However, when Bowie became a toddler he showed no signs of wanting to stop being breastfed so the 29-year-old from Perth, Western Australia, decided to keep it up even after giving birth to daughter Tiger Lily in May 2020. She now breastfeeds both children - with Bowie feeding up to three times a week despite his age and Tiger Lily feeding 'on demand'.
The devoted mother believes her milk is a strong immunity booster for her children as well as a great comfort and has even taken on the task of breastfeeding her friend's eight-month-old so she could look after him. However, her unusual parenting methods have stirred up some controversy online and trolls have branded her as 'gross' after they accused her of child abuse as they claim her kids are too old to be breastfed.
Lauren believes her eldest son will stop breastfeeding soon but firmly reinstated that she will stop when he wants to. She said: "Breastfeeding beyond infancy is completely normal.
"I never thought I'd be breastfeeding my child aged five but I'm like any other mum doing the best I can for my children. It's not weird or sexual, it's completely normal and I will keep going until they want to stop.
"I get upset thinking about when we do stop - it's been a huge part of our lives and I don't think Bowie will keep feeding until six." Lauren gave birth to Bowie on August 10 2017 at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch in Western Australia who weighed 9lbs 3oz.
She continued: "Both my husband, Anders, 33, and I were breastfed until we were two so that was always the goal. We thought he would self-wean by that point but two came and went. He is now five and breastfeeds only at bedtime and a few times a week."
However, Lauren is not fazed by the hate she receives online as she says it comes from a 'lack of education' and revealed that 'nobody has ever said anything to my face'. She added: "Someone accused me of not feeding him food - of course we do. I believe we're doing the right thing for us.
"It's a beautiful thing for us to bond and reconnect after a long day". Lauren gave birth to her second child, Tiger Lily on 27th May 2020 who weighed 10lbs 1oz.
She said: "I had to set more boundaries for myself when Tiger Lily was born because I was breastfeeding both of them - I started to feed Bowie less. I've been really lucky to have easy breastfeeding journeys and I've had no major struggles.
Lauren has also breastfed her friend's baby who refused to take bottles while she babysat them and believes society should normalise breastfeeding other people's babies. The mum confessed: "It was a little strange feeding a baby who wasn't mine, but not in a bad way.
"It felt so natural, and it was really nice to help my friend as he was only eight months old, and she didn't want to leave him with anyone else." She explained: "A lot of breastfed babies won't take bottles and it makes it harder for breastfeeding people to go back to work.
"It's like that saying, it takes a village, and it's a really beautiful way to look at it. People have been doing this since the dawn of time, grandparents would feed their grandchildren.
"I've donated a lot of express milk to parents who need it."
Lauren has now shared her top tips for breastfeeding:
- Drink lots of water.
- Make sure you're comfortable before latching a baby - sit with your shoulders back and relaxed with lots of pillows and bring the baby up to you.
- Eat lots of food and take care of yourself.
- Breastfeed in the side-lying position in the early days if you feel sore.
- Ask for help if you need it.
- Ask your midwife to check for tongue and lip ties as they are really common and can cause issues with latching.
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