Long-term breastfeeding; changing attitudes and overcoming challenges

The experiences of 107 Australian women who were breastfeeding a child two years or older were gathered via a written questionnaire with open-ended questions. Eighty-seven percent of women had not originally intended to breastfeed long-term and many had initially felt disgust for breastfeeding beyond infancy. Mothers changed their opinion about long-term breastfeeding as they saw their child enjoy breastfeeding, as their knowledge about breastfeeding increased and as they were exposed to long-term breastfeeding role models. It was common for mothers to be shocked the first time they saw a non-infant breastfeed but this exposure was also a part of the process by which they came to consider continuing to breastfeed themselves. Women often found long-term breastfeeding role models as well as information and moral support for breastfeeding continuance within a peer breastfeeding support organisation (the Australian Breastfeeding Association). Previous breastfeeding experiences had assisted women in their current breastfeeding relationship. Mothers had overcome many challenges in order to continue breastfeeding and breastfeeding was sometimes discontinuous, with children weaning from days to years before resuming breastfeeding. This study suggests that postnatal interventions may be successful in increasing breastfeeding duration. Such interventions might include: continuing provision of breastfeeding information throughout the lactation period, facilitation of exposure to long-term breastfeeding, and referral to peer breastfeeding support organisations.