In the early years of parenting, mothers spend countless hours considering the best ways to raise their children to be happy and healthy. One of the first decisions that they make is how to feed their babies. Once a mother has chosen to breastfeed, it may seem like that is that, but the question of how long to breastfeed a child is laced with controversy and conflict in our society. It is rare to see a child nursing to 6 months, let alone into toddlerhood. What about children that are nursed past toddlerhood, children that are nursed to their third birthday and sometimes far beyond? What brings a mother to decide to continue breastfeeding for so long past the societal norm? Children who breastfeed past their third birthday certainly exist. There are probably many more—even just in your own community—than you realize, but why don’t we see these nursing children more? In this collection of stories from mothers all over the world and from many walks of life, Janell E. Robisch takes you on an exploration of the reasons, joys, and challenges of full-term nursing from the perspective of the very mothers who have been there, done that.
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