How long should a baby breastfeed?

- How many months should a baby be breastfed at most?

A few years ago, mothers and fathers used to say that a child who is not breastfed has a lot of delay in physical and mental development and may even be stunted. Today's woman hesitates to breastfeed her baby because she believes that breastfeeding spoils her 'body figure'. However, doctors today advise every mother to breastfeed her baby for the first few months after birth. Nowadays there is a controversy about how many months a baby should be breastfed abroad. Most doctors believe that a baby should normally be breastfed for ten to twelve months. As for what should be the normal or 'natural' duration of breast-feeding, Catherine, professor of human development at the University of Texas, USA, believes that this period should be three to six years! This observation of his may seem absurd and startling to the wider community of mothers. Compared to other mammals (females), females also have to continue feeding their babies with their milk for a long time like mammals. The rules that we currently follow in terms of breastfeeding the baby are that the mother should stop breastfeeding when the baby's weight is three times its birth weight. This happens around the time the child turns one year old. Another theory is that mammals breastfeed their young for as long as they were in the womb.

Professor Catherine has researched and written a book on breastfeeding. It has been stated that both the above theories are wrong. They write that it is imperative to wean the baby to four times its birth weight. This means that a child should be weaned at the age of two or three. In some animal case studies, it has been observed that the cubs are continued until the weight of the cubs is about one-third of the weight of an adult animal.

Professor Catherine has also observed that animals that resemble each other in many ways, such as chimpanzees. And gorillas continue to nurse cubs for approximately six times the period of fetal maturation. If this rule is applied to the human race, people should breastfeed the child for four and a half to five years. Mammals stop chewing when their young get chewing teeth. Even we have some places where people apply such a rule, but the young cattle do not get teeth till the age of six years. Another reason is that at this age the child's immune system is enhanced and hence the nutrition of mother's milk is not necessary for him. He also starts taking small amounts of food so at that stage he takes the place of milk.

In ancient times when the human race did not know the art of cooking, children were brought up only on mother's milk. As sublimation began, the practice of breastfeeding began to decline. Mothers were also benefited by carrying the baby for a longer period of time in that they could give birth to more children.

All this is true, but man is not a chimpanzee or a gorilla. Breastfeeding is a natural process and nursing the baby brings mental joy to the mother. Every mother is concerned for the physical development and nutrition of the child. A mother who fulfills a duty by breastfeeding, does not care about her 'body figure' or body shape, a baby raised by breastfeeding has immunity against allergies, colds, cancer, diabetes and ear diseases. Not only this, the child's cognitive ability, 'IQ' also increases. Professor Catherine believes it is beneficial to leave the child running on their own, without setting a specific age.

They believe that the breast is not the center of sexual impulse and therefore a mother should not feel shy or ashamed to breastfeed her baby even in public when needed.