A woman named Sheryl Wynne, who lives in West Yorkshire breastfeeds her two kids, a six-year-old son and a five-year-old son. According to this mother, she is doing this because she wanted to develop a lifetime bond with her kids.
39-year-old Wynne, breastfeeds her both sons three times a day, in the morning before they go to school, in the evening, and at night.
“I think about when I’ll stop all of the time,” she shared with Liverpool Echo.
“It’s never felt right to end it unnecessarily. It’s what they’re asking for and it’s biologically normal even if it’s not in society.”
“We started the conversation when Riley was three when they would stop having mummy milk and Riley said when he’s 10 and I told him there’s no chance.” She described.
“The choice isn’t just mine, it’s a relationship because it’s something we do together.”
“It’s not like I don’t have a choice, a lot of the time they ask for it and I’ll tell them to get off. I do wonder if they’d just stay on there all night.”
“It’s made us closer. It’s the fact they know they can come to me and be comforted at any time.”
She also said, “We can do that without breastfeeding, a lot of people who aren’t breastfeeding will still respond to that but it’s part of my toolbox.”
“It’s formed part of our relationship and that’s my main drive for continuing breastfeeding.”
As per Liverpool Echo, many people especially her near and dear ones often drop negative comments on her post; however, it couldn’t stop her to do this practice because she thinks that she is doing best for her kids.
“It’s about comfort. If they’re ill, that’s where they want to be to help them calm down but we don’t live in a society that’s supportive of that after infancy which is why we don’t see it.”
“They want to be with me and snuggle with me even when they aren’t breastfeeding.”
“I’ve been pretty lucky in that I haven’t had negative comments from strangers but family members and people I know have asked if I think I should stop.”
“They question whether the way my children behave is anything to do with them being breastfed. They’re hard work but that’s children.”
“People think they’re experts in other people’s children but I’m not doing it blind even though I am following my instincts in many ways.”
She also shared that her boys are trained and never bother her whenever they go out because she had already told them that it’s something they couldn’t ask for in public.
“Riley and Mylo pick up on people’s opinions. My eldest wouldn’t ask for it when we’re out because he knows other people will see but he will behind closed doors but my youngest is confident.
“Before Mylo went into preschool he was asking for mummy milk in the playground in the morning.
“He took me to the bench and I had to dig deep into myself. I wanted to tell him we weren’t doing it there because people could see but I didn’t want to pass my anxieties onto him. But now he is well trained,” Sheryl told.
The mother of two also revealed that she went through a difficult time while giving birth to her elder son, that’s why she was so hell-bent to breastfeed her boys even after the age of two.
“Breastfeeding helped me to keep that connection going and I had it in my head that I wanted to tandem breastfeed. It felt magical and empowering to be sustaining two babies at the same time.”
“I had a traumatic birth and because of that experience, I felt like I was a failure. I felt like I hadn’t done it right so I needed the breastfeeding relationship to succeed.”
“It wasn’t until I started breastfeeding Riley that I learned what it was about. It was a lot harder than I thought.”
Share Your Thoughts:
What are your thoughts about this story? Do you believe mothers should breastfeed their children even after the age of two?
Liverpool Echo – Images & Featured Images via Sheryl the Healing Birth Doula on Instagram
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