Erroneous nursing article in "Parents" Magazine

[babygirlsmama]

I'm not a big fan of this mass-market driven magazine ("Parents"), but I have a copy that some well-meaning friend gave me as a gift. Needless to say, it's chock full of questionable "advice," but the recent issue has an article on Kid Strikes that really got my attention.

There is a section regarding nursing strikes, and the discussion centers around 5 -8 month old babies. The article states, "If the strike continues for more than a week, you may be at a turning point, and your baby may be ready to wean." I believe this comment is erroneous, misleading, and potentially harmful to breastfeeding babies and their mothers.

I have learned from better informed sources that there is no scientific or biological basis for the notion that some babies self-wean before a year. Rather, many mothers assume (incorrectly) that a baby may be self weaning during a nursing strike, especially during that very highly-distractable and active period. During a "nursing strike" babies and mothers need practical and supportive advice to protect the breastfeeding relationship during this vulnerable period. I think the article is major disservice to nursing mothers and their babies, and is just plain wrong. I sent an email and letter to the editors.

What do you think? If you want to write them too, you can email them at [e-mail].

[crunchy_mommy]

My mother swears I & my sisters self-weaned around 9mos. I am convinced it was more likely a nursing strike. (My brother nursed past a year). But I wasn't there (well, I was, but I was a baby!)

I don't really have any experience with nursing strikes or self-weaning (DS has no interest in either yet ) but I've read enough to know that this is NOT good advice!! But I'm not surprised, considering the source. There is a lot in that mag that I'd question.

I do think though that the push for early solids & overfeeding could lead to early weaning. I wouldn't call that self-weaning but I don't think many moms realize they are contributing to weaning by doing those things. "Parents" is such a mainstream magazine & since the mainstream seems pretty stuck on 'wean by one' I would think much of their 'advice' is geared towards that.

[sosurreal09]

i have that! i was sooooooooo pissed when i read it! i will write them TY

UPDATE i wrote them and i am actually subscribed (did it when i was pregnant haha big mistake) i told them i was highly offended and blah blah cancel my subscription and give me my money back! we will see what happens

i was DISGUSTED by the like 6 m/o sleeping in the carriage with a sign saying boycott the breast...seriously. i told them i was infuriated and asked them for resources for their "information"
errrrrrrrrrr

[kriket]

That mag enrages me a lot too. Writing them seems like a waste. The whole magazine is a disaster.

[sosurreal09]

yea i have got 0 reply

[spughy]

I have run into the concept of the self-weaning 9-11 mo several times, from clients who have older children and a few of my friends.  What I typically say is that before about 18 months, a sudden lack of interest in nursing is considered by lactation professional types to be a nursing strike, rather than weaning (which is a gradual process).  These strikes usually, but not always, coincide with a physical development milestone like crawling or walking. I tell them that moms who want to keep nursing usually don't force it, but instead nurse when the child is sleepy (or actually asleep) or pump a bit to keep supply up, and offer whenever it seems like a good time (oh, you whacked your head? Here have a boob.).  However, I DO also say that if mom is totally ready to be done at that point, it's a convenient time for a mom-led weaning and is much less traumatic for both than stopping abruptly at an arbitrary 1 yr, 18 mo, 2, whatever their doctor/magazine/grandma told them was the appropriate length of time to nurse.

Hm, maybe I should write an article on this for our local parenting mag.... thanks for the idea!!!

[Katielady]

Yeah, my MIL has told me in separate stories that my DH wouldn't take a bottle, and that he "wouldn't nurse anymore" at 6 months. I didn't ask what she gave him instead but I'm guessing cow milk and solids. Now he's got horrible food allergies and intolerances. :(

I wish we'd come further since then!

[blake201]

Oh that's awful! My mother keeps insisting that I self-weaned at 6 months, and she keep suggesting my daughter (now 6 months) is trying to do the same because DD is so distractible and hard to nurse lately. I'm guessing I just went on a nursing strike... so I ended up on formula for a few months and then cow's milk. 

[Carma]

Seems to me that around that time teething starts and nursing might hurt the baby making them fussy at the breast. I hate that magazine!

Carma

[stambason]

I sent them the following email:

Hello,

 

 There is a section regarding nursing strikes in your magazine and the discussion centers around 5 -8 month old babies. The article states, "If the strike continues for more than a week, you may be at a turning point, and your baby may be ready to wean."  This information is incorrect; please research the topic or contact La Leche League. 

 

 A baby will not wean themselves before the age of 1.  By giving your readers advice to prematurely wean their babies you are putting the health of the child at risk.  With the recent release of a study showing that if women breastfed 900 babies would not die a year and 13 billion in healthcare would be saved and knowing that only 13% of women make it to 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, I am very disappointed that this type of advice is being given.  In addition the AAP recommends breastfeeding for 1 year and beyond and the WHO recommends 2 years. 

 

 I personally experienced a nursing strike with one of my twins and I am grateful that I had correct information about what to do and did not go by the advice in your article and wean him to formula.  It would be greatly appreciated by the breastfeeding community(discussion are on blogs about it) if you added a note in your magazine stating that you are sorry for the incorrect advice and give the correct information.  Thank you very much.

[April420]

True self weaning does not occur before the age of 2.5 years. Any time you hear of a child weaning before the age of 2.5, it is usually a nursing strike or something Mom did to unintentionally encourge the child to wean. Perhaps, Mom waits for the child to ask for milk (this is "don't offer, don't refuse...a common weaning technique).  Perhaps, she got pregnant and the taste of the milk was not enjoyable to the child (this is environmental weaning...something in his environment led to weaning, not because the child thought it was time to stop).  Maybe, someone else besides Mom contributed to the weaning...my own mother is against the idea of nursing to natural duration...she tells him all the time that he is too big for "Mommy Milk".   He ignores that comment, thankfully, but this is not to say that anohter child wouldn't feel "peer pressure" to stop. If you haven't heard of the term natural duration before...it refers to the period between 2.5 to 7, in which a child is allowed to self-wean. I prefer this term over "extended breastfeeding"   because it sounds like anything after 1 year old isn't natural. Shame on Parents Magazine for printing misleading information! There are TONS of reasons babies and toddlers wean before natural duration and it's inappropriate to call it self weaning!

[Youngfrankenstein]

Originally Posted by April420 

True self weaning does not occur before the age of 2.5 years. Any time you hear of a child weaning before the age of 2.5, it is usually a nursing strike or something Mom did to unintentionally encourge the child to wean.

I haven't heard this.  Can you cite your source?

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein 

Originally Posted by April420 

True self weaning does not occur before the age of 2.5 years. Any time you hear of a child weaning before the age of 2.5, it is usually a nursing strike or something Mom did to unintentionally encourge the child to wean.

I haven't heard this.  Can you cite your source?

I've usually heard 2 years rather than 2.5, but I've heard this very frequently...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/babyselfwean.html#selfwean

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html

http://www.llli.org/ba/Aug94.html

Also read it in Our Babies, Ourselves

and a bunch of other places
 

[April420]

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html                  @Crunchy_Mama   You actually posted this link already.  Kathy Dettwyler does say that she considers 2.5 to 7 to be the age range for "natural duration" for human breastfeeding.

[April420]

I also found this    http://www.ivillage.com/breastfeeding-when-do-children-naturally-wean/6-n-146074          

and it actually says, "

"In societies where children are allowed to nurse 'as long as they want,' they usually self-wean, with no arguments or emotional trauma, between three and four years of age ... The minimum predicted age for a natural age of weaning in humans is two and a half years, with a maximum of seven years." -- Katherine Dettwyler, PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nutrition at Texas A&M University, and author of "Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives."

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/breastfeeding-when-do-children-naturally-wean/6-n-146074#ixzz1CNtcIo5e
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[Youngfrankenstein]

I'm not much of a Dettwyler fan...

[4myfinn]

I hate that magazine.  I was happy not to renew my free subscription.  Even my husband remarked once that the whole magazine seems like one big formula advertisement.

[Skippy918]

I came across another Parents article that I was reading at the doctor's office, that mentioned that your 4-6 month old should be ready to be night-weaned and capable of STTN.  Seriously?  When DS was that age, he was still getting up 2-3 times a night to eat. 

[jeminijad]

Originally Posted by Skippy918 

I came across another Parents article that I was reading at the doctor's office, that mentioned that your 4-6 month old should be ready to be night-weaned and capable of STTN.  Seriously?  When DS was that age, he was still getting up 2-3 times a night to eat. 

Mine STTN 90% of the time at that age, and she was still breastfed. I think it is much more common with crib sleepers.

[starbuckmom]

I am sad that I took what I thought was self weaning for my twins to be just a nursing strike.  I offered and they refused.  By then, one was mostly on formula b/c of a stupid mistake on my part by using mostly formula while traveling when the twins were just  3mos old to my grandpas funeral.  I should have been offering the breast so much more during that time and didn't so my milk supply took a nosedive.  I did keep one nursing b/c I love to nurse and I know it's best for them.  I did get frustrated and quite b/c I thought they were done.  They refused so much and were so distracted b/c of older brother.

I am happy to read this b/c if we have another baby, we will work through the everything and nurse past a year.  My oldest went to 18mos.