A Mom Breastfed Her Son Until He Was 6 and Then She Organized a Farewell to Boobs for Him

The young mom, Lauren, unexpectedly became famous when her post about breastfeeding went viral. She continued to breastfeed both of her children, even though her older child was 5 years old at the time. Some people supported her, while others criticized her. However, Lauren continued to do things her own way and stopped breastfeeding her son when he was 6 years old.

Sudden fame

In 2017, Lauren gave birth to her first child Bowie. She planned to breastfeed him until he was two years old, following her mother’s advice. However, when her son turned two, the boy didn’t want to give up the food he was so used to, and the mom didn’t insist on it. Later, in 2020, she gave birth to her daughter Tigerlily. Since then, she’s been breastfeeding two children.

When McLeod shared her experience online, thousands of people started commenting on the posts. And some of the comments were far from positive. The woman, who is still nursing her 5-year-old son, was heavily criticized. Online users wrote that she was perverting the very notion of breastfeeding: “I’ve been called a ‘sick nut,’ I’ve been told I’m disgusting, weird, gross, selfish, abusing my children, the list goes on.”

The truth from Lauren’s perspective

Lauren says that although she hadn’t planned to breastfeed her son for so long, over time, it became the best decision she’s made as a parent. She started looking for information on the World Health Organization guidelines and found no evidence that breastfeeding after any age posed any harm to the child’s physical or mental health.

In fact, the more she delved into the subject, the more she became convinced that she was in the right. Breastfeeding turns out to be beneficial to both the mother and the child’s health: “Milk is full of antibodies and nutritional support. It’s really great for supporting his brain development. There are some beautiful benefits for me as well, it can lower your risk of some cancers and release oxytocin every time you breastfeed.”

According to McLeod, she was prepared for the negativity online because everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. She believes that many people have simply forgotten the original purpose of a woman’s body. And so they judge her choices. But in this way, says Lauren, she is just bonding with her son, and there is nothing weird or abnormal about it.

“It’s a beautiful thing for us to bond and reconnect after a long day. I’ve been really lucky to have easy breastfeeding journeys, and I’ve had no major struggles,” shares McLeod with the press. After her sudden fame, the Australian frequently receives them in her home. For the blogger, though, it’s an opportunity to be heard by even more people.

Lauren is committed to helping women not only through her words but through her actions as well. For a while, she also breastfed her friend’s baby, as her friend had to go away for a few days. The blogger says that breastfeeding someone else’s baby seemed strange at first, but over time it became something completely natural: “People have been doing this since the dawn of time, grandparents would feed their grandchildren.”

What the experts say

We started wondering what scientists had to say on this subject —is it true that there is no set age at which children should stop being breastfed? It turns out Lauren was right. The experts really don’t put a clear limit on it. They advise breastfeeding babies for at least the first 12 months of life, starting to introduce complementary foods at six months. Beyond that, it’s the parents’ choice.

Doctors also point out that breast milk has a positive impact on the child’s health, protecting them from many illnesses. And the breastfeeding process itself is extremely beneficial for the mother.

Lauren stopped breastfeeding her son when he was 6 years old.

Recently, Lauren shared important news with her followers: she has stopped breastfeeding her son. Her son is now 6 years old, and he was breastfeeding less and less frequently. For a long time, Lauren was only breastfeeding him once a week before bedtime, and that’s when she realized that her son would soon completely stop drinking her breast milk.

“I chose to have a ‘last boobie’ because I wanted to remember the last time, and make it special. We had talked about this for a couple of months prior, so we both knew it was coming, and we were both okay with it, but it was still really sad for us both. I’m happy that we ended on a positive note, and so grateful for the beautiful journey we have had,” woman wrote. In honor of this event, Lauren prepared a cake for her son.

Under this post, Lauren received many comments. Women expressed their support and called her an example to follow. “Such a lovely way to say goodbye to boobie! You’re such an inspiration for extended feeding,” one woman wrote. “Sending you both love while you navigate this new normal,” said another user.

Breastfeeding still remains a stigmatized topic and sparks heated debates. Many celebrities share photos of themselves breastfeeding their babies to encourage women around the world not to feel ashamed of the breastfeeding process.