Mum faces death threats over her breastfeeding method

Mum faces death threats over breastfeeding her four-year-old toddler

A mum-of-two has faced death threats for continuing to breastfeed her four-year-old daughter.

Melissa Ostroth was even accused of child abuse by one sick troll as she talked about her decision to breastfeed her daughters Emilia, four, and Wrenly, two.

She encourages letting the child decide when they want to stop breastfeeding, rather than enforced weaning at a certain age.

The 34-year-old from Ohio, who feeds her two children up to ten times a day, has shared her parenting journey on Instagram.

In one post, she wrote: "Don't let anyone shame you for breastfeeding past infancy.

"Continue to breastfeed for as long as you and your child desires. Don't let those who are not educated or understand the benefits of natural term weaning impact your decision on how long you want to breastfeed for."

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Tell me again how breastfeeding my toddler is just for myself? Doing loads of laundry with a child hanging off my breast is just for me right? Breastfeeding a monkey-swinging, gymnastics-tumbling, handstand-attempting child while your nipple is in their mouth is what us self-absorbed mothers are constantly longing for! No one is breastfeeding their toddler or older child for themselves. It is for their child alone. I repeat: it is for their child alone. No one is forcing their child to breastfeed and not ween. Don't get me wrong, I still love breastfeeding-the bond and those quiet moments when my toddler is nursing and cuddling with me fills my heart with joy. The fact I can cure any tears in a matter of seconds, knowing that they are taking in antibodies and immunities that are tailor-made for them, is so amazing. However, for whatever reason, some people have gotten it into their heads that mothers who practice natural-term weening are doing it for themselves and are just not willing "to cut the cord." Those people are wrong. Breastmilk continues to provide antibodies, immunities, white blood cells, and hormones that are so important for a child to grow. Breastmilk doesn't lose its benefits with age. In fact "human milk in the second year postpartum contained significantly higher concentrations of total protein, lactoferrin, lysozyme and Immunoglobulin A, than milk bank samples, and significantly lower concentrations of zinc, calcium, iron and oligosaccharides," (Perrin, 2016). In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides: * 29% of energy requirements * 43% of protein requirements * 36% of calcium requirements * 75% of vitamin A requirements * 76% of folate requirements * 94% of vitamin B12 requirements * 60% of vitamin C requirements * (Dewey, 2001) Pretty awesome, right? ☝🏼 Besides all the benefits mentioned above, breastmilk provides all the immunoglobulins the immune system takes to develop, which takes around 5 years. (Continued in comments and blog) https://milkitivity.com/stopping-saying-that-breastfeeding-past-infancy-is-for-ourselves/ #milkitivity#normalizebreastfeeding

The lactation consultant said that while many people are encouraging of her choices, she does also face criticism.

She said: “I received many negative comments, even death threats and requests that I kill myself."

Some have slammed Melissa for continuing to breastfeed after the age of one, while another called it “borderline abusive”.

But she hopes that by sharing her story, Melissa can diffuse some of the misconceptions over natural-term weaning.

She stressed the benefits of breastfeeding past infancy, saying it continues to offer worthy health benefits to the child.

She hopes to break the taboo around breastfeeding older children and encouraged other mums to follow their own path when it comes to weaning.

Jess Bell

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