Public Breast Feeding

From Local6 News via the Drudge Report:

From now on, mothers who wish to breast-feed their babies are welcome to do so in Burger King restaurants.
The fast-food chain announced its new policy Friday, one day before a planned “nurse-in.”
…
Under the new policy, employees are told if a customer complains about a mother who’s breast-feeding, they are to explain that breast-feeding is permitted in the restaurant and suggest that the complaining customer move.

There are a couple of ways to look at this issue. On one hand breastfeeding is a perfectly natural activity taking place between a mother and her baby. On the other hand we have mothers who make a spectacle of the fact that they are breast feeding often causing discomfort for others, particularly males, in the area.
As with any issue we all need to exercise some common sense when finding ourselves in a breastfeeding situation. Those around the woman who is breastfeeding need to learn to make themselves comfortable with it. Avert your eyes, if need be, or move out of the area. Gawking and staring probably won’t be appreaciated.
For the mothers, you should make an effort to be discrete. I know most mothers already do but there are some who make a big production out of exposing their breast and letting the little darling suckle right out in plain view while staring down any who look like they’re going to complain. Remember that not everybody wants to get a look at your breast and the fact that you are exposing it is going to make some people uncomfortable. Especially men accompanied by their significant others. So be considerate. Find a quiet area and drape a blanket over the baby while its feeding.
A little common courtesey from both sides will make this issue easier for all of us.
I do, however, have another point to make on this topic. I have seen a few women, many of the members of the La Leche League, who have breastfed their children far beyond the 1 year range suggested by most pediatricians. Here is what the FAQ page on the La Leche website had to say:

A mother and her baby should breastfeed for as long as they wish to breastfeed. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that “breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.” * As solids are introduced, usually around the middle of the first year, your baby will shift his primary source of nutrition from your milk to other foods.
All the benefits of human milk–including nutritional and health–continue for as long as your baby receives your milk. In fact, as your baby takes less human milk, these advantages are condensed into what milk is produced. Many of the health benefits of human milk are dose related, that is, the longer the baby receives human milk, the greater are the benefits.

I have recently observed a child no younger than five years old who was still breastfeeding from his mother. Is there really any benefit for the child at that age? I’m no expert on the subject, but what types of benefits could the baby possibly be getting from its mother’s milk that it couldn’t get from an ordinary toddler’s diet?
Most health authorities, including Pediatrics magazine, say that breastfeeding should go on for approximately 12 months and then after that for as long as the mother and child want. I can understand a mother’s wish for their child to gain as many benefits from breastfeeding as possible but beyond a certain age it begins to become inappropriate. In this CNN story some of the mothers being questioned had children as old as 10 who were still breastfeeding. At that age one would begin to think that the mother is getting more out of it than the child.
So again, common sense has to come into play. By the time your child begins to get their permanent teeth it is probably time to stop breastfeeding, usually around 4-5 years. Most mother’s are simply unable to breastfeed that long anyway due to job restrictions and other pressures.
In the end the final decision is going to lay with the mother, but I don’t think its a very smart idea to have too many ten year olds still breastfeeding.