Supermodel Ashley Graham has become such an inspiration to women and mothers all around the world. She welcomed her son Isaac with her husband Justin Ervin this past January, and she has been very open about the realities of motherhood. Her most prominent topic on her social media regarding motherhood is breastfeeding. In previous articles, we’ve read that she made a commitment long before her son was born to breastfeed as long as it was possible. Then, after Isaac was born, she sought professional help from lactation consultants when breastfeeding was incredibly painful. She has since stayed true to her commitment and has posted several videos of her son Isaac breastfeeding like a champ.
In her latest Instagram post, Ashley shared another one of these wonderful videos. In the first videos of her post, Justin and Isaac spent time cuddling on the couch. Then, we see a video with no audio of Isaac breastfeeding. Next, Ashley points the camera up to her face and we see little Isaac’s hand reaching up for his mother’s lips as he eats. She sweetly asks him if he wants to go swimming as he grabs her bottom lip. The last pictures are of Isaac playing safely in an inflatable pool.
Ashley has engaged in the post’s comments several times. First, many followers have commented about Isaac’s successful latch onto her breast. She has added that Isaac is a “master latcher”. The term “latch” is referred to how well a baby’s mouth attaches to a breast. A baby’s mouth should be opened wide and cover the entire nipple and areola of a breast. This ensures that they can drink the most milk out of a breast. If they only suck on the nipple, this is known as a “shallow” latch and can cause problems for everyone.
Next, other breastfeeding mothers have congratulated Ashley for being able to breastfeed for six months. It is recommended that babies drink only breastmilk or formula for six months, and then they can be introduced to solid foods. This is quite an accomplishment on Ashley’s part since the number of mothers and babies who continue breastfeeding significantly decreases after three months.
Now, Ashley is wondering how long she will actually continue to breastfeed. She asked in the comments, “[H]ow do you breastfeed a 2-year-old, him eat solids and still have enough milk to breastfeed? I feel like I’ll have to pump all day in between feedings to keep my supply up”. Hundreds of women have responded to her question and reassured her that her body will adjust to how much milk Isaac will need as he gets older. Many have shared that they are still successfully breastfeeding two-and-a-half to even seven-year-olds!
It is completely up to the mother and the baby how long they would like to continue breastfeeding. After a baby reaches their first birthday, they can be introduced to whole cow’s milk and the weaning process can begin at any time. Some mothers decide to wait to wean until their baby starts to become more interested in other things, while others end more abruptly because their supply becomes so low. Mothers should not feel pressured to choose to breastfeed in the first place nor should they feel pressured to stop.
Source: YahooEntertainment