Woman Infuriated After Sister Breastfeeds 6-Year-Old Son During Important Family Dinner

Sep 06, 2021 by apost team

Parenting is not easy, and many mothers have the added challenge of taking care of their children as well as taking care of their own bodies. Childbirth is hard on the body, and many mothers also choose to breastfeed their children, which can also come with its own set of challenges. 

Most mothers have no problem with breastfeeding, but face difficulties when other people tend to judge them for breastfeeding in public. Even though breastfeeding is a natural and beautiful thing, a lot of people continue to be uncomfortable when they see a woman doing it without any shame. However, some people do not always make the right judgment calls about when it is the right time to stop breastfeeding a child. 

There is no "normal" amount of time that a woman should breastfeed, but according to Healthline, most major health organizations recommend that a woman breastfeed her baby anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. The actual duration is left up to the mother in the end; some women continue breastfeeding for a few more years while others switch over to bottle-feeding and formula quite early. 

One woman on Reddit had a strong opinion about how long her sister had been breastfeeding her children and turned to others for advice in January 2021. She was of the opinion that her sister had been breastfeeding her children for far too long and only babied her children rather than letting them grow. However, when she attempted to have a discussion about it, her sister was outraged and became quite angry. 

In her Reddit post, the woman wrote, "My sister has two children, six and two. She's pretty big on the attachment parenting, meaning they cosleep and they both still have breast milk. Her oldest has it pumped and in a bottle during the day with breastfeeding at night and the youngest still breastfeeds through both."

She explained, "It makes family get togethers difficult. There's nothing quite like seeing a two year old breastfeed. Because they're older she's been asked to feed them away from family which she gets pissed about, and I just think they're both grossly attached to her."

The woman also added information about why the situation had continued for so long. "Her oldest is autistic and so he isn't in school currently, (she wants him in a school that would be beneficial for him, which I completely understand) and he has quite severe meltdowns if he's away from her for too long. He can do about six hours before he gets cranky, he gets his milk and occasionally he's been able to push it to about nine hours, but she rarely leaves him for that long," she revealed. 

As for her younger child, "The youngest is still attached to her hip. He won't even sit with us for two minutes while she goes to the bathroom." 

However, the woman also made it a point to clarify that the situation is not all bad and stated, "She seems to be very happy and they are amazing kids. They're honestly better behaved than most I've met when they're with her." 

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As for the woman's opinion about the situation, she said, "I think she's babying them, though. I don't see why a six year old still needs to breastfeed. They still both use pacifiers and actual bottles, not sippy cups, and I think she should start transitioning them. Even though he is autistic the oldest doesn't need to be infantilised to this extent. While he can't use cups he could use sippy cups, and he seriously doesn't need a pacifier. If he doesn't have it he generally isn't bothered." 

She also added that "My entire family agrees, and all of them talk behind her back which I hate, but they won't say anything directly to her face." The point of conflict came when the sister attempted to breastfeed at the family's New Year's dinner and was asked to feed her children with a sippy cup instead, which led to the sister getting angry and walking away from everyone. "My sisters think I should've just left her alone, but I think someone seriously had to tell her," the woman concluded. 

The top comment stated, "Why the hell are they still drinking breast milk at two and six years old? Two I can understand but six? That’s ridiculous and she should see someone about that. Idk if she’s all there and it’s evidently not beneficial for the child with autism. Hope that six year old can get the right help for his situation because this babying of him will only make socializing harder for him. She sounds a bit mentally unwell."

Do you think that the woman's reaction to her sister was justified? How long do you think a woman should breastfeed her child? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to ask your friends what they think as well.