Just a few reasons to nurse past a year

I occasionally encounter questions. I nursed my son for 25 months and am now at 14 months with my daughter, yes, while pregnant! I know some of my other fellow mommies are in the same boat, so I am sharing just a few of the wonderful reasons why nursing past a year is so important.

■“Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers.” (2)

■“Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation. In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process.” (3)

■There is “a significant inverse association between duration of lactation and breast cancer risk.” (4)

■Breastfeeding beyond one year “can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer by about one-third.” (5)

■“The longer a woman breastfeeds, the less likely she is to get endometrial cancer.” (6)

There are, of course, more reasons, but these are some great facts to throw out there in case you should encounter a skeptical or nosy friend or family member!