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CNN Live Today
When Is a Child Too Old to Breast-Fed?
Aired July 10, 2002 - 11:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Interesting discussions, we were talking about it even before the break. This morning, we are taking a closer look at a controversial breast-feeding case. A mother was nursing her 5-year-old son -- 5 years old. Under a judge's orders, he was removed from the home for six months. He is now 8 years old. He is back with his mom, still breast-feeding, 8 years old. People are like, did we hear that right? Eight years old?
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins with us now with some answers. Who are we to judge?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There you go. I -- yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
COHEN: I think that for most people that is...
KAGAN: Although I've got to say...
COHEN: ... I think personally the right response. Right.
KAGAN: Eight years old?
COHEN: I have been talking about this for 24 hours now. People get really -- breasts put people in a tizzy.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: What is it about breasts, Elizabeth?
COHEN: What is it about -- I don't know.
KAGAN: Everyone has an opinion about breasts, don't they?
COHEN: They do. And everyone has an opinion about breast- feeding. I mean, it's amazing to me that even people who don't have children, never plan on having children have these very strong opinions about who should be breast-fed and for how long and all of that. But I digress, so let's get back to this case here.
Daryn asked the question: When is a child too old to be breast- fed? When is it time to say just enough. Well, you know what medical authorities say? They say, We don't have an answer. We don't have a maximum age. There is no age at which you ought to tell the child, go away and get yourself a cup.
Let's look at what the American Academy of Pediatrics has to say. They say that children -- it is recommended that breast-feeding continue for at least 12 months, and therefore, for as long as is mutually desired, mutually desired between the mom and the baby. The World Health Organization says children should be breast-fed up to two years or longer.
So the bottom line here is as long as it is mutually desired. If the child is still wanting to breast-feed, at age 3, at age 4, at age 5, the medical authorities that we spoke with said that's fine. If a child is saying at age 4 or 5, you know what, mommy, let's stop this, then the mommy ought to stop this.
Now, this woman who is nursing her 8-year-old, she is a bit of a red herring really, because there are not a whole lot of women out there who are nursing 8-year-olds. There are support groups for women who do what's called extended breast-feeding, but most of those kids are sort of 3, 4, 5, 6. Yes, there are people who are nursing their 7, 8, 9-year-olds, but they are really few and far between.
Legally speaking, also, this woman is a little bit different. This woman's case went way further than most cases ever get. There have been some cases where judges have been called in to say if a child should be taken way from a mother who is breast-feeding her 6- year-old. And in many cases the judges have said what you said at the beginning of this segment, which is like, Hey, it's her kid. The kid is enjoying it, mom is enjoying it. Who are we to butt in here?
KAGAN: Yes. But when he has a date at 8 o'clock -- no, that's a different -- no, but you know, I think the pressure goes on both sides. My cousin is a new mom. She just had a baby a couple weeks ago. I'm a godmother.
COHEN: There you go -- congratulations.
KAGAN: You know, if you -- she has to make the choice now, you know, do you breast-feed or do you bottle feed? On the other side, there is the pressure of, god forbid, you pull out a bottle in public these days...
COHEN: Right.
KAGAN: ... it's like you are not breast-feeding your child.
COHEN: Exactly.
KAGAN: You know, it is such a personal thing. Why can't women, mothers, families make those decisions on their own and the rest of us just butt out of what they figure out?
COHEN: Yes, yes.
KAGAN: I mean, I wasn't breast-fed; most of us weren't.
COHEN: Right. KAGAN: We're doing fine.
COHEN: You're pretty normal.
KAGAN: Some might think, you know, that might have helped.
COHEN: Right.
KAGAN: But I mean, when you were -- now, you have two children.
COHEN: Right.
KAGAN: And you went through this twice. Didn't you find that there was all of this outside opinion, this is what you should do, this is what you have to do.
COHEN: Oh, absolutely. I mean, people who I didn't know would come up to me and say, are you breast-feeding? Are you bottle feeding?
KAGAN: Yes.
COHEN: And I'm like, who are you? Why are you giving me this grief? And I think what is really important here is that mothers need to be told -- the information, which is that breast is best when a child is a baby. There is no question that it's best. But you know what? Formula is not going to kill your child. Your child is still going to grow up to be OK, maybe grow up to be like Daryn Kagan one day, CNN superstar.
KAGAN: Let's hope not.
COHEN: But that it's OK. But you're right. People have very strong opinions, and they try to influence women on both sides. And it's tough, and it's tough for moms.
KAGAN: Yes. Figure it out for yourself.
COHEN: There you go.
KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by...
COHEN: OK.
KAGAN: ... to talk about a topic that I know people will be discussing as the day goes on.
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