"Breastfeeding into your baby's second year or beyond alongside other foods is ideal," says the NHS website. It adds: "You and your baby can carry on enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding for as long as you like."
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans [PDF-30.6MB] recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months, and then continuing breastfeeding while introducing appropriate complementary foods until your child is 12 months old or older.
It's called re-lactation. It's possible for the female body to come back from “drying up” and produce milk again. In fact, many mothers of adopted children are able to pump and use several methods in order to stimulate their bodies to produce milk, even if they haven't given birth!
For the rest of the world it's very common that toddlers 4 to 5 years old still are nursed by moms for bonding and health reasons. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding babies up to two years, precisely because of the breast-cancer-prevention benefits.
Breastmilk maintains nutritional value as well as emotional benefits and the World Health Organisation and the Department of Health recommend that breastfeeding continues, with the appropriate additional of complementary foods, for two years and beyond.
Stomach cramps: Babies using spoiled, expired, or lumpy breast milk can cause stomach cramps, bloating, bloating, upset stomach, and fussiness. Food poisoning: Often spoiled breast milk will be contaminated, causing the infant to be infected with bacteria and have diarrhea and vomiting.
“If they feed for as long as they want to they will naturally wean. “In a lot of countries it's perfectly normal to breastfeed older children and they will do it for a lot longer than we do in the West.”
After that, they recommend breastfeeding as long as “mutually desired by mother and infant.” The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and then continuing to breastfeed for “up to 2 years and beyond.”
It's not unusual for milky discharge to continue for up to two to three years after discontinuing breastfeeding and it typically affects both breasts.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that continued breastfeeding has benefits for as long as mom and child want to do it. And the World Health Organization (WHO) takes it a step further by recommending that babies be breastfed for 2 years or more, as long as all their nutritional needs are being met.
Lactation generally continues as long as milk is removed from your breast. The more milk that's removed, the more milk your body makes to replace it. Frequent feeding or pumping will cause your body to make more milk.
Generally speaking, you can expect to commit to at least two weeks of stimulation before seeing milk production results. It takes at least 30 days of relactation effort to get a good idea of what your milk supply will be.
Galactorrhea (guh-LACK-toe-REE-uh) is milk discharge from the breast that is unrelated to breastfeeding or that happens at least one year after stopping breastfeeding. It usually happens in both breasts, but it can also happen in only one. Both women and men can have galactorrhea.
The milk production can continue for up to a period of 2-3 years. Breast milk, the healthiest food you can give to your baby, contains fat, which babies and even young kids need to grow and help their body absorb and process essential vitamins and minerals.
With “dry” breastfeeding your baby does not actually drink significant amounts of milk, but he is able to smell and taste the droplets of milk that remain in your breast after pumping.
After one year, the AAP recommends breastfeeding for as long you and your baby wish to do so. The AAP also states that "There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."
In Mongolia, breastfeeding is celebrated and public breastfeeding encouraged with 65 percent of babies being exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Breastfeeding also tends to continue until after the second birthday.
Many women who choose breastfeeding after returning to work, express milk during the day and store this milk for a future feeding. When infants do not finish a bottle of expressed breastmilk, doctors recommend unfinished portions be thrown away.
Mothers who have breastfed for a longer duration may be able to express milk for a longer time after weaning. Any stimulation, e.g. checking to see if milk is still there, frequent breast self-exams, friction from a bra , stimulation during intercourse, etc., can cause further production.
Relactation is not easy. It may or may not work for you. Women who relactate because of the emotional benefits of nursing generally feel more successful than those who focus on their milk supply. In a survey of women who attempted relactation, 75% felt it had been a positive experience.
Pumping for Relactation
Not only does it stimulate both breasts to produce milk, but pumping both breasts at once supports higher prolactin levels, more letdowns, and fattier milk content. That being said, everyone responds differently to pumping. That's why consistency is key.
Is relactation safe? Relactation is perfectly safe, but you'll want to enlist the help of your baby's doctor and/or a lactation consultant to make sure your baby is always receiving enough nourishment as you transition from formula to breast milk.
Relactation generally works best if you either gave birth fairly recently (especially if your baby is less than 3 months old) or you've only stopped nursing for a short period of time. While you might struggle to return to exclusive breastfeeding, most women will produce some milk and supplement with formula.