“I breastfed my son until he was six and stopped when we both agreed”

A mum breastfed her son until he was six and threw a ‘bye bye boobie’ party to celebrate stopping. Lauren McLeod, 31, thought she was going to stop breastfeeding Bowie, now seven, two-year-old – but he didn’t want to stop.

So she nursed him and sister Tigerlily four years ago at the same time, until she and Bowie made a “joint decision” to stop last year. But she still breastfeeds her daughter twice a day – and says she won’t stop until the little girl is “ready”.

Both Bowie and Tigerlily started on solids and water from six months, but Lauren considers breastfeeding to be an “added bonus” so continues to feed as well. She believes that breast milk is a powerful immune booster and a great comfort.

Lauren, a doula, said: “Bowie finally finished breastfeeding last year after he turned six. I wanted one last feed with him and made a cookie saying “bye bye boobies”. It was the end of an era and it was very emotional. , but we both knew it was time.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Tigerlily continued until she was six like her brother, but I’ll follow her.”

Lauren gave birth to Bowie on August 10, 2017, weighing 9lbs 3oz. She planned to breastfeed for up to two years, as both she and her husband Anders, 34, a science teacher, had done.

But when Bowie’s second birthday came around, he ate solid food and drank water during the day, but still wanted milk at night before bed. On May 27, 2020, Lauren gave birth to Tigerlily at 7.55am, who weighed 10lbs 1oz – but continued to nurse Bowie alongside her newborn.

She said: “I had to set more boundaries when Tigerlily was born because I was breastfeeding them both – I started feeding Bowie less. I have been very fortunate to have easy breastfeeding journeys and have had no major issues. .”

By the age of five, Bowie was only feeding at night a few times a week, and by six it was only once a week. And in August 2023, Lauren and Bowie made the joint decision to call it quits.

They celebrated their last feed on August 20th with a little party with a “bye bye boobie” cake. She said: “Towards the end he was very infrequent – sometimes he would ask me to lay him down for feedings or I would pet him if he was upset or sick.

“Bowie and I had a few conversations about it over a period of time and we agreed we were ready. The last feed was emotional, but we both knew it was time.”

Tigerlily still nurses morning and night and Lauren “wouldn’t be surprised if she’s nursing until she’s six.” And Lauren is happy to do whatever Tigerlily wants, although she says her breasts aren’t making as much milk as they were when she first had Bowie.

Cruel trolls have accused her of child abuse and being ‘horrible’ for breastfeeding her children for so long – but she disagrees. She said: “Breastfeeding beyond infancy is completely normal – it’s not weird or sexual.

“I think we’re doing the right thing for us. Breast milk has so many nutrients and helps their immune system – it’s full of good stuff. And breastfeeding is a beautiful way to bond with your baby, so that was always a very positive thing. experience for me.

“I’ve done research and it’s perfectly biologically normal to continue breastfeeding to the age we did. There’s nothing wrong with it, so in my head, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it .”