Extended Breastfeeding After 52: Science, Benefits & Personal Experience

Name: Extended Breastfeeding After 52: Science, Benefits & Personal Experience
Uploaded: 2026-10-21T00:00:04+00:00
Duration: 18 min 15 s
Channel: suvisjournalism

00:00Hi guys! Some of you might be familiar with who I am and know a little bit about our story,

00:06but if you're seeing me for the first time, my name's Suvi and I'm 52 years old and I'm the

00:12proud

00:12mum of two really beautiful children, the second of whom was born after a very long, very grueling,

00:19world record-breaking IVF journey that spanned seven years and took 33 rounds. So to say I'm

00:28lucky is just an absolute understatement. And we've had so many beautiful people follow our

00:34journey and give really good support. You know, I've had people following from all over and being

00:42familiar with our journey, you know, the pregnancy, the birth and then our breastfeeding journey as

00:49well. And I am a really, really proud advocate for breastfeeding and it's something that I'm

00:55passionate about. And it's something that I've been really proud to share our journey because I

01:01think the journey into motherhood can be really tough for many people. And then breastfeeding can

01:06be another layer of just, you can run into difficulties and it can be a real challenge.

01:11So in today's video, I wanted to do a little bit of a recap about some of the challenges that

01:16we faced

01:17as well as a bit of an update. So my second child is now nearly four and I'm proud to

01:24still be

01:24breastfeeding at the age of 52. So it is possible to all you mums out there that might be going

01:31through an IVF journey. You might be in your late forties or even early fifties. It's very possible.

01:39But in terms of a recap, so one of the reasons I am really passionate about breastfeeding, I mean,

01:44there's a lot of reasons I'm really passionate about it. But one of the reasons is that we did

01:48actually have a lot of difficulties at the start when, when my second child was born. And when my daughter

01:54was born, so there's quite a big age gap between them. When my daughter was born, I did breastfeed

02:00her too. And I didn't have any difficulties because the pregnancy was fairly uncomplicated.

02:06And I breastfed her for eight months. And that's something I regret. I feel that I stopped too early.

02:13And there was a few factors, including the fact that we were doing a move. And somehow I just thought

02:18that it was going to be easy and, you know, just putting her on the bottle. And it is something

02:23I

02:23regretted. So with my second child, I really did think that no, I really was committed to extended

02:30breastfeeding. But then of course, lo and behold, it was a complicated pregnancy. I had gestational

02:36diabetes. When he was born, his sugars dropped really low. So he actually started life in the special

02:43care nursery on a glucose drip. And then of course, I had a postpartum hemorrhage. So that really delayed

02:52the onset of the breastfeeding for us, for our journey and did make it more complicated. So,

02:59you know, I had a really good support from my lactation consultant. We ended up having to use

03:05the supplemental nursing system, which is where you basically have either expressed breast milk or

03:13formula in a bottle. And then you have an actual tubing that runs just perpendicular to your nipple.

03:19And so when you put the baby on to latch, when they're drawing, they're getting that reinforcement

03:26from the bottle of milk that you've got. But what it's essentially doing is it's teaching

03:30them to breastfeed and it's bringing your milk on because they're doing the mechanical action to bring

03:37on that letdown and they're getting the reward because that can be a really big issue. If you've

03:44had delays with starting breastfeeding, then you try and put a baby on to latch. If there isn't the milk

03:50that's flowing because breastfeeding, of course, everyone says it's a supply and demand. But if you've

03:55got challenges like a postpartum hemorrhage like I did, then it becomes a demand and supply process.

04:01And so using the supplemental nursing system can create that demand and then your body comes in

04:07with the supply. So we had that and then I was having to use the pump a lot at the

04:14beginning until

04:15my child was then strong enough to actually breastfeed for himself. And then obviously then when I started

04:22sharing the breastfeeding, we got so many people that were following it, you know, and giving really

04:28good encouragement. Like I had pregnant women, I had new mums, I even had grandmas, I think probably

04:35reliving their own journey, giving support and encouragement. And I was really, really proud to

04:42be able to share that. I've shared a lot of the breastfeeding journey. And as it goes, you know,

04:48I guess continuing to share the journey on online platforms did come with its then challenges.

04:56So I guess I haven't been able to really follow it as much as perhaps I would have liked to

05:02have or I

05:03thought maybe I would be able to. But I do know that we have had or maybe even still have

05:10a lot of

05:10people that that were invested in that journey. So I wanted to jump on, do an update and just let

05:17you know that, you know, yes, it's possible. Yes, my breastfeeding journey continues. And I'm a proud

05:23advocate for extended breastfeeding. And you know, I've had really good validation for other women

05:29that are breastfeeding, they're four year olds. And that's been something that validates that journey

05:34for you. Because I think once your baby stops being a really small baby, perhaps there is quite a,

05:42quite a large proportion of people that do seem to have the attitude going from some of the comments

05:49that we did get that, you know, the child might be too old to breastfeed once they've stopped being a

05:55real small visible baby. And that is something that I really did want to challenge in in what I talk

06:02about with breastfeeding, because I think maybe a lot of people do do extended breastfeeding, but maybe

06:08it's not talked about enough, maybe it's not shared enough. And when I was in hospital, actually,

06:14after my seizure, which I will get onto in a moment, the cardiologist that was treating me, because I

06:20was actually nursing my son in the hospital, and at the time he was three, that cardiologist said,

06:26Oh, my wife's still breastfeeding our four year old. So I do think that probably, you know, there are

06:33maybe more people than than we think. But I think it's something that we need to keep raising awareness

06:39for and, and really keep advocating for. Because the bottom line is breastfeeding is normal. It's

06:47something that is also protected by law, like here in Australia, anywhere in Australia, women have the

06:53right to nourish their child when and where it's needed. So that's just a little bit about, you know,

07:00just me being passionate about breastfeeding. But when it comes to actually like sort of the extended

07:05breastfeeding, I just wanted to touch on a couple of ideas about, I guess, at this age,

07:12so at nearly four, the still the benefits of it, I mean, obviously, your child when they're nearly four

07:19is still getting those really good immune boosting factors. And they're still getting lots of colds,

07:27viruses, all that sort of stuff. And, you know, obviously, there's that nutrition as well,

07:32like there's growth factors, and they're getting that that really good nutrition. But I like to

07:37sort of think about it as it's, it's a small nugget of real fantastic goodness that I think it's still

07:44providing. And also, I think the nurture aspect, for me anyway, just can't be underestimated.

07:52And there was a lady I was following on YouTube, Sophie's Family Joy vlogs, and she was so inspiring.

08:01She was talking about her four year old that she was breastfeeding, and talking about how nurturing

08:07him, it was just so very important to her. And I really feel that as well. And I think probably

08:15a

08:15lot of mums can relate to this, that you do have days with a young child where it's, it's busy,

08:22and

08:22you've got other pressures on you. And there are times you can maybe be more impatient than you would

08:29have liked, you know, or, or just you sometimes feel a bit of that frustration coming through you. And,

08:35and then, you know, you might have days that that aren't great. I guess the best way to say it

08:43is, you

08:43know, just end of the day, the day was just a bit of a mess, and you don't feel great.

08:48But for me anyway,

08:50at the moment, because we breastfeed before bed, so that's, you know, like the comfort and the

08:56nurturing routine. I think when, when I'm nursing, and when my, when my little one's nursing, it kind of

09:04brings it all together, you know, it brings the day together, it sort of soothes away any moments of

09:10frustration that we might have had, feelings that arise like tantes or whatever, it kind of soothes

09:15that away in a way. It's for me anyway, it's, it's, it really is such a beautiful, nurturing, mothering

09:22thing that I can be doing for my child in, in that nurturing space. And I remember my lactation

09:28consultant when she was latching my newborn for the first time, or, or skin to skin for the first time,

09:35actually, she said, you're not just giving him nutrition, you're giving him love in that space. And that's

09:40what they do say about the benefits of extended breastfeeding. When your small child is out there

09:44navigating the world, which can feel scary, new experiences, a lot of stimulation, when they come

09:51back to their mum, and when they have a nurse, it's for them as well, sort of repacking everything,

09:57and it's their quiet space where they can sort of process things. So I guess, I guess for me anyway,

10:04at this point of our journey, that's what it's, I think the main three things are, it is still giving

10:09him those fantastic things that I'm really happy to be giving him, like those growth factors and,

10:14and things that are in breast milk, definitely there's still the immune boost and that nurturing.

10:20And often now, he doesn't, we don't necessarily fall asleep on the breast, although sometimes we do,

10:26but a really nice routine that I've started doing is I read out loud while he's nursing in the evening.

10:33So that's now as well as special time where we can do some reading, and it sort of reinforces that,

10:39that little nurturing moment that we have. So I guess the biggest message I want to give

10:43any women that might be struggling with breastfeeding is, I personally am so glad I persevered

10:51through those hurdles that we had at the start. So there were moments, I have to admit, where I was

10:57pumping, and my child wasn't latching properly, and it was just felt all too hard, but for me anyway,

11:04I'm really glad I pushed through those barriers and persevered. And another thing I wanted to say,

11:10so, you know, we've got those benefits of the extended breastfeeding. This cannot be underestimated

11:16either. The benefits for mum. Now, especially I think perhaps, well for me, for a couple of factors.

11:25One, nothing gets better with age. And two, I did have gestational diabetes when I was pregnant.

11:32So I was really worried about then developing diabetes after the birth, because you are more likely to.

11:41Breastfeeding is going to really help prevent type 2 diabetes. And one thing I did actually do a little

11:47bit of research. So I don't have to study in front of me now. But um, you know, it's a

11:52complicated

11:53physiological process. But one way it can is your actual, I think there's some mechanism where the

11:59pancreatic cells, when you're breastfeeding, actually go through some sort of regenerative

12:04process where you can have pancreatic cells that actually improve themselves to support the

12:11breastfeeding. Because breastfeeding is basically taking sugar out of your bloodstream.

12:15It's taking quite a lot of energy to make that breast milk. And so if you like, say had,

12:21say like, you know, a thick shake or some sort of sugary drink, the breastfeeding is going to help

12:26your body process that sugar in a more efficient way, because it's then supporting the breastfeeding.

12:32So no, that's not a free license to just have thick shakes all day. But for me anyway, definitely,

12:39like I really do love having a having a sweet treat or whatever. It I think it's probably has helped

12:45my

12:45body since the birth. And because I had gestational diabetes, I regularly have my blood sugar tests.

12:52And thankfully, they have all been normal. So that cannot be underestimated the health benefits for

12:58mum. And also, a new study did come out, I think about a year ago, and I did do a

13:04video about that. So I was

13:05really excited, I got the news brief for it, because I subscribed to a website or an organization that

13:13sends out journalists, these briefs, how we always kind of knew that breastfeeding protected against

13:20breast cancer. But we know a little bit more about the mechanisms of that mechanics of that. And that's

13:26because breastfeeding apparently gets your breast tissue, some cells there, I think they create,

13:32I think it's called permanent breast tissue guardians or something. Again, I did talk about

13:39that in the other video where I did actually talk about this study. And we do know that breastfeeding

13:43can guard against type two diabetes and also breast cancer. Another really important facet of my

13:51breastfeeding journey that I really do want to highlight as well is that I actually suffered two

13:56seizures during my breastfeeding journey. And it turns out I had hypernatremia.

14:02So that's another thing I'm really passionate about raising awareness for. And you know,

14:09that basically for mums to be aware that hypernatremia can happen. And hypernatremia is

14:15basically over hydrating yourself. And I actually did a video as well about how much fluid I was drinking

14:21when my child was very small, and they were totally reliant on the breastfeeding. And it was a lot,

14:28it was like over six litres of fluid a day. And it turns out that that was too, too much.

14:33So hypernatremia

14:34is your salt levels drop too low, and mine dropped to critical levels, 121. So as a result, yeah,

14:43I had a seizure and a seizure at home and then a second seizure at hospital, although they're calling

14:48that just the one seizure event. But technically, it was then the two seizures. And so hypernatremia is

14:55another thing I'm really passionate about raising awareness for. Women do need to be aware of that

15:00as a risk, you know, don't over hydrate yourself. And I would say that regular health checks after

15:07having a baby is really important. And I would even say that I wish for myself personally, anyway,

15:13I was having blood tests to check my blood makeup, including sodium levels, because then if I had of,

15:20that would have been picked up. So another thing I just wanted to also touch on when it comes to

15:28weaning,

15:30like anyone else that's navigating the extended breastfeeding journey, it's really interesting,

15:35there's a couple of studies that talk about one, the natural age of weaning. And I'll have to just jump

15:41on my phone here, an anthropologist actually named Dr. Catherine Detweiler did a, it's apparently a widely

15:48cited paper called a natural age of weaning. And she's actually saying that weaning can occur anywhere

15:54from two and a half years to seven years. And I have had, I have seen some mums also talking

16:00about

16:01their breastfeeding journey up to eight. So if you are navigating an extended breastfeeding journey,

16:07you're definitely not alone. Oh yeah, that probably the only other thing that I have seen as well studies

16:13for, that the way humans evolved a large brain or a really sort of superior brain to our other mammals,

16:21scientists actually or anthropologists or whoever studies this sort of stuff, is giving breastfeeding

16:27a big credit for that. And I guess back in, you know, I guess the cave days, the infants were

16:33totally

16:34reliant on breastfeeding because there weren't any real other options. So they are crediting though,

16:41the fact that us humans continued to breastfeed because human babies are very, very dependent

16:47when they're born, as opposed to other mammals who can actually do a lot more for themselves a lot

16:52earlier. Humans are very, very dependent. And so the mums back then, the first breastfeeding mums,

17:00breastfed for longer. And they are actually accrediting that to one of the reasons we developed

17:06a really superior brain to a lot of our other mammal cousins, or I don't know how you term it

17:13in

17:14anthropological evolutionary terms. But so, so way to go for the early breastfeeding mums.

17:20So yeah, I guess I just wanted to jump on and give people an update, say thank you to those

17:27who have

17:28really supported our journey and who do continue to support our journey. We are still going strong.

17:33And like I said, I am 52 years old. So to all the other mums who are maybe a bit

17:38older,

17:38it is entirely possible. And breastfeeding for and beyond is also entirely normal,

17:44if you're navigating an extended breastfeeding journey. And if you are a mum out there,

17:50who's just starting her breastfeeding journey, then I get a bit emotional here because I really am

17:57passionate about breastfeeding. I just wanted to, I wanted to say to you, I'm personally glad I

18:03persevered. Good luck with the journey. It does come with its challenges, but it also comes with

18:10so many benefits as well.

Extended Breastfeeding After 52: Science, Benefits & Personal Experience

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