Kelly Rutherford Talks Breastfeeding
Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford discussed breastfeeding with Us Weekly. She has a two-year-old son, Hermes, and is expecting a second child next summer with husband Daniel Giersch. Despite his age and her pregnancy, Kelly revealed that she is still breastfeeding Hermes.
'It's an amazing bond with your child,' says the Gossip Girl
star, 40. 'Some cultures do it up to five years, normally. I thought,
'Well, I'll just do it as long as it feels right for my son.'"
I've heard of this and that is the same reason I've heard those mothers give: they feel incredibly bonded with their child through breasfeeding. Kelly also thinks there are other benefits.
I was thinner after my pregnancy than before, and I think a lot of it
was the nursing. They say it helps your body get back to shape in a
natural way."
Now I've heard other nursing mothers disagree with that, but I suspect diet is a big factor there!
What do you think of breastfeeding a child for several years?
Photos by Bauer Griffin
I think its absolutely disgusting - Lindsay Wagner did it until her son was 8 - at that point I would think it borders on some sort of child abuse rules/laws
20555 points
Forgive my dumbness here but I thought you couldnt get pregnant while breast feeding or something like that?
300 points
Yes you can get pregnant while nursing.
20555 points
Ok thanks lol
12475 points
no, I would not. Although, I personally have issues with breastfeeding, the idea of it bothers me, so I will be pumping it and bottle feeding breast milk instead.
But, it's her child, I suppose she feels it is good for him, I guess we'll see when the kid grows up
I hope you can be a good mother and breastfeed your baby. I suppose you have issues with your baby being smart and slim later in life not to mention having a reduced chance of developing cancer and heart disease. I wonder if Americans don't like to breastfeed because they only get 6 weeks of maternity leave? Here in Canada we get a year, lots of time to adjust to breastfeeding. Au revoir
5395 points
That is a pretty broad generalization- that Americans don't like bf'ing.... I had 12 weeks off and continued to bf for a year, so I don't think that that has ANY thing to do with it. If that is what works for you, go for it. Personally, I would not want a toddler still bf'ing, but that is my opinion. And yes, you can get pg while bf'ing (My second child is proof !).
12475 points
. don't get me wrong, my baby will be getting breast milk, but she will be drinking it out of a bottle. There is just something about breast feeding I can not get over, I suppose I have too many body issues. I want her to be healthy, so I am going to have to pump it.
I think it's great that you're going to pump so that your baby will still get breastmilk....but GOOD LUCK. I did it exclusively for 6 months because my little girl just TORE UP my nipples. I felt like I was tied to that damn pump everywhere I went. It is very time consuming and mentally draining. I cursed it everyday. Feeding with formula would have been easier but I wanted her to have breastmilk THAT BADLY.
When a child can ask for the boob by name... it's time to cute them off!! Discusting! And yes, you can absolutly get pregnant while breastfeeding.
EWWWW!
People who thinks it's weird are not educated or have never had a child. I nursed my daughter until she was 2 years old. That is when she was ready. I will nurse my son for how ever long he wants, provided we are both still comfortable with the arrangement. Also, the longer you nurse the more your risk of breast cancer decreases.
16315 points
it's perfectly normal and natural. i think it's great of her to come out and talk about it.
300 points
Breast feeding is natural. I don't knock either one, I personally do both. I think as long as the mom and child are comfortable and it's done appropriately people really shouldn't judge.
Most doctors agree that the benefits are from the first year only. Anything after that is not doing anything nutritious for the child. I stopped at 10 months and would never go on for another year. My opinion: I think when a child can talk, is eating mainly solid foods and can drink whole milk, it's time to stop breastfeeding. There are other ways to bond with your child.
Actually, the World Health Organization recommends a MINIMUM of one year of breast feeding. Two years is the recommended time frame for maximum benefit.
creepy as hell.
1190 points
I'm pregnant now and plan to breastfeed for a couple of months. BUT not when they are that old. Gross. Absolutely gross. If they can walk, take it away. Its NOT natural. Its freakish.
When some people say they breastfeed to lose weight or decrease their personal breast cancer risk-- i wouldn't go so far as to call it selfish, but it does seem like slightly mixed priorities
3960 points
I used to work in a dental office and we had a patient that would breastfeed her 5 year old, in the chair, whilst getting her teeth cleaned. Extremely disturbing to see!
freakin gross! I am definitely an advocate of breastfeeding, but at 2 years old, it just seems weird.
8590 points
There are still health benefits for some toddlers to breastfeed (kids with some blood disorders), but the majority do not need the nutrition from breastmilk once they are consistently eating solid nutritious foods.
I don't know about weight loss, but man my boobs shrunk!
Breastfeeding is great for babies, but it's time to start working on weaning after a year, and definitely by the time they are two.
I am somewhat disturbed by the use of the word disgusting and talking about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a natural thing, something that your body is designed (yes, I realise some people have problems/cannot nurse) to do. A 2 year old breastfeeding should be considered completely normal and no-one should be made to feel a freak because of it.
Can I also just add that benefits of breastfeeding are not limited to nutritional but breastmilk even at 2 years old still has nutritional benefits.
Also, I breastfed my child until she was 20 months and I was 16 weeks pregnant - she self weaned though.
i agree that calling it disgusting is very disturbing, there are many, many things some of these celebrities do i would call disgusting, but breastfeeding is not one of them. it's sad the way people look at things like this.
My daughter stopped nursing at 30 months. She NEVER used a bottle and that makes it harder to just stop in a day. It was a wonderful time of bonding and I never just magically dropped the weight ; ) We didn't want to give her formula-read the ingredients- and we saved lots of money. I recommend every new mom give it a try. I understand it makes some people squeamish but honestly after all the exposure of giving birth my body issues seemed kinda distant. I just wanted to bond with my baby. She's 3 1/2 now and barely remembers that she used to "ba-ba" but does pretend to nurse her dolls.
I breastfed my daughter until she was almost 4. She is an extremely healthy, incredibly smart (taught herself to read at 3!), secure little girl. I urge those of you who think it's disgusting to do a little research on the health benefits of extended breastfeeding. BTW, the World Health Organization encourages women to breastfeed their children until they are between 2-5. Of course it's easier to feed them fake milk from a can that's full of chemicals and additives, but why not do what's best for your child?
I think it's wonderful! Anyone who calls breastfeeding an older child "gross" or "unnatural" is simply uneducated about the topic. It is both NORMAL and NATURAL to do so. Humans are biologically designed to breastfeed to between 5 and 7 years of age.
Doctors who recommend or bush weaning any earlier than one year, or who state that there is no nutritive value to breastmilk after a year, are also painfully uneducated about breastfeeding. In fact, the last person you should seek breastfeeding advice from is your doctor, even your pediatrician...most doc/peds get only ONE HOUR of breastfeeding information in their massvie educations and most of what they do learn is incorrect or simply out of date.
The WHO and AAP each recommend exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months and then to a mimimum of 2 years or longer as desired by the nursing pair.
If you choose/chose not to breastfeed, that is your choice and I'll support you in that, but please refrain from denegrating mothers who make difference choices.
I live in Scotland, and its actually illegal to stop a mother breast feeding in public, where the child is under 2. The advice I received with my second child was breast feed exclusively for 6 months, carry on feeding along with solids and other fluids until your baby is one year, and then carry on as long as mother and baby are comfortable with it.Ii am still feeding my 23 month old, and obviously, I do not consider it to be weird or disgusting.
I knew a bunch of people would get really defensive over this and say that doctors are wrong (except the World Health Organization). Sorry, but breastmilk is not some magical potion. I do think it's better than formula, but also that once a child is on solid foods and whole milk, it's unneccesary. Also, to act like you're superior because you let a large child breastfeed is just as judgemental.....there are some moms who could NOT breastfeed, and I'm sure it hurts them to read some of these comments. I loved holding my infant and breastfeeding her, it was so peaceful and loving.....but I would not have felt comfortable if she was running around and ran up to me and asked for my breast. Good for you if that's how you do things, but don't turn your noses up at the rest of us. We all want whats best for our children.
Thank you so much for your comment. I have two adorable children that I so much wanted to breastfeed. I knew all the benefits, took the classes, bought the "My Breast Friend" nursing pillow, . . . and had such a horrible time with the first, and stopped when I felt the difficulties were acutally interfering with bonding, and her pediatrician said it wasn't worth the strain on me mentally and physically. I still felt guilt for years. With my second, she was in the NICU and I could only pump for the first week. Then when we took her home, and I was trying to nurse her, I got an infection that hurt so bad I wished someone would cut my boob off! I quit and still feel guilt for that one. When BF moms look down on us who had to stop and went to formula, it only doubles the guilt and feelings of inadequacy. I love my children as they do. We're all moms trying to do the best we can for our kids. I don't look down on moms who return to work before their children are in school. We do what we have to, and hope and pray for the best.
Eh, to each his own. As far as the weight loss, it really does depend on the person. It definitely burns a lot of calories, but it also makes you hungry. For me, I lost a lot of weight in the first few months, but nothing for the rest of the year that I breastfed my kids. I did get to eat like a pig, though, and didn't gain anything. My friend, however, would get extremely thin while nursing, and then gain it back when she stopped (when the kid was around 12-18 months)
This topic just really upsets me....
I breastfed my one and only child until she was 3.
Breastfeeding took a lot of getting used to, it hurt at first, and people can be so judgemental about it.
I most definately did not do it to benefit me in any way, I did it because I knew that breastfeeding is better for a child then powdered formula.
Breastfeeding my daughter was never something I felt ashamed of, even though I knew there'd be plenty of people that frown upon it.
I attended Le Leche League meetings which helped alot.
It really unnerves me that there are people that think breastfeeding is gross or disturbing or wrong in some moral way. Yes, breastfeeding my baby girl created a special bond between us, but feeding time was just that.... I was feeding my daughter, and that was that. When she was a toddler and could tell me she was hungry she would say "Na Na"..... no one else knew what she was asking for :-)
Also, for the folks that think that cow's milk is every bit as natural for a baby to drink intead of their mother's breastmilk, there are not any other creatures on this earth that would take the milk from another creature to feed to their own offspring....
I think it's awesome that she's still breastfeeding! When a baby is exclusively breastfeeding (and nursing through the night), the mom's return to fertility is slowed. Anyway, once the baby starts solid foods or sleeps even one night more than five hours, the mom can get pregnant. My daughter nursed until 2.9 months, while I was pregnant with my son. My son is 3 1/2 and still nursing a few times a day.
The average age of weaning, without societal pressures, is around 4.7. We have lots of those pressures in this country, because we're taught that breasts are sexual. Breastmilk contains benefits for as long as the child nurses--that milk is tailored to that child with live immunities and nutrients. The age of "1" is the age at which people switch from formula to cow's milk; it really has no bearing on breastfeeding at all. That's why the WHO recommends two years (at least), and the AAP says one year or as long as MUTUALLY desired. (So, as long as it's working out for the mom and the child, breastfeeding may continue.)
Good for Kelly Rutherford for doing what works for her, and not feeling pressured in any way.
Oh, on the weight loss thing? Yes, you burn an extra 750 calories a day while breastfeeding often. This works to flatten the belly much sooner than a mom who is formula feeding (uterine contractions occur with nursing, and bring the uterus back to normal-sized more quickly), and the baby weight does drop off more quickly.
First of all, she looks freaking scary, not healthy at all.
Secondly, yes...women in developing countries breastfeed older children, but this is for practical reasons and the lack of adequate food and nutrition otherwise.
I think it is gross...and I don't care what anyone says...for someone to breastfeed a child over 18 months, tops. Before you jump me, I breastfed both children until they were a year old. I have a friend who had to go to the emergency room with acute pneumonia...the doctor prescribed antibiotics, and she asked how they'd affect her nursing child. The doctor looked around and said, "you have a baby?" And my friend said, yes, my daughter, and pointed to her 4-year-old. The doctor just exploded and really went off on her, and I have to say I agree. Also, you are NOT supposed to be breastfeeding while pregnant...you are taking nutrition away from your developing baby.
Sorry, that is absolutely medically incorrect and unfounded. Nursing does not take away nutrition from a developing baby. If you don't think it's right for you, that's one thing. Please don't spread incorrect information. If a woman has, for instance, placenta previa, perhaps for HER it will not be ok to breastfeed while pregnant (and, even then, it's not absolutely forbidden).
What the doctor did was completely uncalled for and rude. Doctors should treat each patient without judgment. I would have reported that doctor to the AMA and the local licensing board.
7670 points
I am *so* happy to hear this getting some press. I nursed each of my three until age 2.
And I have to say that it is a somewhat magical potion as it cleared up pink eye and ear infections.
435 points
The person who said be a good mother and breast feed, that's not very nice, not everyone can breastfeed , my mom didn't breast feed me. I was allergic to milk so she couldn't. It bothers me when people say a child wont be close to its mother,or wont be intelligent if they are not breastfed. My mom was my best friend(before she passed away)and I was an honor role student throughout school. So I don't exactly believe everything said on that subject. I think people should be able to breast feed if they want, but i think 4-5 is kinda creepy, but that's just my opinion.
I breastfed my second daughter until she was 3 and weaned herself. To think this is unnatural is ridiculous. You recommend cows milk while I have my own milk? THIS is unnatural!
I think women who breastfeed this long have a real empty and sad void in their own lives that makes them crave a connection to their children. They cannot let go of their children and let them grow up naturally. Usually these women have no intimate connection with their husbands and sex lives as well, so they need this bond with their child and they need their child to want them in this intimate way. It just is filling a huge void. They act like their children do not want to stop, but it is indeed them who cannot break the chains and let their children grow up. These are the same type of women who insult and critique everything their husband does for their kids because she is the only one who can do it right.
I feel sorry for you that this is what you believe. Breastfeeding has NOTHING to do with sex. Do you happen to know someone whom you believe is like this? Please don't judge the rest of us.
The women I know who've breastfed for an extended amount of time have, for the most part, the least clingy and most grown-up kids that I know. (That goes the same for women who bottlefed yet also responded to their children's needs, by the way.) And, if it makes you feel better to think that those of us able to breastfeed have no intimate connection with our husbands, please do go ahead. Or, how about you ask our husbands what they think?
I can't blame you - I thought the same once, until I educated myself ;)
2134155 points
It's a very tough topic to talk about and every person would have different opinion, because each and everyone of us is different, which isn't bad, it's good. I say to moms do what you feel is right to your child and yourself, DO respect other moms choices.
I'm a twin with my brother and we weren't breastfed for few reasons, my mom loves us dearly my younger brother was breastfed. Now myself and my twin brother has health of an ox , always did, we were early learners in everything, my younger brother was developing just fine, but he wasn't an early learner and was getting sick too often. I said that NOT TO SHOW that breasfeeding is best or worst, but only to say that there are a lots of factors apart what you feeding you child that affect their health, well-being ect. AND I truely believe that every mom does what's she thinks best for her child.
I have a 2 year old daughter who i breastfed for 1.5 year and it was just her choice and mine to do so.
The average age of weaning world wide is 4 1/2 years. The benefits of breast feeding continue for as long as you breast feed your child. Nutrition and antibodies.
I am breastfeeding my 2 1/2 year old and I breastfed my daughter until she was four.
My daughter is now 7 years old. Not only is she well adjusted, happy, smart, independent, healthy and a social butterfly she is NORMAL. Actually she is way better than normal.
There is a reason why so many North Americans are emotionally screwed up and physically unhealthy and it all starts with the relationship with Mama's breast.
The average age of weaning world wide is 4 1/2 years. The benefits of breast feeding continue for as long as you breast feed your child. Nutrition and antibodies.
I am breastfeeding my 2 1/2 year old and I breastfed my daughter until she was four.
My daughter is now 7 years old. Not only is she well adjusted, happy, smart, independent, healthy and a social butterfly she is NORMAL. Actually she is way better than normal.
There is a reason why so many North Americans are emotionally screwed up and physically unhealthy and it all starts with the relationship with Mama's breast.
Her child is extremely lucky to be breast fed for so long, as breast fed children are protected from certain childhood cancers, and even suffer less from juvenile diabetese (a devastating disease that can even blind a child), as well as having the advantage of all the immunities
Children who are breast fed for this long are EXTREMELY fortunate, as not only are they protected via all the immunities, but breast fed children suffer less from certain childhood cancers and juvenile diabetese (a devastating disease that can even blind a child.)
It is selfish to REFUSE to TRY to EVER breast feed your child,knowing the vital health advantages it gives.
There's a lot of difference between Mums who give up due to genuine difficulties, and Mums who NEVER try to breast feed
i have an issue when people use other coutries to justify why its so normal to bf until their child is 5!
don't they realize that the reason it is done is because there is a lack of food!
extended bf is fine for some people but i just find it insulting when they talk about countries where its the norm. it wasn't done because it was natural and we do everything the way nature intends it to be done, its lack of food.
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