44-year-old mum hits back after being told she's too old to breastfeed

Breastfeeding is no easy feat, whether you’re an experienced mum or totally new to the game.

And that’s without facing criticism from left, right and centre, including the idea of an age limit for breastfeeding.

This is usually, however, directed at children of a certain age – not the mums themselves.

One 44-year-old mum called Stefania Girladi was surprised to hear two women say she was too old to breastfeed while waiting for a doctor’s appointment.

Though Girladi had a comeback ready.

The mother-of-two had her first baby at 37 years old, but hadn’t yet weaned her three-year-old.

And the women, while discussing a 42-year-old woman they knew, said that mother was too old to breastfeed as her milk is “probably not good enough for her age”.

In response, Girladi breastfed her little girl, turned to the women and said that she was 44 years old and had “perfect” milk, much to the women’s surprise.

Posting on her Facebook page Mama’s Word, Girladi wrote last week:

“After six consecutive years of breastfeeding my children (currently [breastfeeding] my three years old) I thought no comments could ever shock me anymore on the topic.

“And yet someone managed to do just that, shock me with some uneducated opinion about a breastfeeding mother.

“I was at a doctor’s appointment when I overheard this conversation between the two ladies sitting next to me…

“I am sure you are all familiar with the ‘too old to breastfeed’ remark, but have you ever heard it in relation to the mother?

“That’s right, these two ladies were going on about how a woman they knew, who is 42 years old, was, in their opinion, too old to breastfeed! And how her milk is probably not good enough because of her age, to the disadvantage of the baby.

“A baby who they though would have been better off formula fed instead.”

Girladi said she was “fuming” and decided to respond.

“I kid you not, a few minutes later my daughter climbs on my lap wanting the boob (talk about right timing), and needless to say, I granted her wish immediately.

“Now, I am not one that looks for confrontations or arguments, but I couldn’t resist.

“Obviously the ladies noticed I was breastfeeding (wasn’t hiding), [so] I turn to them and I tell them:

“By the way, I am 44 years old, 45 next June and my milk is perfect!

“The look on their face[s], priceless. Sorry, I felt good! What would you have done?”

Followers soon commented on the post with words of agreement.

One wrote: “I would’ve said you could never be too old to breastfeed, but there is a time where you should stop acting 12 with gossip and uneducated criticism.”

Another said you can breastfeed long after your forties, saying: “This world some peeps are just crazy, what’s wrong with breastfeeding a baby, even 60 plus can breastfeed.”

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