Extended Breastfeeding to Be Discussed on the Tyra Banks Show
July 2, 2008 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding, extended breastfeeding
On Thursday, July 3, 2008, the Tyra Banks show will feature Veronika Robinson (author of The Drinks Are on Me
Here’s the blurb from the Tyra Banks show about the episode “Motherhood Controversy”:
With her audience filled with mothers, Tyra hosts a no-holds-barred conversation about the pressures they face today. Tyra speaks with a woman who defends her controversial decision to breastfeed her kids until they were 8 years old, and a woman who believes it is acceptable to breastfeed her children in public. Then a young woman explains her desire to be a stay-at-home wife and mother — even though her own mother raised her to be a career woman. Next, emotions get heated when stay-at-home mothers debate working moms on who makes the better parent.
Perhaps I should be excited to see the topic of extended breastfeeding being discussed on an American talk show, but I cannot imagine the discussion will be productive or enlightening. The promo clip shows Tyra admitting, “I find it quite odd!” And, gee, how did the show manage to find “a woman who believes it is acceptable to breastfeed her children in public”?! I wish nursing in public weren’t controversial, and I hope at least there is a sensible mention of the various federal and state laws that protect a mother/baby pair’s right to breastfeed in public. I won’t be watching (no television at our house at the moment) so please do post a comment here if you get a chance to see the show!
I won’t be able to see the show, but from the promo, it seems to be yet another way to set up the SAHM/Work outside the home mom and full support of nursing/intermediate/no nursing type of fights. I can not imagine it furthering the dialogs in any productive way. Hopefully she’ll prove me wrong.
Angela, I think you are wise to be skeptical. Tyra did a show on “infertility” earlier this year that left many of my readers aghast. Obviously, her show is for entertainment purposes, but I wish she had a better track record of addressing women’s issues in a meaningful way.
I wish there wasn’t going to be a segment on whether SAHMs or working moms make the better parent. Can’t people just make the decisions based on what works best for their family and leave it at that?
I hate all the bickering and feuding betweens mothers, which is the one thing all of us share. We’re all mothers, from the breastfeeding to the bottlefeeding, from the staying at home to the working outside the home. You’d think we could all unite under that one banner and support each other.
I saw the show today and it left me sick in my stomach. I am so upset that they would set up a show were instead of women discussing the different decisions they’ve made that have worked best for their families and applauding the women for taking the time to consider they children’s best interest. It might have well have been a cage match! Nursing against bottle feeders….. sahm’s against working moms… it was not enlighting at all and I was ashamed at seeing all of these women attacking each other. And Shame On Tyra Banks.. emmy awarding winning for what… she has the opportunity to bring women’s issues to the for front in a positive manner and what does she do? She sets up an hours of bickering between women… and she did set it up this way.. she even separated the sahm’s from the working mom’s in the audience… as if they were on different sides… I have had enough of women from they earliest of pre teen years tearing each other apart instead of bringing eachother together….. Shame on you Tyra Shame on you!!!!!
we should always go for all natural breast feeding.
Melissa, thanks for letting us know how the show turned out! Too bad it was as bad or worse than expected!
I agree with tjwriter. I stayed at home for a year with my first and returned to work after 3 months with my second and I must say I’m a better mom having gone back to work:) To each its own….
I really don’t know what’s wrong with mothers breastfeeding their kids up to age of 8. I thought since Tyra is the host, she should try to stay in the middle instead she was sided with the other side and gang up on the mother. Shame on you.
I have been to some of the poorest countries in the world, those women breast feed their children up to age of 10 or 11, it is a way of life because they don’t have milk from cows or come from a bottle in the supermarket.
My mom breastfed my brother up to age of 7. He is healthy and smart, and there is no psychological damage to him. To those people who thinks breastfeeding children over age of 5 is disgusting or gross, you are just narrow minded and discriminating.
I saw this show when it aired and was really disapointed. As the mother of a nursing, almost, 5 year old I was thrilled to find out that this topic was finally going to be discussed on television. There was no discussion! It was Tyra taking things that this woman said and trying to make her out to be a pedaphile. At one point when the mother is talking about the pleasure both she and her daughters experienced Tyra made a disgusted face and her comment implied that they were sexual feelings. After making this rude comment she did not even let the mother respond. It is just sad that in this day and age we are so close minded as a society that we make mothers fell too ashamed to do what is best for their children. Oh and the BEST part of the show was when the mother was talking about her daughter wanting breast milk for her ninth birthday and since she no longer had a suck reflex she was just kinda mouthing at her mother’s nipple (also made into something sexual by Tyra). The Mother, I believe, ended up giving her child a glass of breast milk. The audience gagged at the thought of breast milk in a cup-because COW’S milk is alright but breastmilk is just gross.
I didn’t see the show or hear of the show… I still nurse my son who will be 4 this week and I get harassed by people who know all the time… Some think I’m a pervert or that I do it to feed my emotional deprivation… Ugh, I think everyone of those people have never nursed a child or only for a very short time – that should say something. So, I know the benefits of extended breastfeeding and use those to defend myself… but I thought I would try to find any studies sighting any negative consequences to extended breastfeeding… Haven’t found anything except for the opinions of small-minded individuals like Tyra Banks… It is comforting to find that others have nursed their child past three and understand why. When I have my child in my arms, there seems no difference as to when he was an infant. It is sad that there are so many people out there who can not understand, appreciate, experience such natural wonder. (BTW: My daughter weaned herself at about 3.5 and is healthy, independent and gifted.)
I’m not saying that women who choose to Breastfeed past the age of 3 are bad, or gross… I just personally think that there comes a time when the child is no longer an infant, and needs to be treated, and fed accordingly. I am Breastfeeding my 4 month old Daughter. I will wean her from the breast if she hasn’t already by the age of 3. I don’t think it’s wrong to continue to give your child breast milk in a glass; that to me is perfectly acceptable, and appropriate. -Kateland
i just want to say to keturah i am a fulltime working career photographer and so far i am breastfeeding for 6 months…no need to stop your life or your career or goals for breastfeeding…that to me is ridiculous…i do breastfeed mostly at night though after i come home from work and we co-sleep. so i have been able to have my cake and eat it too…
I work outside the home and we just hit the two year mark of nursing.
I am a working mom breastfeeding my 9 month old, I am one of those that at first thought it would only be for 6 months but here I am with no real signs of weaning anytime soon. Since you are a working mom still breastfeeding, I was wondering if you could answer some questions I’ve had that I can’t seem to find answers to anywhere…Do you still pump and if so how often? Have you dropped any pumps over the years and if so how/when? Does your child still nurse regularly or is it sporadic? My main questions revolve around maintaining a supply when they are not nursing as much as before. I’ve heard of extended breastfeeders whose babies only nurse a few times a week…how does your body maintain a supply if they are nursing so little? I really want to give up the pump before bed because it’s an extra pump that mainly just builds my frozen milk supply and it seems to add a good 30-45 minutes to my getting ready for bed routine (it’d be nice to be able to just go to bed when I’m ready without having to worry about pumping, cleaning parts, etc. beforehand). Any info, resources you found helpful or advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks!
Hi! I’ve posted your question on the main page — keep an eye on it for some feedback!
http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/working-and-pumping-advice-mom-to-mom-19/
Hope that helps!