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Mum Still Breastfeeds Sons Before They Go To School

Mum Still Breastfeeds Sons Before They Go To School

Sheryl Wynne still breastfeeds both of her sons - who are five and six - and says it's brought them 'closer'

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

This mum still breastfeeds her two boys - aged five and six - before and after school and says she won't stop until the lads decide it's time on their own.

Sheryl Wynne, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, insists that breastfeeding her school age sons is completely normal as it has cemented a lifelong bond between them and made them 'closer'.

Sheryl Wynne.
Kennedy News and Media

The 39-year-old nurses both her sons before school, in the evening and throughout the night.

Sheryl claims that 'mummy milk' is the 'ultimate parenting tool' as it helps calm the children and comforts them when they're upset or ill.

However the mum-of-two admits she does receive negative comments from family members, who question if the 'way her children behave' is anything to do with them being breastfed still - but Sheryl says 'that's children'.

Although she'd originally planned to stop breastfeeding the boys when her elder son was three, she wants them to be part of the decision.

Kennedy News and Media

Sheryl, a hypnobirthing teacher and doula, said: "I think about when I'll stop all of the time. It's never felt right to end it unnecessarily. It's what they're asking for and it's biologically normal even if it's not in society.

"It's not like I don't have a choice, a lot of the time they ask for it and I'll tell them to get off.

"It's made us closer. It's the fact they know they can come to me and be comforted any time."

Kennedy News and Media

Despite negative comments from family and friends, Sheryl sees breastfeeding as a way to connect with her sons, even using it to comfort them in the school playground.

Sheryl said: "It's about comfort. If they're ill, that's where they want to be to help them calm down but we don't live in a society that's supportive of that after infancy which is why we don't see it.

"I've been pretty lucky in that I haven't had negative comments from strangers but family members and people I know have asked if I think I should stop.

"They question whether the way my children behave is anything to do with them being breastfed. They're hard work, but that's children."

Kennedy News and Media

Sheryl also spoke about a time when she had to 'dig deep into myself' when her younger son asked to be breastfed in the playground in the morning.

She said: "He took me to the bench and I had to dig deep into myself.

"I wanted to tell him we weren't doing it there because people could see but I didn't want to pass my anxieties onto him."

Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Topics: Breastfeeding, UK Community, Community, UK