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'This Morning' Guest Breastfeeds Her Five-Year-Old Daughter

'This Morning' Guest Breastfeeds Her Five-Year-Old Daughter

'I just went with the flow of what my girls want and what their needs are,' said the 29-year-old mum

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Breastfeeding: It's one of the most natural things in the world. It's super-healthy, it strengthens the bond between mother and child, it provides antibodies that fight against infection and it'll save you somewhere in the region of £1,000 ($1,300) a year in formula.

While it's perfectly normal to see an infant child being breastfed out in public, however, we're much less used to the sight of a fully-grown adult latched onto their mother's bosom. So where do we draw the line?

Sophie Mei Lan, a mother who appeared on today's episode of This Morning believes in continuing to breastfeed for as long as her children want to - a stance which has led her to continue nursing her five-year-old daughter.

Credit: ITV / This Morning

Sophie, 29, and her husband Chris joined Holly and Phil on the sofa, while their two children sat across from then to enjoy a spot of colouring in.

"it just wasn't part of the plan at all," said Sophie. "I thought once I had Ariana that I'd stop feeding Jasmine, but as soon as I'd had Ariana, Jasmine wanted to latch on.

"So, as I always do with parenting, I just went with the flow of what my girls want and what their needs are and whatnot."

mum
mum

Credit: ITV / This Morning

Sounds kind of fair enough when you put it like that, but the age of the children has opened up the family - and Sophie especially - to some criticism, as Phil went on to point out.

"There's nothing here that most women wouldn't think, 'Yeah, absolutely. I get you on that, I agree with you,' but then of course it extends, and I think that's what you've had quite a bit of negative reaction on, haven't you?" he asked

Phil and Holly
Phil and Holly

Credit: ITV / This Morning

Sophie then revealed that she sometimes sleeps in a different bed in order to breastfeed her two children, but that she only feeds her five-year-old at night.

However, husband Chris told the presenters that the children are able to go to sleep on their own, without being breastfed, which sparked speculation among viewers that Sophie was continuing to feed because she personally wanted to, rather than for parenting reasons - a theory the couple swiftly dismissed.

dad
dad

Credit: ITV / This Morning

But in spite of having to sleep on his own some nights, Chris had a very sensible outlook on the whole thing.

"My take on it, I feel sorry for mothers," he said. "They are always judged. It's almost a battle you can't win.

"I think you do what is right for your family. It doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks."

Words: Paddy Maddison

Featured Image Credit: ITV / This Morning

Topics: This Morning, Breastfeeding, TV and Film, Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield