A mum says she is raising her child’s IQ and unlocking her full potential by still breastfeeding her – aged FIVE.
Mum-of-two Miira Dawson breast feeds Tara – despite the youngster already going to primary school.
Miira believes “noo noo” – the family term for breastfeeding – is the key to ”health and IQ benefits” and says she would carry on until she was TEN if she could.
Stay-at-home mum Miira, 36, married to Jim, nurses Tara three times a day, as well as her two-year-old brother Ray Lee.
Her husband Jim even moved out of their marital bed so she can spend every night with the pair.
She said: “I don’t think I ever considered bottle feeding either of my children, I didn’t prepare myself for failing to breastfeed. I’m quite stubborn by nature.
“Mothers who breastfeed for an extended time feel that it has got really meaningful benefits for their children.
“I think it is a lovely thing for a baby to grow up and remember being breast fed, as not many people would be able to say this – plus there are all the health and IQ benefits.”
The former science researcher, of Poole, Dorset, realises other parents at Tara’s school, may raise an eyebrow at their habits but she has the backing of science.
Miira feeds her five-year-old ‘noo noo’ every morning when they wake up, when she comes home from school and when they go to bed together at night.
She told student newspaper The Tab: “Most people ask me when I am planning on stopping but I don’t have any pressure from my husband.
“I don’t think other mums are bothered really. It’s none of their business but they may raise their eyebrows.
“We co-sleep as well. I’m in the middle with one either side. It’s fine. We go to bed and sleep and have milk and get out when we wake up.
“My children have never had to cry to sleep, or sleep on their own, or wake in the night and be afraid – because I’m there.
“I think it’s unnatural for children to sleep on their own. They are not biologically suited to sleep on their own.
“There’s a lot of research saying breast feeding and bed sharing protects them from sudden death syndrome.”
Her wine merchant husband Jim, 56, sleeps in a separate bed for medical reasons but does admit he feels left out and the breastfeeding has put a strain on their relationship.
He said: “I had little choice in the matter of encouraging Miira to breastfeed as there was never an alternative other than to support her.
“I don’t think we discussed it before Tara’s arrival and I definitely did not expect her to still be breastfeeding at five years old.
“Naturally I feel left out when it comes to the sleeping situation.
“I feel like it restricts mine and the children’s time together and it doesn’t give me the chance to do things that I would like to, such as reading bed time stories.
“Tara is an extremely bright girl and is very grown up for her age. So for now I will continue to allow it.”
“I think in the beginning it was mainly due to the health benefits for both the baby. It is madness to put all of the chemicals of fortified milk into a child, when our bodies are created to feed naturally.”
She added: “I feed Tara three times in the day as an average amount, but she can also feed more often if she’s feeling poorly or upset.
“She’s never had a blanket or a dummy so this is her equivalent. I’m sure if I could detach my boob and just give it to her, she would be extremely happy.
“Me and the children all sleep in a king size bed and Jim sleeps in the other room.
“Because Tara feeds until she falls asleep, it’s just the easiest way.
“It’s also so lovely, but it does mean that I end up going to bed with the children at 7.30pm most nights.”
Miira, who is originally from Finland, says that one day she will lose the ability to produce milk and when she explains this to Tara, the child gets sad.
The mum said: “Every time I mention it to her she looks so sad. She said the other day she was going to have noo noo forever.
“There’s research to support breast fed babies have higher IQs but whether that’s because people who breast feed are more educated I’m not sure.
“Breast feeding will allow them their full potential.”
The United Nations’ public health agency, the World Health Organisation, recommends babies are exclusively breastfed until they are six months old when weaning should start.
But it says breastfeeding can continue with complementary foods for up to two years and beyond.
University of Cambridge Sociologist Dr Maria Iacovou backs Mirra’s decision to continue breastfeeding past the generally accepted age in the UK.
She said: “Breastfeeding is a topic that divides people and everyone has an opinion on it. In terms of breastfeeding older children, the research is very limited.
“It’s very rare to find someone who is still naturally feeding a child of six years.
“But there is absolutely no evidence that there is anything wrong, so why should mothers stop if it works for them.
“Mothers who breastfeed for an extended time feel that it has got really meaningful benefits for their children.
“I think it is a lovely thing for a baby to grow up and remember being breast fed, as not many people would be able to say this.”
In beloved sketch show Little Britain, adult character ‘Harvey’, played by David Walliams, calls for “Bitty” from his elderly mother whenever he is hungry – and even suckles his nana if his mum is dry.
