Jasmine Hemsley, a television chef, revealed that she breastfed her daughter until she was four and a half years old. She is still nursing her nearly two-year-old toddler.
A TV chef and author has ignited debate online after admitting she breastfed her daughter until she was four-years-old.
Jasmine Hemsley, 45, also reveals that she occasionally nurses her young son, which stokes ferocious criticism and praise.
In a video posted to Instagram, Jasmine described her journey in detail: “It’s been 4.5 years of continual breastfeeding, including 1 year 7 months of tandem somewhere in the middle.”
She explained that her daughter, Mahi, stopped nursing just weeks before her fourth birthday. Meanwhile, her two-year-old son, Dash, continues to breastfeed too, though Jasmine said he also eats three meals a day and doesn’t rely solely on breast milk.
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Jasmine argued against online trolls and that breastfeeding after the age of three is “biologically normal.”
She said, “Extended breastfeeding of a four-year-old and older is pretty unremarkable in many parts of the world today.”
Not everyone, however, offered their support. Some brutal online insults to her decision “disgusting,” while others questioned her sense of balance.
When one critic questioned, “Do you not have a life?” Make sure your body is nursing until you have your next child, Jasmine retorted sharply, “Yes, I have a life, I have a family, I cook, I clean, I have a job… where on earth have your opinions come from”?
According to the NHS, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months, after which formula or complementary feeding can be introduced.
There is no set age at which breastfeeding can stop, according to the guidance.
The World Health Organization also recommends continuing to breastfeed with appropriate solid foods for two years or more, though it leaves room for individual choices, for six months.
This leaves a lot of the middle ground open for interpretation and personal beliefs, which can cause debate.
The followers of Jasmine were divided. Some referred to her as a “supermum” because of her unwavering support for what she thought was best for her children.
Others disagreed with her decision, finding it strange or unconventional. The wellness influencer claimed that she is gradually edging closer to stopping after most of her open breastfeeding posts.
Love this! wrote another person. What a fantastic breastfeeding advocate you are.
Another person described it as “beautiful and amazing.” Some people have WTAF issues.
“I’ve had quite a positive experience, bar the odd glances,” Jasmine continued, “I probably shame myself more than I have shamed myself.”
The TV chef, who rose to fame with her sister Melissa as the opulent Hemsley + Hemsley duo ten years ago, said she had never anticipated providing for her children for so long.
If things went as planned, I honestly believed I would be done by the year-end.
“Then I kept thinking that Mahi would wean while I was pregnant and the taste would change,” but no! never concerned her at all.
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Source: Mirror
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