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Coco Austin plans on breastfeeding her five-year-old daughter, Chanel, until the child no longer wants to nurse.
During an interview with US Weekly, the 42-year-old actress and model, who welcomed her daughter with husband Ice-T in 2015, shared why she won’t stop breastfeeding the five-year-old anytime soon.
“Chanel still likes my boobs,” Coco says. “It’s a big bonding moment for a mother and your child.”
Although the youngster, who is the spitting image of
her dad, loves breastfeeding, she also has a normal diet, her mom adds.
“A lot of people are like, 'Oh, you're not getting the nutrition after two years old. Why do it?' And I'm like, My child's eating steak and hamburgers.
“She just likes a little snack every now and then and more of the bonding between the mother. Why take that away from her?” she says.
READ MORE | This woman has delivered six of her nine kids at the side of the road
It’s also comforting for Chanel and helps “soothe her to sleep”, Coco says.
“I don't want to deprive her of something she wants just because society says you need to stop after two,” she adds.
This is not the first time the reality star has spoken
out about breastfeeding. Last year Coco took to Instagram to post a picture of then
-our-year-old Chanel nursing.
“At a time when the world feels like it's coming to an end... suck up as much love as you can!” she captioned her post.
“I’ve been getting a lot of props in the breastfeeding community and get tons of emails from women/moms appreciating me bringing light to the subject.
“Thank you to all that understand my view… I see most of you are so eager to side with me and I too root for you in your journey as well... Us moms are connected.”
Coco’s candidness about the topic comes at a perfect
time as the first week in August marks World Breastfeeding Week, a global
celebration that encourages breastfeeding worldwide and normalising it as a
standard for infant nutrition.
READ MORE | Shame on you, you mean-girl mommy-shamers!
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers should exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of the baby's life and can continue to the age of two years or beyond.
“Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival,” the WHO website states.
“It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses.
“Breastfed children perform better on intelligence
tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese and less prone to diabetes
later in life.
“Women who breastfeed also have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers.”
Sources: Instagram, US Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, E News, World Health Organization
