A mum-of-two has faced death threats for continuing to breastfeed her four-year-old daughter.
Melissa Ostroth was even accused of child abuse by one sick troll as she talked about her decision to breastfeed her daughters Emilia, four, and Wrenly, two.
She encourages letting the child decide when they want to stop breastfeeding, rather than enforced weaning at a certain age.
The 34-year-old from Ohio, who feeds her two children up to ten times a day, has shared her parenting journey on Instagram.
In one post, she wrote: “Don’t let anyone shame you for breastfeeding past infancy.
“Continue to breastfeed for as long as you and your child desires. Don’t let those who are not educated or understand the benefits of natural term weaning impact your decision on how long you want to breastfeed for.”
The lactation consultant said that while many people are encouraging of her choices, she does also face criticism.
She said: “I received many negative comments, even death threats and requests that I kill myself.”
Some have slammed Melissa for continuing to breastfeed after the age of one, while another called it “borderline abusive”.
But she hopes that by sharing her story, Melissa can diffuse some of the misconceptions over natural-term weaning.
She stressed the benefits of breastfeeding past infancy, saying it continues to offer worthy health benefits to the child.
She hopes to break the taboo around breastfeeding older children and encouraged other mums to follow their own path when it comes to weaning.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
