I still breastfeed my three-year-old daughter - people say it's disturbing but it has saved her from stunted growth
A mother-of-two who breastfed her daughter up until she was three years old has hit back at criticism from trolls as she claims her decision has helped her child's development.
Madison Simpson, who has documented her breastfeeding journey on TikTok, where she has more than 28,000 followers, has been told her approach is 'disturbing' and criticised for 'confusing' her daughter, Amaya.
Known online as 'The Breastfeeding Momma', the 22-year-old, who appears to hail from the American South, advocates for 'extended breastfeeding'.
Content creator Madison, who is from the US, posted a video of her blissfully breastfeeding her little girl earlier this year - when her daughter was approaching three - but it received a very negative reaction.
One person commented: 'It's time to STOP! This is disturbing seeing how that child is bigger than you.'
In the 30-second clip captioned 'Comfort nursing and bonding after the journey is over is okay too', Madison is holding Amaya in her arms and swaying to music as her daughter suckles on her breast.
Amaya, who was born with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IGR) weighed just over four pounds at birth and was expected to develop into a tiny child.
Although Madison struggled to breastfeed her first child, son Amirion, she didn't have any issues with her daughter.
And, at one month old, Amaya was already exceeding the growth expectations of her medical team, with Madison attributing her daughter's quick and impressive progress to breastfeeding.
Madison, who is herself very petite, decided to continue in the same vein, nursing Amaya well beyond her second birthday - always breastfeeding and never giving her a bottle.
The mother has also acknowledged that breastfeeding soothes her daughter, telling People that she puts Amaya 'on the boob and [lets] it be like a human pacifier.'
TikTokers were largely unimpressed with Madison's video, with some vehemently opposed to her 'extended breastfeeding' approach.
One person commented: 'It's time to STOP! This is disturbing seeing how that child is bigger than you.'
Reacting to Amaya's height, which appears to be above average for a toddler, Another added: 'At that point you're nursing a whole child'.
A third was especially judgmental, writing: 'Insecurity if a kid that age still needs a boobie for comfort. Clearly she has already developed food issues.'
Referring to Amaya, a fourth said: 'Very confusing for her'.
While a fifth person commented: 'She's a big girl. Does she eat solids or strictly breast milk?'
One person, however, leapt to Madison's defence, adding: 'I am so sorry you are receiving such hateful comments. What a blessing it is to have given your baby three years'.
Yet, unperturbed by all the negativity, Madison hit back at her detractors in a subsequent video posted on TikTok five days ago.
She responded directly to US comedian and actor Brandon Trusso, who publicly mocked the young mother when he said: 'That is not a child.
'It has a 401 (k) plan and a reverse mortgage.'
A 401 (k) plan is a type of retirement plan offered by US employers to their employees to help them save for when they've left the workforce.
Madison strongly defended her choice when she said: '[Amaya] is three years old.
'I quit breastfeeding around four or five months ago and she is no longer breastfed.
'It doesn't look normal to you because I am literally the size of a 12-year-old. I am 4 feet 11 [and] 90 pounds soaking wet.'
She went on to criticise Brandon for 'trying to down a mother for breastfeeding and giving away her body to a child.'
Madison said: 'Do you know how many years of hard work and dedication that it took to breastfeed her?'
The mother also noted in the video that it's normal in some countries to breastfeed up until seven.
She ended the clip by pointing out that she helps 'a lot of moms' with her page - and that Brandon was also putting them down for breastfeeding their children.
Madison then showed a picture of her daughter and said: 'Now does she look like she's off to college with a 401 (k) plan? She's three.'
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