Seeking Advice & Comfort About Feeding My Breastfed Baby

Hi K.,

I know how it can be, making sure she is getting what she needs when she needs it. I belong to babycenter.com They have everything and I mean EVERYTHING! baby (and toddler and older) related. You have a question, they've got the answer. They have everything from getting pregnant to being pregnant to babies and toddlers as well as big kids. Here is a link that breaks down what to feed babies when for the
first year (and beyond).

http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...

Check out their site for any other concerns.
S.

Try starting off with just a breakfast of real foods it takes time to adjust from giving her your nourishment and the bond that it creates. Don't lose faith you'll still have that feeling. start off slowly. then progress to a lunch and then a dinner usually like right before you eat ar even as your eating give her real food try to switch from breast being the meals to being more of the comfort food to settle down or in between meal.. Hope it helps.. M.

You are an awesome mother! Breastfeeding is the one the best gifts you can give your child. I am a pediatric RN. I feel that If your baby is ready and is enjoying the solid foods that it is a good time. I always fed my kids when we sat down for meals three times a day. If She is not sleeping thru the night you could give her cereal at bedtime. It is good to only introduce one new food each week. That way if there is an allergy you will know what caused it. I hope this is helpful!

I breastfed my daughter until 11 months. At my doctor's advice she did not get solids until 6 months. She weighed 15 lbs. at one, but was tiny & healthy.

It is actually better to feed jarred baby food to your baby since the fruits & vegetables are organically grown in most cases. Fruits & vegetables we buy at the store may not be as healthy as the jarred foods.

Follow the advice of your pediatrician for the next foods to give her, sand be sure to add each one slowly to detect any food allergies she may have. Good luck!

I can understand your being tentative about beginning the weaning process. I too felt some excitement and angst when I started my son on solids at 6 months. I started with just one solid feeing at lunch, as that was most convenient to my schedule. I would breast-feed him first and then offer him some food. He hated his cereal unless it was mixed with fruit. So I ended up just feeding him one vegetable for about a week. Then after a week I noticed that he seemed ready for a little more food so I started giving him a little cereal mixed with fruit as well as the veggie.

After about 2 1/2 weeks, I added another feeding this time at dinner. A few weeks later I added in a breakfast feeding as well. I think it is helpful if you try to plan it around meal times. At first his lunch was around 10:45 or 11 am because that was the time when I nursed him for the second time of the day, I have gradually moved that feeding to 11:30 or 12 am now depending on what we have going on. If you do not feed her on a schedule then I could see how it might be a little harder to decide when to add that meal since it is a good idea to nurse first and then offer solid food.

I mostly emphasized veggies at first because I wanted him to learn to like those too. It worked well for my son as he likes his veggies now but I know that isn't fool proof for every baby. I didn't use the baby meat, mostly because I thought it was disgusting but also the one time I tried it my son didn't like it. I figured he was getting plenty of protein from my breastmilk and then I also added cheese, egg yolks and other proteins (when he was about 9 1/2 -10 months old). I loved the Age by Age article Stacey referred to and found that to be my most helpful resource.

i will add more about what to feed your baby later when i have more time - but just wanted to say that starting solids does NOT mean starting the weaning process! my son nursed WAY past the point of eating solids. breastmilk is SO GOOD for your baby at so many stages. they never stop getting nutrition, immunity and so much more from your breastmilk. check out www.kellymom.com or www.drjaygordon.com for more info. dr. sears' website is good too as is mothering.com. be proud of your nursing accomplishment so far - but don't stop now!! there are still so many benefits to nursing 'full term'!!

K.,
My little Prince is now 6 months old and I too have brestfed him from day one....he won't even take a bottle at all. I was nervous about starting food also but it has been great on this end....I make all of his food and add my breastmilk to it when needed....I started cereal w/ applesauce and or peaches in the am and then he nurses after that and I usually feed him lunch wich is carrots, butternut squash,greenbeans, or snow peas that I have pureed for him. I also give him peachs,applesauce or pears that I have put into the food processor.....He is still nursing about 5 times a day and is sleeping better at night.....I hope this helps you and good luck...
J.

Hi, K.! Starting solids is a real pain in the keister, believe me! My daughter refused solids until she was 10 months old (and we later learned she had BAD food allergies, so it turned out to be a good thing). My son, who is almost 10 months (and trying to help me type right now) has only just started accepting them. Your breastmilk contains all the nutrients your baby needs for the first year, so, right now, solids are just for "fun," so to speak.

Here's a great link with info on starting solids: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

Don't stress too much over it. It was another four months after my daughter started solids before I got in a routine of giving her an actual meal a day, and she was almost 18 months old before she got going on three meals a day. She was sick only once in her first three years of life, so I guess it must have worked out okay :)

And the teething baby cries, so I'm off to offer comfort (and probably a dry diaper)!

My son didn't eat solids until he was about a year old. And then it was because he was able to eat on his own (pick up the food and feed it to himself). He never was into me spoon feeding him..so all those wonderful fresh organic homemade babyfoods went to waste. :) We started by offering what was on our plates....he eats pretty well now, but he is still breastfed so I don't worry about how much. He will eat off a spoon now too.

The book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is pretty good with when to feed and what to feed...as well as showing how easy it is to prepare homemade baby food.

I Breastfed both my boys. The first I breastfed for 7 months then I got ill and milk dryed up. But, I didn't start him on solids till he was 4 months old.

The second one I nursed for 10 months, and he decided he was no longer interested. But he also was eating rice cereal by 3 months. Couldn't get enough in him to satisfy his hunger. By 6 months he was eating from the table.
The child at age two still has a voracious appetite.

at 7 months you can introduce any of the foods her digestive system is mature enough to digest it. But only introduce one new food at a time over the course of 3 to 4 days to rule out any food allergy. Gerber makes baby cereals that can be mixed with fruit and fed at breakfast.

If you have a good blender you can make your own baby foods with what ever you fix from the table. Feed her, at the table before you eat and let her stay at the table while you eat.

Hi K.!

I am also a huge breastfeeding advocate! I breastfed my two sons for 18 months each...My first son hated solids! He had nothing but breastmilk for 12 months! Then he started to snack on table food. My advice is to not push the solids at all. Give him tastes of your food. My son liked to eat my food because it tastes much better. THere is nothing that you can give your baby in a jar that is better than breastmilk. My father is a physician and he says that babies are designed to have nothing but breastmilk for the first two years! Feeding your baby should not be a struggle, it should happen on her clock not yours...and as far as a schedule is concerned...my two and four year old are still not really on an eating schedule. This can be annoying but really their stomachs are two small for three "meals" a day. I was just reading in a book written by the Gessell Institute of Child Development that toddlers and preschoolers will typically eat one "meal" per day and several snacks. I guess that we just have to pick and choose our battles! Good Luck! And remember that "breast is best!" Although it could be tedious, breastfeeding my babies will always been some of my fondest memories.