1) Am I the first nursing mother to indefinitely delay the introduction of solids because I like the effect that exclusive nursing has on my figure? Angelina is 6 months old and shows some interest in our food. She has proven that she can swallow cereal and mashed foods but doesn't seem hungry as long as I nurse her often enough. I'm finally comfortably back into clothes that have been stored since our wedding. As I see it, this is a win situation for everyone.2) Will Barack Obama's audacity (pun intended) in purchasing the first half hour of tonight's World Series air time for a 30-minute political commercial help him or hurt him? Word on the street is when Phillies Phans turn on their TVs to see their team make a run at the Series once every 15 years, it's baseball they want to see. Not you-know-who.
9 comments:
I think it depends on what you mean by showing an interest in solids. Often times babies just want a place at the table, to play with the spoons and maybe a taste of something, say bannanas. If the baby is happy then I say go for the nursing- milk/formula is the main nutrition source for the first year. Everyting else is all about development. With that in mind, I gave up spoon feeding kids after number one. I only gave them things they could self feed and gave the 7 month olds spoons and forks. The younger they got utensils they could use themselves, the better they were as older babies and kids. I have a toddler who's much better with utensils then her older sibling!
At the risk of sounding too ap-ish on this blog : )- follow the child's lead. They'll let you know when they want the food!!! As long as you don't act like one of those moms that purposefully withholds solids from an unhappy kid in an effort to keep fertility at bay- more power to you!!!
I have heard that if babies don't get solids soon enough when they are ready they will actually refuse to try them later on when the nutrition is much more necessary. (I am thinking of kids who are 1 or 2 and still only nursing.) This is generally frowned upon by doctors. Maybe you should read up on it or ask your pediatrician.
My understanding is that recommendations to introduce solids by 6 months are largely based on the observation that exclusive breastfeeding beyond that time often leads to iron deficiency, even in a thriving infant.
Breast milk can be the only liquid that the baby ingests beyond this time, but research has shown that it is best to supplement the diet with other foods at 6 months.
This, at least, according to what the pediatricians practice at Mount Sinai, where I study.
Alex and others:
I have heard that even breast fed babies under 6 months of age can be given iron supplements, and should now be given supplemental vitamin D. I am pregnant and not sure if I am going to do this for this baby - esp. as I haven't for my older child. (He was exclusively breast fed with no supplements until 6 months old.) Any thoughts? I heard that vitamin D is available in drop form for infants....
Patti and all,
Yes, the American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends daily vitamin D supplements for breastfed babies, beginning some time during his/her first 2 months. The recommendation is based upon the fact that sunlight is needed to activate vitamin D and subsequently enable calcium absorption. Since it is generally advised to avoid letting your infant linger in direct sunlight, especially during the first 6 months and never without sunscreen, breastfed infants may not get enough vitamin D activated in their skin to absorb enough calcium (in their gut). The supplements do indeed come in drop form--usually in a multivitamin form or in a triple-drop vit. A/C/D form in the US.
Currently living in Northern Spain with my 3 month-old, we have been giving him vit. D supplementation (in drops) which is subsidized by the government here for all babies who live in the northern parts of the country and are exposed to less sunlight. It is recommended here that we continue giving him the supplement until he is 18 months old. I think that the AAP recommends giving the supplement until your breastfed baby has been weaned and is ingesting approximately 17 ounces of infant formula daily or, if over 12 months old, is drinking at least a pint of vit. D fortified milk a day.
You are a lucky lady! Breastfeeding actually makes it harder for me to lose baby weight...ugh! I didn't realize that for many women, breastfeeding causes their bodies to desperately cling to those fat cells they need to produce sufficient milk supply. I just can't lose that last 5 pounds until after I wean.
The only reason why I nursed all four of my children was to lose weight, and that I did. Well, I'm exagerating, I nursed because I was too lazy to make bottles, to cheap to buy formula...it was just easier for me to nurse. And I did get back to my pre-preg weight by 3 months post partum. I didn't over do it with eating though.
Maria, I was totally that way with my first two--I finally dropped the last 5+ pounds when I weaned. I don't know exactly what's different this time. I have been dieting (nothing dramatic, just smaller portions and healthier foods), and also Angelina has reflux and spits up a ton so I think I produce more milk to keep up with demand, plus I'm nursing longer and more often including at night.
Margaret JD Mom, hilarious!!, I wasn't going to confess denying solids (and nursing at night) to keep fertility at bay... shhhh : )
Alex and Patti, thank you for the discussion on supplements for nursing babies. We have a checkup next week, and I'm going to make sure we're on the right track.
There's nothing wrong with nursing at night as long as its not alienating daddy and you can deal with it! It is what is done in mnay other cultures and was done for hundreds of years!
Again, not to sound to AP-ish, but I found Dr. William Sear's Nighttime Parenting to have an interesting discussion of babies' sleep patterns (citing different info than Wiseblouth, Ferber etc.)...there's also James McKenna at Notre Dame- he's got a mother/baby sleep institute with some interesting data!!
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