KR came down with a nasty cold virus on Thursday, and when I say nasty I mean it. This thing took out 4 babies in her classroom alone! She had major congestion, lots of wet yucky coughs, sneezing and a runny nose. My poor baby was just miserable. Luckily, her 6 month well visit was scheduled for Friday afternoon. We went to visit her amazing pediatrician and she gave her a breathing treatment in the office and sent us home with our own machine (along with a prescription for enough breathing machine juice for 2 years!!!). Hopefully we won't need it once we get past this cold episode!
So, from her well/sick visit we came away with good news, medium news, and bad news...
1) the good news is that she is perfectly healthy (despite the cold)
2) the medium news is that there's a slight possibility that KR is like me and has cold/virus induced asthma. Let's just say a prayer and hope not!
3) the bad news is that KR has dropped from the 50th percentile for weight to the 25th from our last visit to now. he only gained 1/2 a lb in 2 months!!! Now, the doctor assured me that a decline in weight gain for breastfed babies around 6 months is perfectly normal. But she also said that KR should be eating 2-3 meals of baby food each day!!!
I was totally confused. Everything I've read about breastfeeding says to delay solids until 6 months. I started experimenting with solids at around 4 months, but not seriously enough to give her more than 2-3 meals per week...I was just trying to get her used to eating off of a spoon moreso than increasing her calorie-by-food intake. We even tried rice cereal, but she was not happy in the digestion-elimination department with that one, so I kind of (read: totally) slacked off with it.
Needless to say, I felt like a total idiot and a horrible mommy when the doctor told me that although she is getting wonderful nutrients from breastmilk, it can no longer provide the calories she need to continue growing on her trajectory. So, I immediately went to the store and bought baby oatmeal (to aid in digestion-elimniation) and some stage 2 baby food. I make all her babyfood myself, but Dr. E recommended that I buy a few jars to see what the consistency should be like.
So, Friday night we tried squash and corn (from the jar)...she took 2 spoons and was done.
Saturday, we tried oatmeal and prunes (jar)for breakfast...she took 2 spoons and was adamantly done. We tried sweet potatoes for lunch (jar) and had no luck...she was totally uninterested!
Same with breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Each time I tried feeding her, she lost interest and made her sign for milk. She only wanted to nurse! this is so strange because she eats 2-3 ounces of food that I send with her to daycare every day! I can't figure out if she will only eat food if I'm not there, of if she's eating it at school because the other kids are doing it (you know, a little infant peer pressure).
Last night, after trying carrots and peas that I made (which she seems to like a little better than the kind from the jar), I nursed her until she was full. She was awake and playing in her bouncer when I sat down for dinner. We had baked chicken, green beans, potatoes, and baked macaroni and cheese. She screamed at me when i sat down to eat and did some strange sign by making a fist and rotating both her hands at the wrists. I picked her up thinking that she only wanted to be held. Then, she lunged at my plate! I am so anxious about getting some weight on her that I smashed up some green beans and potatoes on my plate (heavily seasoned with cajun seasoning by the way) and gave her a little taste...she was so excited! Her arms were flaling around and she was kicking her feet impatiently waiting for me to feed her more. In all, she ate about 10 adult forks full of my green beans!
So, I have no idea what to do now. Either she just has a picky pallate and hates bland babyfood (I am from New Orleans, so that wouldn't surprise me), or she doesn't want to be fed with a baby spoon, or she doesn't want to be fed with a spoon by me before she has had a chance to nurse...In either case, I sent green beans with her for lunch today:0)
Any advice?
4 comments:
I am so sorry to hear about the virus! Sick babies are never fun--especially ones with congestion.
The whole solid foods thing is confusing at times. It is true that BF babies do not NEED to eat any additional solids prior to 8-12 months, so I wouldn't get too caught up in your DR saying she "should" be eating 2-3 meals a day (I say this as if I am an expert. Ha ha). My general sense is to read the baby's cues, and it sounds like KR really just started showing some signs of interest in food. In terms of 2-3 meals, we only did 2 meals for quite some time. And by meals, I mean we had 2 ice cubes (~1oz) of pureed food at a time. When he didn't want any more, we stopped feeding him. Like you said, so much of it in the beginning is about exploration and learning to eat from a spoon.
Still, I think that the majority of calories should come from formula/milk. You know I am a fan of kellymom.com, but my second "go-to" site is wholesomebabyfood.com. AMAZING SITE. Truly, the most comprehensive site on feeding your baby. I go pretty much every day to look something else up. (They could use a great web designer, though...)
Re:baby cereal. We did start with this for Miles, and he tolerated just fine. We got some with probiotics b/c he actually did have some "gut issues" (HappyBellies brand). But there is a lot of talk about how baby cereal is not a good first food b/c of some digestive issues. My general recommendation is that you have some flax meal or flaxseed oil on hand if you run into constipation. It works wonders. Second, I would try some foods that may not be as hard on digestion. The site above has great ideas for first foods (and it even has sample menus for a week). Be willing to experiment!
For us, making baby food works so well. I don't have to worry about "stages" and can pretty much control what I am giving Miles. We did just start whole milk yogurt this past week, and he didn't like it for some time, but is now eating it. They say it can take up to 10 times for a child to "like" a food, so just because she refuses, don't assume she does not like it. I mean, I wouldn't force feed her, but if you repeatedly introduce her to the food, she may suprise you one time and take a bite!
You are not an idiot. You are totally doing the right thing! Your instincts are impressive, and she obviously is interested in food. Again, don't feel compelled to have to feed her traditional baby food. It doesn't always have to be bland. Miles's favorite is quiona with apples. We are also trying beets this week! In terms of consistency, we do still struggle with this. Currently, Miles gags HARD on anything not pretty darn pureed (Except baby puffs), so we are just sticking with the puree for right now. But over time, you can slowly introduce more texture. The thing with homemade baby food, too, is that unless you have a super duper blender, the consistency is pretty much already past a "stage 1"
I applaud you for the breastfeeding, too. I don't want to sound preachy, but I would make sure that you aren't replacing any nursing/bottles with food. If she has the choice, fill her up on milk first.
Oh, and she may just not want to be fed "food" by you. I wouldn't be surprised--at this point, you have much nicer goods to provide. :) But keep experimenting and you'll find a system that works for you. There are times that I am convinced I am going to be hip carrying Miles in a sling up to receive his diploma and we are going to have his graduation feast full of pureed foods b/c he is not tracking like other babies, but he is just doing it all his own way!
Thanks for the advice Ali...you're right, I just need to make sure that I'm not forcing her to do something she doesn't want to do. I guess every baby eventually gets the solid food thing down, otherwise we'd have some pretty messed up adults in this world still bf'ing. I'm just getting so anxious because she's off her growth curve...Anyway, thanks again and I'll email you soon about play-dating.
this ali gives great advice, nadi!!! listen to her!!! i even learn so much reading her comments.
Ella was just beginning to experiment with solids around 6 months and her doctor was fine with that. Trying to force her to eat more just provoked tears and misery. We just kept offering up food at each meal, and she eventually took to it, especially the baby cereal mixed with fruit or whole milk yogurt. She was still a bad dinner eater until a couple weeks ago. KR will tell you when she's hungry. Have confidence in yourself--you're her mother, and you do indeed know best.
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