Another booby juice thread

The doctors are trying to tell us that Skye isn't getting the nutrients he needs from mamas breast milk anymore. They are trying to convince me to mix the milk with formula. I would rather start him on the cereal a couple times a day than give him formula. Formula sounds like something made a mad scientists lab to change him from Dr. Jeckal to Mr. Hyde. On the other hand, if that is what he absolutly needs in order to fill up, then I will relucently give in. Also, he will not eat the pumped milk from a bottle, I have tried the bottle, a few different kinds of nipples, a sippy cup, and a regular cup with no pleasing results. He gets so worked up, and I know that a lot of it is that he is getting hungry, that and he is having a rough time adjusting to mama being gone, and papa being the care taker. He is also cutting teeth, which isn't helping the matter any. Could someone spell out the food situation for me and give me some advice?

 

How old is your son? What is prompting the doctors to say that? Is he losing weight or something? If he is less than 6 mos old hold off on the cereal. And, even then there are better alternatives than baby cereal.
I have to cut this a bit short, have to put Robert down for nap. Don't worry, your're doing fine.
Had

 

Yeah, if he's less than 6 months, he's NOT READY for cereal. And cereal is not the best baby food to give him. I think I remember Brighid saying that his first foods should be yellow, orange, or red veggies or fruits. Good vitamins there.

I can't wait to hear what Ms. Sugar has to say. She's so full of info. Not to mention, I don't know how a mom's milk can suddenly just stop being good.

 

He is almost 6 months, he isn't losing weight or anything, he just doesn't seem to be satisfied when he is done eating. They are saying that now that he is older that he needs more nutrients than what mom can offer.

 

then supplement with FOOD not formula. That would be what I'd do. Alot of soft veggies and fruit plus breastmilk... There should be no need for it(formula). If he is 6 months old or almost he is probably just trying to tell everyone he wants to explore new things. Have you seen those fruit strainers where the baby can grasp the handle and suck on the fruit, and break down it down into small pieces? Both me and my kids LOVED those. Especially while teething... freeze it (the fruit piece) and let him go to town. Do you have a chopper? cook the veggies and chop 'em up really fine to a smooth consistancy and see how he reacts. Good luck guys.

 

you can also look to behavior to see if he's ready - does he make chewing motions? can his fingers pinch small pieces of food? does he watch YOU eating like a hawk? lol!! my joey did, before we started giving him food - he was so funny to watch. another thing, he wanted to be sitting at the table during dinner, he wouldn't play or sit in his swing at all - he'd only be content sitting on my lap during dinner, even before i'd let him eat food.

 

it sounds like your typical growth spurt to me. Or maybe it's just the teething or the adjustment to a new situation. Nothing is better for a baby his age than breastmilk. Nothing is more easily digested, nothing has more fat and calories or more bio-available vitamins. I would suggest you keep trying, maybe cup feeding or finger feeding him if he won't take the bottles. Or, if your wife is up to it, he might start reverse-cycling on his own if left alone about it, nursing all night while she is with him, and sleeping all day while she is away. Lots of breastfed babies do that.

when my babies were ready for solids, it was very obvious, even to me as a first-time mother. They would pull of the breast with milk dripping from their chins, acting still hungry and angry about it, latch back on then pull off angry again, even though they were getting plenty of milk. Latching on and pulling off, over and over again. If he can pick something up pinching with his forefinger and thumb, he might be ready for something like cheerios.

Dr Sears has some good advice on his website:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t032000.asp
It honestly sounds as though your doctor has not been adequately educated about human lactation. Very few doctors know the first thing about breastfeeding, what a shame!

 

I started giving him the breastmilk with a medicine dropper, slow going but it works!

 

*i* would keep nursing, maybe more often even, and start introducing the veggies; my kids were pretty ravenous at that age--acorn squash did the trick, hehe!

 

Yeah. I think I read somewhere that babies hit growth spurts around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months old. And maybe it's about time to start him on veggies. Definitely start looking for the signs that he's ready. One of the cutest signs is when baby watches you eat, following the fork/spoon from the plate/bowl to your mouth, opening his mouth when you do. Looks so adorable.

But don't supplement. If he's not experiencing a lack of growth, is developing normally, has enough wet and messy diapers, he's getting enough. He's just ready for the next level. That's what it sounds like to me.

 

What a wonderful Daddy you are! So dedicated!

 

you could try an ADIRA bottle looks just like a breast. kind of expensive but you only need one worked great for me

 

I'd start on fruits and veggies. If he's not losing weight and still has plenty of wet/poopy dipes, he's fine. If he's nearly six months, I'd focus on breast milk in a sippy cup. Lots of babes like the avent magic cups. Maybe have mom talk to him a bit while showing him how to use it so when she's gone, he'll feel more inclined to give it another shot. If your babe is still thriving and your doc keeps pushing the formula, I'd get a new doc.

 

It sounds like a growth spurt. The worst thing to do during a growth spurt is to supplement with anything. The milk will catch up in a few days. If the baby isn't losing wieght, I see NO problem.

What do you mean by "not satisfied" after a feeding? What happens if she is put back on the breast again? Many times during a growth spurt just nursing MORE is the answer.

And formula should NEVER be mixed with human milk in the same recepticle. There are things in the human milk that the forumla can disrupt and cause to not be usable by the baby. Formula supplemenation should only be considered if a child is in danger of malnutrition, serious dehydration, and has been treated by a seasoned Lactation Consultant, everything the Consultant suggested was tried and the child is still in danger. Really, formula is only for babies who are in danger!!!! (Your assesment of it is correct.) And even in those situations, the human milk should be given first, by breast, and then the supplement, only every other feeding, so the baby doesnt slack off at the breast expecting the supp every time. They can be given at the same feeding, but not in the same cup or bottle. Give human milk first from mama directly and then do a little tiny bit of formula, but ONLY in babies who are in danger of dehydration or serious growth problems. A baby who is not losing weight has no use for this stuff. It is ONLY for serious and unusual situations (like the one in 1000 or more mom who can't make enough, for adopted children, and those who have serious gaining problems.)

If she is going to start on solids there is NOTHING cereal can give her. Fruits or veggies are packed with food value, cereal is basically useless, as children this age usually do not yet manufacture Amylase in their gut and Amylase (an enzyme) is required to break down starches and get nutrition from them. And even in an older baby (say closer to a year) who is eating some cereal, only organic, whole grain NONiron supplemented cereals are recommended. NONE of the iron added to rice cereal is absorbed AND it can prevent the baby from absorbing iron from her mama's milk. Ditch the cereal AND the doctor and find one who understands nutrition. (Nutrition is NOT required learning in many American medical school, neither is Lactation. find a doctor who has educated him or herself on these things.)

You are SUCH a good daddy, Landscaper. You are always interested in your baby's life and so involved. Keep up the good work.

Is your wife going to La Leche League meetings? They could be really helpful. Also, consulting The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a good thing to also do in situations like this, just so you can see the same things all the mamas here are saying, in writing.

One more thing, A LOT of breastfed babies "plateau out" in weight around your dd's age. My kids plateaued out at about 4 to 7 months, not gaining as much as they had in the past. They were totally healthy, but breastfed babies grow in spurts, not in the upward linear pattern that many formula fed babies do. GOOD doctors know this and are probably using growth charts which are NOT supplied by the formula company. Ask to see the tape measure and the growth chart your doctor is using. If is is sppnsored by a formula company, it is time to get a new doctor, because they have already BOUGHT your doc! My doctor had no problem with my babies plateauing, as she had witnessed the same thing in her long term BF babies, and she has also taken classes in nutrition and lactation. (She isn't an LC, but she has more knowlege than most MDs who don't continue their education in lactation and nutrition.)

Keep up the good work.

 

whilst I agree with most of what you said and have to be honest that I haven't clicked on the Dr Sears site yet I am wondering why the hell you would tell anyone to eat cheerios? I wouldn't even advise adults to eat cheerios yet alone small babies coming off breastmilk...something I might bribe my child with as a last resort now she is three if I actually ever had any around (which I don't) but definitely not something I would be including as a staple source of food or nutrition when they were young...sorry I am just wondering is there something I don't understand about the complete lack of nutritional value in this form of cereal?

 

They are whole grain oats, and very little sugar. Cheerios are not all that processed. Also, many health food brands make a "Cheerios" of their own, which are organic ect. Except for the fact that they are starch and some babies can't digest starch yet, I don't think it's the worst thing one can give a baby. Now, blue Kool Aid in a bottle is one that gets me going.

 

(sorry, a little off-topic) I've been horribly disturbed lately by the number of under-six-year-olds who come into my bf's fabric store sucking down coca-cola or FRAPPACINOs!

 

or you could just get a dog, landscaper - lol!

Baby Fed on Dog's Milk, Paper Reports
Reuters
DAR ES SALAAM (Feb. 9) - A Tanzanian mother went into hysterics when she found her six month-old baby suckling dog's milk, a local daily reported Thursday.

The mother left her son on a mat while she went to hang clothes in the yard of her Dar Es Salaam home, Uhuru newspaper said. When she came back to find him suckling on the dog, she screamed and rushed to her brother's house to seek advice.

But the brother managed to convince her dog's milk was harmless. "Since that day the baby is doing well and hasn't had diarrhea or any signs of illness," he was quoted as saying.

Another relative, who witnessed the incident Monday, was also unperturbed. "The baby was satisfied, since his belly was full and his lips had traces of milk," he told Uhuru.

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yer doin good, daddy - keep it up!

 

Hay gr8, got a link for that?

 

aw! how adorable yet totally disquieting...