More than milk, introducing solids to your baby

Today's topic: Introducing solids into your baby's diet.

There are two main ways to do this, purees or baby-led weaning, which is sometimes referred to as a current trend in feeding your baby. However there are other ways I'm sure, but here in New Zealand those are the only two that I know of.

We strive to have independent children, we want them to make their own decisions and figure out the world for themselves. We could wrap them in cotton wool and molly-coddle them until they are ready to leave home, that way they will always be our "baby". When do they ever stop being our baby? We know from our own experiences that allowing babies and children to experience things in their own time, form their own opinions and make their own decisions creates independence and confidence. When did society strip the independence and choice when it comes to babies and solids.

I have my own opinions about this whole introducing solids debate and I will try and voice it here, I will not however favour one method over another.

Introducing solids in most countries is recommended to begin when your baby is around the 6 month mark but no earlier than 4 months. This is due to a baby's digestive track not being mature enough to cope with anything but breast milk or infant formula. Here in New Zealand the Ministry of Health have the following view on when to introduce new foods:
"Babies should be exclusively breastfed (have breast-milk only) until they’re ready for – and need – extra food. This will be when they’re around six months old." New Zealand Ministry of Health Website

I realise that that statement doesn't mention formula feeding and I could not find anywhere in the introducing solid section any mention of formula being the main food. When looking at a second website I found the following reference on the Healthed website:

"Breast milk (or infant formula) gives babies all the nutrients they need up to around 6 months old. From 6 months babies start to need food as it provides extra sources of nutrients, such as iron. Also, babies have usually grown and developed enough to start eating solid food. Breast milk (or infant formula) is still very important."

Here in New Zealand the Ministry of Health advises that babies be around 6 months of age before introducing solids. I have scoured both their website and the Healthed site and could not find anywhere reference to 4 months being the minimum age. For that information you have to go onto the Plunket site.

Both the World Health Organisation and UNICEF advise that babies should be breastfed exclusively until 6 months and continue to be breastfed for up to two years plus. They also advise that complementary foods be introduced from 6 months onwards.

Adequate nutrition during infancy is essential for lifelong health and wellbeing. Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or more. - World Health Organisation

After reading multiple websites and publications I have found that all agree on the following things:

• Breastfeeding is considered to be the best form of nutrition for babies with formula being used when breastfeeding is not possible.
• Solids or complementary food should be introduced at about 6 months. The reason why it is "about" 6 months is that some babies are developmentally before and some after 6 months. 
• Solid/complementary foods should be offered in a form that is suitable for your babies development. 

Now that the age of starting foods is clarified lets talk texture.

Here in New Zealand the recommended way to introduce solids is to start with purees, then mashed, then lumpy and finally finger and table foods. So what that basically breaks down to is smooth and runny, then thick and mashed and finally minced and lumpy.

 After reading the publications put out by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF website, Gerber.com, forbaby.co.nz, among many others my understanding is that purees or "stage one" is for babies in the 4-6 month age range as they have yet to develop the skills to chew and swallow thicker chunkier foods. Yet once they reach 6 months and older and have developed the chewing/swallowing skills to handle thicker mashes and textured food is fine and so on from there.

Originally before I started to read up on it all I wondered where the puree/mash/lump/fingerfood approach came from. I had assumed that it was just some outdated approach to solids that no one really questions these days. I think this could partly be because I read Baby Led Weaning by Gill Rapley before fully reading up about infant feeding. I now stand corrected. The World Health Organisation guidelines follow the mashed food route.

Now onto baby led weaning.

This approach to introducing solids is based around giving your baby the food to feed themselves in whole form not purees. The food however does have to be at a state/softness that it turns to mash when baby gums it, so basically the food just before you put it in the blender or attack with the potato masher. It is all about giving your child the control and independence over food.

One of the primary concerns with baby led weaning is that as your child is controlling what goes in their mouth you cannot measure how much they ingest and whether it is enough. But as with the puree method you as the parent give the food and can therefore ensure that what they are eating is healthy and full of essential nutrients.

I myself can see the benefits of both the puree/mash route and baby led weaning. Puree/mash is what is recommended by most health care professionals.

I started to write this post when I was first reading up and looking into feeding methods before starting my son on solid foods. He is now 9 months old and eating amazingly. The route I followed was in no way conventional and I did not just go with one method.

I waited until he was about 5 and half months old before introducing solids. He was showing all the classic signs at about 4 and a half months but I had decided that I wanted to start him as close to 6 months as possible. At 5 and a half months he was holding his head up really well, could sit supported and would keep food in his mouth. The true indicator however was when he grabbed a piece of pizza crust off my plate at dinner one night and proceeded to gnaw on it actually ingesting some in the process.

I did not start with the cereals but with a piece of plum. He loved holding it, sucking on it and exploring it. From there I introduced pureed apple among other foods. I did not stick to the finger foods of baby led weaning or just purees, I mixed and matched dependent on what I was comfortable with as a parent. Now at nine months my son will quite happily feed himself and quite efficiently too. But then he will also eat off a spoon with no arguments or issues.

I have always allowed him to be in control no matter what he is eating and right from the word go, if he wanted to hold the spoon to put it in his own mouth then so be it. By letting him take control of the spoon it meant that I didn't have to battle him to get the food into his mouth or play tricks to get him to open his mouth for the spoon. He learnt early on how to turn the spoon over once it was in his mouth to suck or lick the contents off that way none was wasted. In the early days there was a lot of mess as he got the hang of holding the spoon, but there was also a lot of mess when I gave him finger foods.

There is no hard and fast rule about the methods to which we should introduce solids to our babies diets. It is up to the parents and what they feel is right for them and their baby. Some babies prefer the baby led weaning approach while other prefer the puree method each baby is different. I do feel that as a parent you should do a bit of reading before starting so that you can know make an informed choice.

Listed below are links to the sites and publications that I read and explored while writing this so please browse through them and see if any are helpful for you and your baby. Please note any listed as WHO is for the World Health Organisation

Watties ForBaby Website
Gerber.com
UK NHS pamphlet found on the UNICEF website
Babyledweaning.com
New Zealand Ministry of Health


World Health Organisation links

• Infant and young child fact sheet
• Complementary feeding
• Infant and young child feeding publication
• Guiding principles for complementary feeding of the breastfed child publication
• Guiding principles for feeding non-breastfed children 6-24 months publication
• Complementary feeding: Family foods for breastfed children publication

Disclaimer: I am just a stay at home mum with no prior qualifications so have voiced my opinion and understanding on all the information I read. I am in no way a health professional and advise to talk to your health care professional before starting your baby on solids.

It's ok Darling I'm Supermum - Part Three

It's ok darling I will put the cat out at 4.30am when she wakes me after trying to get you up, but only after I wait 5 minutes for her to eat the biscuits that she turned her nose up a dinner, then crawl under the table to pull her out after I open the backdoor and she turns and runs back inside.

It's ok darling I don't need to eat breakfast until lunch time, you eat yours at the normal time.

It's ok darling I will prepare and cook a full roast dinner, even though I have asked multiple times, including when you got up today to help with prepping the veges.

It's ok darling I will feed the baby while trying to eat breakfast.

It's ok darling I will feed the baby while watching the ideal cooking time for the roast disappear into the past.

It's ok darling I will change the nappy that you mentioned was starting to smell slightly.

It's ok darling I will change that same dirty nappy that I asked you to change while I had a shower.

It's ok darling I will hang out your freshly washed work clothes.

It's ok darling I will calm the crying baby.

It's ok darling I will hold a sleeping baby while I do everything because he wont sleep during the day unless in my arms, no matter what I try.

It's ok darling you just dig the base for the wood shed, even though it is summer and we don't have any wood yet. I understand it needed to be done today.

It's ok darling I'm Supermum you know.

Note: I understand darling that feeding the baby is a little hard for you since he is exclusively breastfed. But when I ask you to help with dinner, just peeling the veggies is all, that you will actually help me.

4 am milking...

Sometimes being a breastfeeding mother makes one feel like a cow. For the week and a half that I had to exclusively pump was the worst. The feeling like all you are here for is to produce milk is something often felt.

Right now it is half four in the morning and I have just put my son back to bed after a late night/early morning feed then because I have to leave him in the care of others for a few hours this weekend, pumped to add to my stash. Pumping at 4am makes me feel like I am back working on a farm and getting up to help with the morning milking. But it is something necessary when you wont give your baby formula when with others. My son is breastfed and will have my milk even if I can't be the one to give him.

If it means I am up in the early hours of the morning pumping then so be it. A mother needs her freedom sometimes.

Terrible Teething

No official diagnosis but I think my darling son is starting to teeth at only 3 months. I do wish that would have come a little later but for now I will just have to put up with it.We are seeing the Plunket nurse in a couple of days so I shall confirm it with her. His symptoms so far are:

• Wanting to put everything in his mouth no matter what it is. Fingers, clothing, toys etc.
• Drooling has started though he kinda sucks it back in.
• Irritable especially at night with frequent wakings for feeding, managed a 6 hour sleep to begin with, but that was because he was so tired due to not sleeping during the day.
• Resisting sleep, yesterday was a killer for that, today is no different. He has seemingly become a light sleeper that wakes at anything.
• Wanting to feed more, but not actually feeding more sucking/gnawing on my nipple(that is no fun).
• Minor rash on his face.
• Pulling at his ear
• rubbing cheeks against things especially my shoulder.

Here's hoping it passes soon, sleep deprivation is starting to get to me. No tears yet though.

On another note however we got some giggles from him last night.

Incorrect parenting and insufficient supply.

Last week I had a visit from one of the ladies at Plunket. Let's just say when she left I was left questioning my skills as a parent yet again. Am I really doing it wrong?

I have been told and read right from the beginning that I should demand feed my son not schedule his feeds to the 2-3hr timings also recommended. So that is what I did, now that among other things is incorrect or so the lady implied. Apparently me feeding him on demand and letting him have longer sleeps during the day is not how it should be done. This is how is supposed to be done or so she said; let him be awake for an hour tops then put him down to sleep for 2-3hr.

Getting him to sleep after only an hour is proving to be quite difficult, but I can see how it could possibly help him sleep better and have been trying since her visit to make it work. I am able to do an hour and a half to two hours awake before he sleeps and always have. Today was the exception to this:

•  8am Greeted with a big smile when he woke up
• 11am sleep time.. no wait nap time.. laundry in and vacuuming completed
• 12pm lunch time - with big smiles and some coos and goos
• 3pm afternoon tea time - lots of snacking, smiling and staring at the world close by
• 5pm early dinner and smiles
• 5.30pm sleep time

But along with the feeding schedule I should also begin sleep training, the self soothe cry it out method. That I don't think I can do exactly. Hearing my baby crying is totally gut wrenching and something I like to avoid at all costs. She does have valid points in that I need to get my baby to go to sleep in his cot or alternative location himself and not at the breast like often happens. I like to feed my baby to sleep, it makes me feel good and also comforts my son.

Rather than let him cry himself to sleep with minimal comfort from me I am going with what I know and what I have done from the beginning... Nurse to sleep, or if I'm lucky to the point where he is almost going to drop off and will fall into true sleep when I put him in his cot (a totally rare occurrence).

To me sleep training and schedule feeds just aren't going to work for me and him, We are happy as we are thanks.

How do you do the feeding and sleep in your family? What works for your family? Post a comment below and don't forget to check out my Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.

Resentment and the things no-one tells you

I expected to be exhausted, struggling to find the time for a shower and unconditionally in love with my baby, what no one told me is that I would have a resentment to some of the new things in my life, or that by the time my son is 5-6 weeks old he should now be feeding from both breasts at a feed.

I am struggling to accept the fact that I have a minor resentment towards my partner. It's not really towards him as such but the fact that he gets to sleep through the night and not get up. Everywhere tells you to share the load, "get your partner to help with nighttime feedings". What they don't tell you is that unless your partner is also a lactating female or you are formula feeding there is no way that they can help with feeding. My son does not do man boobs. I would love right now to not be up at 3am feeding a baby who half an hour ago indicated he was done and waited until I had put him in his cot to make it known that he was hungry again.

I know that I am slightly crazy in being up at 3am blogging and not sleeping as my baby is now asleep in my lap and not making the I'm hungry signs. But sometimes frustrations need to be released before one can fully get good sleep no matter how short it may be. Plus there is every likelihood that my partner will make the usual irritated grunts and roll over away from me when I finally crawl into bed.

Oh and to you new mothers, don't feel guilty when you let your baby cry as you make some toast for breakfast or get some lunch, they will get over it but you need food too and just once in a while your needs come first. I thought you should know this from me as I gave up on feeling guilty a couple of weeks ago when I realised that despite people telling you to eat healthy and have 3 meals a day plus snacks it just doesn't fit into my baby's schedule. That is unless I let him cry a little while I make something to eat. Food that you can eat one handed while supporting your baby at the breast is easiest. 

Formula Recalls, Botulism and all important decisions - Part Two

I could quite easily delete the original post and part of it no longer applies, but that would not be staying true to my pregnancy and motherhood journey, so an explanation is required.

While pregnant I researched and discussed with both my doctor and midwife about the option of breastfeeding. The decision was made that I would breast feed twice a day when my medication levels are lowest and then formula feed all other feeds. My medication can cause drowsiness in my baby if the levels in my milk are too high. So feeds were going to occur just before I took my doses. Research showed that there  were no adverse or significant effects to the baby when breastfed exclusively on my current dose so I could take that as meaning it is safe. I also decided that I would at least breastfeed while I was producing colostrum so bubs would get all the benefits.

After birth however that changed. I spoke with lactation consultants, a specialist for my condition and midwives before I made a new decision. I am now exclusively breastfeeding my darling we baby, which has come with its challenges. Sure I do worry that my medication could have adverse affect on my baby, but it is just a matter of watching out for the signs and checking the levels in his blood on a regular basis. For now my son is happy and healthy.

Formula Recalls, Botulism and all important decisions.

I haven't even had my baby yet and already the formula that I chose to initially use has been recalled due to a botulism scare with the whey powder used.Click here for more info.

How can a first time mother put her faith in infant formula when things like this happen? Firstly though, to those of you who breast feed and can be a little judgemental about those of us who choose to formula feed, please know that I didn't get a choice. I want what's best for my baby and apparently my first choice didn't make the cut. Fear not, I have now replaced the tainted powder with another brand deemed safe.

Being a first time mother is going to be hard enough without having to worry about the formula that I will be feeding my baby. We have all these decisions to make not only before the child is born but also once it arrives. Do I want an epidural? Should I have a water birth? Do I give my baby vitamin K?, What nappy cream is best? Is my baby wearing enough clothes? Do I wait in clamping the cord? We have all these new and confusing decisions thrown at us and are expected to know what is best for our children.

Can anyone truly make the right decision every time?