Breastfeeding Problem

Chocolate, and cake, and chocolate cake. Legendary. hehe [blushes'>

You're most welcome, and you made me blush :D. H.A.K's tip is the best I've ever heard and I don't think I'll ever forget it. Chocolate, and cake, and chocolate cake. Legendary.

Some really lovely, helpful supportive posts here!! :D All I wanted to add was that my second baby didn't even start solids until she was just over 8 months old. She had been quite unwell and our paed advised sticking with exclusive breastfeeding until her tiny tummy had had enough time to recover. As a result she was probably 10 months old before 100% 'accepting' solids and her weight gain was a little slower than that of her older brother at the same age. Small sample group though and her growth may have been slower anyway. :) She's now a bright, happy and healthy 4 yr old. As long as your little one is alert, happy, playing, sleeping etc I'm sure all is well. (If you really want to know if he's taking in any solids, may I suggest a huge chunk of steamed broccoli? You'll know for sure in tomorrow's nappy if he ate any. ;) )

I think you're right continuing to breasfeed your baby. You cannot stop breastfeeding her if she doesn't accept other food. I had a similar problem with mine for 1/2 month(s). I continued breasfeeding her in the morning when she wakes up. Around 10, I give her a yoghurt. Then at 1, I give her vegetables purees, since she doesn't like vegetables, I give her one spoon of fruits puree or yoghurt plus 2 spoons of vegetables. I repeat the same process at 4/5. If she doesn't eat much, I breasfeed her. During the night, only breasfeeding. She prefers much better breastfeeding but I prefer giving her first vegetables, fruits and yoghurt and then add breastmilk if necessary. I completely agree with the persons who said that adults are different, so are babies. Genetics is also important. <em>edited by KB75 on 26/04/2011</em>

I agree with Beigey - cutting down on the only guaranteed source of calories and nutrients that your child takes in isn't going to make him healthier... they just don't work like that. Being skinny is no bad thing - as adults we're all shapes and sizes, so it's to be expected that our babies and children will be too. I know a couple of people whose children are diddy, and their paeds here have spouted out the whole "cut down on breastfeeding" thing without obviously looking up from their notes at the mum - in both cases a healthy, slim, petite person. Growth charts don't beat genetics. In any case, follow your child's lead. If your baby is healthy, alert, generally happy and doing everything that babies do, then there's nothing to worry about. If he's lacking something, he will let you know through his behaviour - babies have no motivation to put on a brave face or "man up"... if they need something, they'll let you know. Lastly, learning to eat is more than just learning to nourish your body, it's about the pleasure, the socialisation and the variety too... so basically, don't be tempted to just get stuff in... stick with the approach that you are comfortable with and be happy that you are not making mealtimes a battleground, which is something that can be far more damaging long-term. <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 25/04/2011</em>

I don't think you've done anything wrong. Some babies aren't interested in solids for a while. With BLW you should try introducing food 30mins - 1 hr AFTER a feed so that they are not hungry and frustrated. It can take MONTHS before babies realise that food is something that fills their tummies up. Also, sometimes they don't feel like eating so they have more milk. DD will be 1 this week and recently she wasn't keen on eating and was feeding like mad, I realised that she was teething and had bad tummy. I am sorry but seeing a doctor say that iron levels are low is, in many cases, wrong. Breastfed babies always have lower levels of iron compared to formula fed ones - it's a wonderful way for formula companies to promote their "balanced, healthier product". Breastfeeding is not something you can limit! That makes me so mad. I feed on demand. Today DD fed 7 times - I am certainly not going to deny her the breast. She ate 5 meals and drank a lot of water too. Breastfeeding is about so much more. How much weight has he gained in a month? I know that from 7-8 months DD gained 400grams and 8-9months she gained 200g - I am NOT concerned. Weight gain slows down and then picks up again. I am not a pediatrician but I am lactivist who blogs about breastfeeding and BLW on several sites.

i cant offer any help but my situation is exactly the same as yours.. DD is 13 months and weighs just 6.5kg. she is a picky eater..at days she would eat good amount.. but with her teething these days..she is hardly eating a spoonful. like you..i worry a lot too... but i think all this worrying just adds a lot of stress to us and the LO.. i think the best thing is that just avoid food battles and give high caloric food whenever possible.

Please don't feel bad nix.dubai - it certainly doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. It is quite common for babies from 6 months onwards to have a slightly lower iron levels, and there are a number of reasons why this happens. Clearly your DS is getting drops to deal with this, but once he is finished these, you could just try increasing iron rich foods in both his and your diet. Re: weight gain. It does taper off once they are getting closer to a year old - I can't remember exactly when this happened with my DS - but I don't feel like he has put on 'much' weight at all for about 4 months now (he is 15months old). Has your Doctor advised he is seriously underweight? Is your DS otherwise a happy/content child? To be honest Doctors here seem quite obsessed with weight, and which percentile our LO's sit in, which annoys me sometimes. I 'suspect' that it is because he/she is unfamiliar with BLW that he is pressing the puree being reintroduced - my Dr didn't want me doing BLW, so I just told him I was giving DS puree's when not one has ever passed his lips - hehehe At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for you, and what you are most comfortable with, and how your DS is most comfortable eating. My DS is very independant and LOVES his mealtime, BLW works for some babies and not for others - the same with purees. If you think it was working better (he was enjoying, experiencing more) I would probably stick with BLW. Nutritionally up until they are about 1 year of age, they get all the nutrients they require from breastmilk or formula (besides Vitamin C and iron 'I think' someone may tell us this is wrong). So as long as your supply doesn't seem to be an issue, or DS is happy and not hungry, I really don't think (from what you have said) that you have an issue. When BLWing they don't absorb a lot of food for first few months, they really just play and experience, suck, mush and throw! I really didn't feel like DS was taking much onboard at mealtime until he was about 10-11 months old - when he definitely started eating more, and now he is definitely hoovering more down! He also feeds himself his breaky with a spoon - very messy.. but he loves it. There is a facebook group (very, very small one) which I set up for anyone who wants to discuss BLW, share recipes, ask questions etc here in Dubai ... you just need to look for the group Baby-Led Weaning - Dubai. I think we all dish out meals that we expect our LO's to clean the plate up with, and then worry when they don't eat it all. Obviously, appetites vary from child to child, but try not to worry about it. If you are finding purees are working, then great, stick with it, but you know what is best for you and your DS. I don't if you do this, but I also make sure there are snacks around for him all the day - so he gets 5 'meals' and then we have bags of organic crisps, biscuits, fruit on offer all the time - he seems to be a bit of a grazer. But, if your DS is happy in himself and has the energy to get around, I am sure you just have a 'slight' built child. I am not sure if this helps, but fingers crossed it might make you feel a little bit better!

I'm so sorry you're having trouble and I'm pretty sure you haven't 'gone wrong' anywhere with breastfeeding. I think it's human nature for us to blame ourselves! BFC on here gives wonderful, wonderful advice so if you don't get anywhere with this thread, leave a note for her and I'm sure she'll get back to you.