Sami. Grace didnt really eat much for the first few months and she puts weight on SOOO slowly. i have given up going and getting her weighed, im sick of being told she is under nourished. she is happy and healthy! and my doctor is happy. so we are all happy
hope you sort things out on monday, but i think you could speak to ten different doctors/mchn/peads/etc and gets ten different opinions about BLS!
We put Rafferty's cereals in his bottles. Just one or two tablespoons in with his formula. It makes it thicker, but not too thick for him to still slurp out of the bottle.
This is the best way I can make sure he gets his iron. Just a suggestion for those of you bottle-feeding...
Sami hun, I know how you feel. DS1 didn't eat anything until around 8 months, and very little until nearly 12 months (and didn't become a "good" eater until about 16 months). If he's not eating, it means that he doesn't need it. I know that you are worrying. I know that you feel like your child should be eating food. I know because I have BTDT. And my biggest regret is that I kept pushing him to eat when he didn't want to. I honestly believe that he would be a better eater now if I hadn't done that.
Did you know that babies get more iron from bm than from any other source? And that one of the reasons why exclusive bfing is recommended for 6 months is that introducing solids can actually decrease the iron levels? Solids must not replace bm in the first 6 months, and should still be the most significant part of the diet until 12 months - iron is part of the reason for this. So if iron is what you are worried about, you can stop worrying! Just keep bfing - it's the best thing you can do!
The BLS approach is what I believe to be exactly the right thing to do in this situation. Allow your child to explore the texture, smell and taste, so that when he does want to eat, he will eat a good variety of foods. This is all part of the learning experience. You are doing a really great job. Please try not to doubt yourself
MR - thanks so much for your post - it made me feel much better
I am continuing to BF at the moment, and I am now feeling a bit disgusted at the info the MCHN gave me - she was subtley suggesting I introduce 1 bottle a day - which I just ignored and he was in desperate need of iron and somehow I was doing the wrong thing.
You know, after feeding two kiddies already, I just cant believe she made me doubt myself, my instincts, and my gorgeously healthy looking baby boy.
Sunny side up, I made some soup yesterday - cream of vege - swt potato, broccoli, pumpkin, tin of creamed corn cooked in stock for 20 mins, 2 tbls of cream and whizz it all up - my kids love it - and Zander actually ate 2 tblspoons too - I nearly cried
So I am just gunna continue to offer him foods when we eat still and listen to myself again
sami, isnt it a horrible feeling when someone like that makes you doubt yourself, when your just trying to do your best! i was told to introduce a bottle when grace was about 6 months...what great advice from MR....i know that ignoring that stupid doc that gave me the same advice as yours gave you was the right thing for us to do....grace now shovels whatever she can get her hands on in and some days after a meal she will look at me and bang her table like 'whats next'!? so dont worry....it will come!
SAMI MR is right, that BLS is the better option for you. That's why we're doing it. BJ was refusing the spoon so obviously I couldn't force him. I thought we'd go BLS & if he didn't eat anything, well he wasn't eating anyway. You're right. Just keep offering. Thank god for BB hey!
I'm glad you are feeling better Sami. It's amazing how health professionals can make us doubt ourselves so easily! You might all be surprised to know that even I had a confidence lapse and nearly gave DS2 formula at one stage!
The nurse that you saw probably has not read a medical journal in the last 20 years! It used to be believed that bf babies lacked iron, as bm is low in iron. But we know now that bf babies have much better iron levels as nearly all the iron in bm is absorbed, whereas only a very small amount of iron in food and formula is absorbed (which is why there needs to be so much in there!). Many people are surprised to learn that around 95% of iron in bm is absorbed, whereas less than 5% of the iron in iron fortified baby cereals is absorbed. Sadly some people are still advised to give babies cereal to keep their iron levels up, and in fact it has the opposite effect if the bm intake drops as a result.
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and he was in desperate need of iron and somehow I was doing the wrong thing.
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