ANXIETY!!!!!

Felecia - posted on 05/24/2009

I too had this anxiety... My daughter is little over 6 months now and since I started soilds it has not changed her feedings (at breast) at all!!! Every one (family) tells me I need to start giving her more stuff I say I will but inside I scream no I want her to stay mine (if that makes sence lol) Just follow your babys lead he will tell you when HE is ready for the solids, there is nothing wrong with EBF longer than 6 months!!! My daughter "told" me she wanted solids by being extra fussy even though she was getting enough BM, and smacking her chomps at every thing I ate while crying lol So thats why I began to give her solids!! Hope you find this helpful.. God Luck and God Bless

Mandy - posted on 05/22/2009

Hi Cristina!
My baby boy is almost 7 months old now, I started him on solids around 5 months. I was also very worried about losing my supply and him not wanting to nurse any more. Once I started him on solids I was suprised to find that it did not change my supply much if at all. Also, he still nursed pretty much like he did before he started eating solids. Right after a meal of solids he did not eat quite as much as normal but he would still nurse. With him, I started him on infant cereal, I started out just giving it to him at night before bed, hoping that would help him sleep longer at night. I just started with once a day because with my daughter it constipated her very bad when I started her on cereal so I was very nervous about it. With my middle son I started him on fruits like apple sauce, peaches and pears and once he was doing good with those I introduced cereal. Hopefully that helps! Dont be too nervous about starting him on solids he will not lose interest in nursing.

Lorilynne - posted on 05/22/2009

Don't be anxious :) You will probably notice a decrease in the amount of nursings and the length of time he wants to do it in, but it will be more gradual, he's not going to just stop wanting to breastfeed once he gets that first bite of real food. The best advice I have is to nurse your son like normal, wait an hour and then try some pureed food. Start with one feeding a day and then over the weeks gradually increase to two and then three. We started solids at about 4 (ish) months and by 6 months he was on three solid meals a day (it took two months to get to that and it got really easy to tell when he was ready to add another feeding. He was still breastfeeding tons that entire time). My son is 9 months old now and he's done with baby food and eating real table food. 3 meals a day with 1 snack and he still nurses about 4-6 times a day.

Emily - posted on 05/22/2009

Anxiety here too. I so get it! My twins are 11 mo and I am starting to cut out feedings but would like to continue nursing at least twice a day. I am so paranoid that once I reduce feedings that my supply will dwindle. I've dropped on feeding and am afraid to do any others...just something to look forward to... :)



I introduced solids at six mos then got all worried that my twins would stop nursing so I stopped feeding solids for like a month and then started again at 7 mo. They were ready. BUT I ALWAYS start each feeding with nursing so they don't fill up on solids and not want to nurse.



You are not alone in your worries.although my sis keeps reminding me that my milk supply is well established and I shouldn't dry up because of that I still worrry like mad. Your supply has to be well established as well since you have been EBF for all this time. Good luck...it will be okay!!!

Geralyn - posted on 05/21/2009

Hi Cristina. I breastfed exclusively. I tried to introduce solids at 6 months, but my son did not take to any of the cereals, even home-made ones that I tried. He started with a small amount of pureed solids (veggies and fruits) introduced gradually, and so I'd say that he wasn't "solid" with his solids until closer to 10 or 11 months, still getting most of his nutrition from breastmilk.



I do not think that you have to worry that your son will taste solids and reject breastfeeding. They absolutely love their breastmilk! They really have to warm up to solids, at least my son did.... Breastmilk remained the staple of my son's diet until at least his first birthday. It did not affect my supply at all, but if it does, there are definitely things you can do to increase supply. The next 5-6 months are to experiment with different foods, textures, tastes, etc., not to replace breastmilk in any way.



Take a deep breath and jump in! Just think, you can enjoy all the funny faces he will make when he tastes new foods. You wouldn't want to miss out on that!

Shannon - posted on 05/21/2009

My son was 4 months when we gave him his first solids... he is now 9 months, and he eats 3 meals a day, plus 2 snacks and still nurses a minimum of 8 times a day... yes he is a piggy!!

Did my supply go down... slightly, but I still take 6 fenugreek a day, plus drink about 64 oz of just water,(plus other beverages besides this...) and I pump 4 times a day.... I only pump about 2 oz at a time, but it all gets put in the freezer for the days I need it.

Point being... relax a bit... they do, despite some peoples beliefs.. need to eat solids. It helps the muscles of the jaw to develop correct as well as teaching them how to use their tounge in a way that helps them later as they learn to speak. The longer you wait, the more troubles you may have in that developmental stage too. I am not saying you have to start now... but would say you should prior to a year.

Shannon - posted on 05/21/2009

My son was 4 months when we gave him his first solids... he is now 9 months, and he eats 3 meals a day, plus 2 snacks and still nurses a minimum of 8 times a day... yes he is a piggy!!

Did my supply go down... slightly, but I still take 6 fenugreek a day, plus drink about 64 oz of just water,(plus other beverages besides this...) and I pump 4 times a day.... I only pump about 2 oz at a time, but it all gets put in the freezer for the days I need it.

Point being... relax a bit... they do, despite some peoples beliefs.. need to eat solids. It helps the muscles of the jaw to develop correct as well as teaching them how to use their tounge in a way that helps them later as they learn to speak. The longer you wait, the more troubles you may have in that developmental stage too. I am not saying you have to start now... but would say you should prior to a year.

Jessica - posted on 05/21/2009

Congratulations on EBF this long! They do suggest to start some solids so that the baby's gut can start to digest more complex things, but the key is they have to drink their breast milk first. It is not supposed to replace feedings! I nursed Natalie and then offered her a few table spoons of which ever food we were trying that week.



This website helped me see what to start with and as far as I know, it's accurate.



http://www.babyzone.com/baby/nutrition-c...



My 10 month old was EBF for 4 months and has been nursing 3-4 x a day since then. She still loves it! I was anxious that she wouldn't. I was very sad to start supplementing and I would have done things differently if I would have known what I know now, about supply issues. Good luck and congrats on a beautiful baby!