Multiple Questions

well I don't recommend giving him cereal that young because it can cause more harm than good. try giving him more breastmilk or add a few ounces of formula. three months is when I started giving my daughter a little bit of cereal in her milk. as for when you will have a normal period again it just depends on you. Me I quit bleeding 2 or 3 weeks after having my daughter and then had a period within the next month or two.

My twins were diagnoised with acid reflux very young also. They are 5 now. If I remember correctly, Similac made formula for that. That is what I used. The doctor recommend rice in their formula, but that seemed a bit much for me. The formula worked well.

The American Pediatrics Association recommends waiting until 6 months (but as early as 4 if he shows signs of rediness) before introducing solids to babies. I know there are many people that say cereal is helpful in keeping babies asleep longer but a) you baby wakes up probably primarily to eat and you want him to eat when he needs to and b) feeding him cereal this early could cause issues later where he can't sense how full he really is. With all that said, I would just say that you should contact your son's pediatrician and talk it over with them. With guideance from them, you'll do what's right for you and your baby. As for the other question, I am unable to answer that for you, I breastfeed both times so it took at least 7 months.

Best of luck and I wish you many peacefull nights in the near future :-)

Congratulations!!!

First, you need to talk to your pediatrician. Hold off on the cereal or any change in feeding habits until you talk to his doctor first.

You will notice that you will get a lot of unsolicited advice from well-meaning friends, family and even strangers. A previous poster is right... a lot of things have changed since we were babies, and a lot of advice is outdated. You have to take some of the advice, throw some out, listen to your pediatrician and then do what works best for you and your baby.

As far as the cereal goes... there is absolutely NO proof that feeding cereal will help a baby sleep. In fact, it's often the opposite. Often it causes tummy upset because their systems aren't developed enough to handle it, therefore causing gas and stomach aches, which of course hinders sleeping. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends delaying solids (including cereal) until 6 months because it can be a choking hazard, raise the risk of food allergies, and cause gastrointestinal upset. Some doctors will advise starting sooner for things like acid reflux or weight gain issues though, so talk to your ped.

As for sleeping through feedings... talk to his pediatrician about this too. My doctor told us that as long as our daughter is healthy, having enough wet & dirty diapers, growing & gaining weight then there is no need to wake her for feedings. At 5 weeks, it's still so early, and little babies sleep a LOT. So, try to enjoy it for now and get some much needed rest for yourself. You'll miss it later.

I'm sorry, I can't help with the period question. I didn't have a c-section... my period didn't return for 8 wonderful months. I hope you can be so lucky!

Good luck and try not to stress too much!

You need to talk to your pediatrician. And your mom and cousin are way off -- NO 5-week old needs cereal!! I'm sure your doctor will tell you to stop that immediately.

DONT DO IT!! Babies need to be 4 months old before their digestive system is mature enough to handle cereal. Just wait, please.

Hi Susan,

I would absolutely stop feeding your son rice cereal. The AAP recommends waiting until 6 months old to introduce any solids (this includes cereal). Their tummies are not mature enough to handle the food, and it may make them constipated and make their stomachs hurt. My pediatrician also told me that introducing solids too early can lead to food allergies and childhood obesity. As for the first period, I didn't start until my son was almost eight months old. I was exclusively breastfeeding though. Good luck!

Hi Susan. I think you and I have talked before when your son was first diagnosed in utero. I'm not sure if you remember me, but my son was born with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate in 2005. Congratulations on your new baby boy! Having a baby with a cleft is a special set of circumstances, therefore, you can't really rely on conventional advice that works for babies who were not born with a cleft. My advice to you is to speak to your pediatrician, or even better speak to the nurse associated with your cleft team (I hope you are receiving team care for your baby!) about the reflux. It is a very common problem for babies born with cleft because they tend to swallow alot more air than other babies during feedings. There are special thickeners that you can add to formula, but I think those are generally only used if the baby has a swallowing issue. With reflux, there are several different medications that you can try until you find the right one. Or it might be as simple as switching to a different bottle to feed him. Speak to your ped or your cleft team about this. Your baby will be much happier if he does not have reflux ... and in turn you will probably be able to get more sleep with a happier baby. For advice from moms who have babies/children with clefts, you should visit www.cleftadvocate.org. There is a link under "do you need support" for the message board. Just sign up and ask your questions there. You will get wonderful advice from many moms who have been there done that. It has been a great resource for me. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I should mention that I am due to have baby #2 a week from today .... so if I am slow to respond, that might be why! :-)

congradulation on having a new baby. I want to tell you that it could be the type of milk your baby is drinking. Perhaps you may change the milk he or she is drinking and sometijes this helps the baby stomach. I suggest changing to carnation milk because I had an issue with the stomach wisth my baby girl. She is 18 years old now. But try this and see if it works. Don't buy the carnation sweet milk but buy the carnation regular milk. You need to add 1 can of water to every can of milk and also liquid iron supplements. Also you can get a prescription from the doctor for liquid iron supplements. My daughter was okay on this milk.

First off, I'm pretty sure that 5 weeks old is way too early for cereal. The doctors usually don't recommend it until 3 to 4 months. It can be a choking hazard, and I would think your risk of choking might potentially be magnified if the baby has a cleft lip/palate. There are other, safer, treatments for reflux, such as special formula or meds like axcid. I would hate for your baby to choke on the cereal. He could get some in his lungs, which could cause an infection.
Second, as long as your baby is fine weight-wise, you don't need to be such a slave to the schedule. I would recommend a book called "On Becoming Baby Wise." It has a great feeding schedule that really helps your baby sleep better. It really works.
Finally, I think it took me about 8-10 weeks before I had a period with any of my babies, although none were C-section.

I don't know what kind of formula you are using but we used the Enfamil AR for my daughter. She had an issue with spitting up and projectile vomiting but it wasn't quite reflux so we did not want to put her on meds, however, if it truly is a case of reflux you might talk to your doc about that option. Anyway, I found that it helped significantly with her spitting up. Last I checked Target didn't have a generic of the AR but when we got past that stage I did use the Target/Enfamil generic and it was great! So, it's worth checking out to see if they've added it as it will save you about $10/can. Good luck and congrats on being a mommy!

I agree with many of the Mommies below about waiting to give rice cereal until 4-6 months of age. Our ped recommended waiting until 6 if possible...

You may also want to consult with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for any feeding questions/recommendations with regards to your son's cleft lip and palate. Look for one who can also assist with any surgical intervention he may need moving forward. Later in life, he may need a SLP to help with potential speech errors - or he may be just fine!

Congratulations on your beautiful new baby boy! Mine's 10 months old... it is going by too quickly!!!

J

Congrats on your new baby! I do believe that the rice cereal thing is an old wives tale. I have 2 children and when I started giving it to them (@ 6 months) it didn't affect their sleeping. If he has reflux (as my younger child did) you can give him some Mylanta or a prescription from the Dr - although I would definitely talk to his dr about these options prior to doing anything (also regarding the cereal).

In regards to sleeping through a feeding - at this age I do believe that it is okay for that to happen (unless he does it constantly). At this age they do let you know when they want to eat and sleep. Good luck.

First off, I am not offering advice but am answering a couple of your questions. My daughter was born 11/21/76 (yes, over 32 years ago) Her pediatrician's instructions on 12/07/76 were, "When she seems hungry offer rice cereal thinned with boiled water, milk or breast milk. Offer 1 tsp. A.M. & P.M. & increase as she wants it." She slept through the night (midnight until about 6:00 A.M.)from the time we brought her home from the hospital. She is now a healthy 32 y/o who is 5'10" tall and wears a size 7 slim extra long jeans. She has no food allergies and has never been a picky eater. But neither her father or I have any family history of food allergies and neither of us are picky eaters.

Do your research and talk to your pediatrician and then do what seems right for you and your son. Enjoy him.

Congratulations on the birth of your baby! Motherhood is so full of challenges, questions, and of course joy! I personally would recommend doing whatever your pediatrician recommends; however, I know that one of the reasons that the doctors usually wait on giving solids is to reduce the chances of babies developing allergies later in life. Hang in there!

Hi, my friend had me come up to respond to you... I am 24 and now have a 7-week old.. I too had a c-section. I had my first period about a week ago, so right between 6 and 7 weeks. It was really light too. I did not breastfeed or pump.. As for the rice cereal, I started giving my son the cereal in his bottle at 5 weeks. I felt I had to because he wouldn't make it even 2 hours between feedings. I typically give it to him around 9ish at night-- his last bottle before going to bed "for the night" and it helps him get around a good 5+ hours of sleep straight.. I have been arguing with his doctor that he has reflux, but they wont diagnose him with it. As for talking to the doctors about the cereal, I would advise you not to tell them. It is the "new" thing to not give babies cereal until 4 to 6 months. I am not a doctor.. But I have been babysitting and working at an infant daycare for many years and I have never seen a problem with a baby getting cereal before a certain age. My lil one falls asleep every now and then during feedings.. I will play "twist/tug" lightly on the bottle to get his attention and he will usually start sucking again. There are some feedings that he falls asleep and I just let him sleep.. I have come to the realization that he will wake up when he is hungry!! I promise you that your little one isn't going to starve if he doesn't finish a bottle at feedings!! Has he had any surgeries to fix the cleft palate and lip? My best friend had a lil one that was born with a cleft palate and they had to use special bottles for feedings, so I learned all their techniques with them, so let me know if you have any questions or need advice with that.. Feel free to email me anytime.. ____@____.com

I'd never wake a sleeping baby to feed it unless it was having weight gain issues. Better to have good sleep habits. Don't make him think he has to wake up every little bit to eat, not a good habit. If they are having no weight issues, they won't starve if you let them sleep for an hour or two or so longer. He'll tell you when he's hungry. I have four kids. They do sleep better if you feed them cereal and I did feed mine at a few weeks old cereal, probably younger, and they did just fine. Mine never had any medical issues or problems at all as a result. Usually did it at just the feeding before bedtime, night feeding. I'd give it to him if he isn't having any issues to be concerned about.

Everyone's advice was great! I don't really have much to add but this.... I was told you could introduce rice cereal at 6 months if your breastfeeding and 4 months if the baby is formula fed. Either way he is too young for formula. Mo B said it perfectly, people will give you all kinds of advice but follow your instincts and consult your pedi.
I would also let him sleep, for a bit anyway I personally never liked risking skipping a meal completely but that was just me.
I had a c-section with my 3rd and 4th babies. With my 3rd my period came back in like 4 weeks. It was crazy, didn't even get a break really on that one. Then with my last it took about 7 weeks.
Take care!

Our pediatrician recommends cereal @ 4-6 months....(FYI) A lot of people are gonna tell you what you "should" do with your baby. Especially older people whos advise is very outdated. Sorry I know that sounds mean and people will be mad at me for that. As far as health, eating, sleeping, questions, I consult our doctor and go with my mom gut.

Ok Period, I had a c-section 7 months ago {{{tear}}} that went by fast! But I didnt have a period until he was 2 months old. I wondered about that too! With my first it was exactly a month after I had her, so I was kinda nervous when 2 months went by and nothing happened. But then quickly wondered why I missed it when it came....haha!

And waking baby up....I have heard so many different things. But I will let the baby sleep, but I wont let him go an hour over a feeding, because if they sleep too long, the could completely miss a feeding, which I was always afraid of. But I have had doctors tell me to just let them sleep. Babies are supposed to decide whats more important, sleep/eating. But I did the mom gut thing and woke him up!

Hope some of this helps! Congrats on baby!!!!!!

When my daughter was a baby the pediatrician told me to wait until 2 months to give cereal, because of the iron. Mostly it can cause constipation I think. I know several people who have done it earlier and didn't have any problems, as long as it was watery enough. It did not help my daughter sleep longer though.

As far as sleeping through feedings...I am using the "Baby Wise" book with my son, he is 6 weeks. I feed my son during the day every three hours, and wake him if he is asleep (there are exceptions and it goes by age, you have to read the book). At night I let him wake up on his own. I think the book says that formula fed babies can go a little longer than 3 hours. The reason for doing this is to get them to take in their calories during the day so they do not need to eat at night. I think it is working pretty well. My son is now only waking once in the middle of the night and goes right back to sleep. With my daughter, who I demand fed, we were still getting up a couple times a night at 4 months. I highly recommend the book, and getting it now before your son gets any older. Everyone that I know who has used the Baby Wise schedule has had a child sleeping through the night around 2 months old.

Congratulations on your new baby, Susan!
I personally would not give a new baby cereal. Most pediatricians recommend it at 6 months, and some as early as 4 months.
I would ask his and see what they advise.
If he is caught up on weight issues, they would probably advise you that it is Ok for the baby to sleep and be fed when they wake up. Again, ask your doc for your specific baby.
My babies never had feeding issues and I never woke them to feed. I was an "on demand" over a scheduled feeder.

Finally, I gave birth vaginally both times so I can't comment on your period. Sorry!

Good luck!

A 5 week old baby noway you don't give them anything except Breastmilk or Formula.I have a 5 week old daughter as well do you want your baby to aspirate the cereal and then begin not to breath because he has little control of his choking and breathing.I'm sorry to be so blunt but there is guidelines for a reason haven't you noticed when your baby takes too much milk he may gasp,how do you expect him to swallow cereal.

I gave my kids cereal as young as a few days. By the time they were 2-3 months they were sucking it through a bottle thick enough it could have been fed to them by spoon (but spoon feeding wasn't fast enough to satisfy them). Tehy both had stomach problems. My first one was real bad & I was afraid to tell the ped. that I was giving him cereal, but then she recommended it due to the stomach problems. As long as he is eating enough when he does eat, sleeping through a feeding won't hurt him - he may even be trying to change schedules. I haven't dealt with the cleft lip and palate, but I would say any way you can feed him, as long as he isn't choking or throwing it back up (from eating too fast through the syringe) should be good. Once he can handle thicker cereal they sell infafeeders at Walgreens that are made for putting cereal or strained baby food in. You don't hear of too many people using them anymore but I was used to the oldfashioned ways as my gma had 13 kids / the other had 11 kids. Again, though this may not be an option with his cleft lip. I didn't have a C-Section, but my period came back about a month after I stopped bleeding from giving birth (which was about 3-4 weeks).

Rice cereal- Talk to your doctor before you start him on anything like that this early. Generally, it is not for them to be on any kind of solids this early but since you have some extenuating circumstances, your doctor might say it is ok. But don't give it too him anymore until you get your doctors approval. Be VERY careful with the advice that you get from others who have tried this or that. There are A LOT of old wives tales and practise out there that people swear by that are really not good for babies. If you think he has reflux then talk to your doctor about treatments.

First period- I had a c-section with my last one. Did not breastfeed or pump. It was about 2 months before I had my first period. It is different for everyone though. It is perfectly normal for your body to take a couple of months to readjust. I have also known a lot of women whose cycles have been completely different after have a baby so, when it comes, if it is not the same as it used to be, that is normal too.

Sleep-Have you ever heard, "never wake a sleeping baby". This is sound advice. If he is now stablized and growing at a normal rate, let him sleep. Don't base the feedings on the time of day but how many hours it has been since the last feeding. If he sleeps through one feeding, then feed him when he wakes up and base the next feeding on the time you start the first one. As long as he is getting however many ounces a day he is supposed to be getting, it doesn't matter if he is getting them space out evenly throughout the day. He will make up for lost time when he wakes up and wants to eat.

Wow, it seems like people have some strong opinions about rice cereal. I would consult your pediatrician and follow his or her advice. I would not say it is absolutely out of the question. My daughter was in the NICU for 10 days after she was born and she had some swallowing problems after being there. When people, including infants have difficulty swallowing it is recommended to thicken the liquids (I am a nurse and I see this all the time). I realize you said your baby has acid reflux issues, not swallowing difficulties, but I'm just saying it is not always out of the question to do cereal. Follow your doctor's advice. I do think however that at that age cereal probably won't make a huge difference in the amount of time the baby is sleeping. My periods were all out of wack for several months after both c-sections I have had. Good luck with your new baby!

I say there is nothing wrong with a little cereal. My brother 1st had cereal the day he arrived home from the hospital. In the old days everyone used to give cereal very early. I know it is highly discouraged these days. They say it increases the risk of obesity and diabetes. I say if your son comes from a healthy family and you are going to encourage him to be active as he grows up, there is nothing wrong with it. I feel like they have to find some reason for things happening, just like vaccines causing autism. The incidence is so much higher for these things today that the blame has to be pointed to something. If your baby doesn't get an upset stomach or choke on it, why not? Just my two cents- I'm definitely not a doctor!

Congratulations on the baby. Remember to go with your instinct- mommy knows best usually!