Starving Baby

Each baby is different with how much food they need. Some need a little more, some a little less. I think it is WONDERFUL that you are breastfeeding. It is the food God created for babies and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding until they are 1 yr old. It is easy to digest, so they do need to eat more often. I'm sorry he is giving you a hard time about that. I have started to feed my 5 month old 3 times a day - at regular meal times. I was doing just twice a day, but he would get so hungry in between and breastfeeding just wasn't enough for him at that point. I always feed some cereal to him at each "meal" whether it's rice or barley cereal and I mix it with a fruit or vegetable. It is hard to know when they have had enough. I think my son is a bottomless pit!!

Second stage foods (the ones that are just one fruit or veggie) are actually just the same as the first stage food, it just has MORE in the container. So she is probably ready for that.

Here are some guidelines that the state of Idaho has put out about how much to feed baby. As I said, some babies might need a little more or a little less (oh and only introduce one new food every 3-5 days because you want to make sure baby isn't allergic).

6-8 months
* Iron fortified baby cereal (rice, barley, oatmeal) - 4-8 TBSP a day (amount of cereal, then you add the water, breastmilk, or formula to it)
* Bread (offer 1/2 slice, one made without honey), crackers 2 crackers (my Dr said not to do bread or crackers until 8 months though)
* Fruits - 4-6 TBSP
* Fruit juice - 100% fruit juice (apple or pear, etc) 3 oz from a CUP not a bottle
* Vegetables - 4-6 TBSP

Then breastfeed on demand throughout the day.

I hope this helps. Good luck!!

My son just turned one and at six months we started with one meal a day of rice cereal mixed with breastmilk and some baby food jars of fruit or vegetables. We introduced new foods after waiting 4-5 days to check for allergic reactions. Your daughter might have a tough time digesting the new food, if she gets constipated add prunes to her cereal. Once we felt he was used to the rice cereal we added a second meal and eventually a third. We even mixed the rice cereal with water instead of breastmilk. When he really started grabbing for our food we started introducing non pureed food.

Let you daughter guide you as to what she needs. You are learning her cues. I just weened my son, so don't give up the breastfeeding, your baby doesn't need formula if you are breastfeeding, she is just ready for solids. When she is a few months older you can start giving her water or juice in addition to your milk.

M.

When my daughter started food heres what I did for a schedule
In the morning she had the rice cereal or oatmeal but I mixed it with formula. then about 2 hours later give or take i gave her bottle of formula. Then at lunch (if shes just starting foods) then it would be the cereal prepared the same way if shes had a variety then I would do vegetable or fruit. Then a bottle about a few hours later. Then of course dinner would be the same as lunch.My daughter also loved the puffs in the baby aisle which has zinc and iron. When it comes to changing stages you will usually know depending if shes eating more than 1 jar of stage 1 food. GL and I hope this helps.

Try a meal or two with solids, then gradually work to three meals a day. I did cereal mixed with fruits for breakfast or yogurt, then went to cereal with veggies mixed in for lunch and dinner.
It is hard to gauge how much breast milk a baby is getting. So you weren't starving her, she was just ready for the next step.
You can try #2 when you think she is okay with more texture. I tested it out by giving thicker cereal and seeing how they did with that.

The book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" has a whole chapter on starting solids. You'd probably be able to get it at your local library.

This is from the Le Leche League, Int'l website (llli.org):

During their baby's first year, parents may be quizzed almost daily about their child's eating habits. “How long do you plan on breastfeeding?” “When do you plan on starting solids?” and “Is he eating food yet?” These are some of the most frequently asked questions parents hear from relatives, friends, and even strangers. A generation or so ago, the goal of many parents was to have the biggest baby who ate the most foods in the largest quantities at the earliest age possible. This mindset, although in decline, has been slow to die off. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has published new guidelines that recommend starting solids at six months, mothers still tell of pediatricians discussing solid foods as early as the two-month well-baby checkup.

THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING suggests that babies begin solid foods around the middle of the first year. Of course, a baby's readiness for solids depends more on the particular baby than on the half-year birthday mark. Some physical skills are needed. A baby needs to be able to sit up well and to coordinate his mouth and tongue to chew and swallow. A baby can do this only when the newborn reflex to thrust the tongue out has begun to fade. Baby may be able to pick up small objects and put them in his mouth. A baby who is diving for the food on your plate or grabbing for the food on your fork may be ready to begin experimenting with solid foods or he may just be trying out his hand-eye coordination. A sudden increase in the number of times your baby wants to breastfeed can be a sign of readiness, but it may also be a sign of an illness coming on, teething, a developmental spurt, or a change in routine. Follow your baby's cues. If his increased frequency of nursing has not subsided after four or five days, it may be time to offer him some simple first foods.

Once you have determined that your baby is ready for solid foods, you need to decide what foods to offer him. It is wise to introduce only one food at a time, allowing at least a week before the introduction of another new food, so you can detect the cause of any allergic reactions. THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING makes the following suggestions for introducing solids: begin with a raw mashed banana, boiled or baked sweet potato, or raw mashed avocado; follow with meat, fish, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables. If you wait at least a week between the introduction of each new food it may take several months before your baby is ready to sit down to “three square meals a day.” Chapter 13, “Ready for Solids,” in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING is full of tips and suggestions that will make the addition of solid foods to your baby's diet go more smoothly. Another source of information is the cookbook Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. This cookbook features many meatless recipes and includes variations for making recipes suitable for babies and children.

Manige,

You have already receive some wonderful advice. I just want to say to keep nursing. If you are pumping, which I am assuming you are since your baby spent the night, you now how your milk supply is holding up. Maybe you just need to nurse a little longer or more frequently. But, don't give up, you are providing your baby with a great nutrition.

Stage 2 is about more texture, if she is able to chew and not just swallow.

I found it easiest to feed the baby when you eat or right before and let them play with finger foods while you eat. Around three meals a day with a couple of snacks in between meals. Usually a nursing time. Some times I would put my little one in the high chair while working in the kitchen and let them play with Cheerios or easy to pick up foods.

You will know when they need a little more to eat. Make sure you introduce one food at a time. Just to be on the safe side and to make sure they don't react to one and you are not sure which one because you try too many at the same time.

Good Luck,
C. b

At this age keep the foods simple, the baby cereal mixed with fruits and veggies. Fruits in the morning and veggies at night, then I would just gauage how she does during the day, if nursing doesn't seem to be enough offer her some lunch, even though she seem's "starving" your breast milk still has all the nutrition she needs, but she is most likely not getting that full feeling that babies like, and let's face it some are just healtier eaters then others, one other thing you may think of doing is substituting one nursing time with formula, say the lunch one, cause that will also give her that full feeling. But keep BF'ing any other time she want's it it really is the best for her. Good Luck!

giving her solids is fine but just make sure that she is still getting the majority of her food from breast milk or formula. If you look at baby food there isn't much calories in it so even though it can fill them up they still are not getting enough of the good stuff that is in Breast milk. So make sure you give her breast milk or formula first and then try solids after to see if she is still hungry. But I'm also wondering why she isn't getting enough to eat through nursing? How often does she eat? Do you think your milk supply has gone down? to check try pumping to make sure you make enough.

6 months sounds pretty early to me to wean. You could try things to increase your milk supply, and I wish your dad would not try to interrupt with such a wonderful thing (however well intended). Nursing helps your daughter bond with you and feel loved, as well as giving antibodies.

Anyhow, to increase your milk supply, brewer's yeast can help, also just make sure you eat and drink enough, and that what you do take in is very healthy - shop the produce section, cut sugars, MSG, corn syrup, etc.

When you do giver her stage 2 foods, just pay attention to her output. If something gives her diarrhea, she's not ready.

For babies under 1 year breastmilk has the highest nutrient content over solid food and formula. I would definitely not stop breastfeeding or replace breastmilk with formula. I do agree that many babies really enjoy solids so I encourage you to keep experimenting with adding foods that she likes to her diet. I just wouldn't replace nursing sessions with solids or formula though.