April Nursing Mommies Thread
 

Thought maybe if we had a monthly thread the sporadic nursing questions/support would be in one thread and easier to find?

Anyway ds will be 6 months on Tuesday so he had his first bite of "solids" today. sniff sniff:( He seems unimpressed.

I think I will have quite awhile before I have to worry about caloric changes for me because he nurses less....:D

Two out of three of mine didn't start solids til they were over 8 months. :) Definitely made life easier in its way.

I have Esther attached to me right now, I'm just waiting for her to be asleep enough for me to slip away. Gotta love laptops!

I joined a gym about 2 weeks ago. Expensive, but very nice. Includes child care, and the older two love the kids club. I love the discovery of a weight machine to work my abs. I can't do normal crunches because of my back, but this I can do & I feel it in my stomach, so I know it's doing something, though I very much doubt it's anywhere near as effective as crunches.

Me, me!

DD is almost 8 months old and although we've started solids, she still nurses just as much, I'd say. She'll eat small amounts of solids (only what I eat - no jars for us!), she still prefers the boob. :D

Hi all

New here....I am a nursing mama technically... my 3 yr old has yet to wean. I've nursed for years...my now 7 yr old self-weaned at just over 2 yrs of age so.......I also have counseled women for years on nursing, I manage a yahoo email list for breastfeeding and had a site breastfeeding matters that I ran.....but my thing is I don't lose weight when nursing so..........I am struggling still. My intro post is in the intro forum if anyone is interested. :)

I'm still here. Weight loss totally sucks but I just can't seem to get it together eating wise. We're still nursing 7 months strong. He started solids at 4 months and still nurses about the same. When I'm at work he still takes about 24 oz. of EBM and then nurses 2-3x with me.
I have finally started to try and ad exercise back into my life. We've been going on 30 minute walks after dinner (the whole family :))

Great idea ennay!

DD is a great nurser (she's actually just over 9 mos, I think on another thread I said she was 8! Duh! :o ) and we are letting her take the lead in transitioning to "big kid food" as she is interested. She really is fascinated by solid food some days and she could care less on other days-- even with the same foods! :p

Big household hits right now: MILK of course :D ! Plus, squash, sweet potato, applesauce, and overcooked rice with mashed beans.

I made a bean and rice burrito last night and she desperately wanted a piece of the action! I finger-fed her litle bits of mashed beans and rice and she went nuts for it. It even had some chipotle tabasco on it (to my great surprise, she was completely unfazed)!

Steph

we have added avocado to the food list, he likes that better than rice.

I mak most of my baby foods, except sometimes the cereal, especially right now whn he eats so little.


I had a hard time losing with dd, and its going really well with ds. I am being more diligent this time too.

DD only likes to eat it if it comes directly off my plate, so I will mash what I have and give it to her (within reason, none of the no-no's like eggs, nuts, shellfish, etc). She never really like purees at all.

And her favorite thing is still her milkies. :)

We have a TON of allergies in my family, so I pretty much go by the superbabyfood book for awhile. Plus most of what I eat just doesnt work that well - grilled meats and salads a lot.

But I'll probably relax a bit with ds. dd I did superporridge and superyogurt and she turned 18 months and became like every other child and only wants mac & cheese, pizza, grilled cheese etc.

Yeah I got a pretty dedicated boob man here. dd was never much of an eater from any source, although she did nurse for almost 2 years, she never comfort nursed. He is definitely more into the boob than her.

ennay - the salads are the tough meals. Since, she's really not eating those yet. :p I will put something on my plate for just her. ;) Or sometimes, I might throw on some avacado and give her that - it all depends, but those are the tough meals. :) She still wants it though! It's easier when I have a lean meat and veggie (sometimes with a side of brown rice or something like that too) - then she can have my veggies. :)

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie to this forum!

I have a 3 month old (he'll be 4 months soon) and he is EBF. I returned to work when he was 6 weeks (:() but pump at work (only once a day). DH stays home during the day.

I am way overweight and need to lose. I have been...I guess although my clothes fit the same.

I didn't nurse my first son (4/99), I tried...lacked the knowledge, the help, the support. This time I would have been satisfied with nursing/supplementing, so every Friday I celebrate to mark another week!

I'm not on an eating plan, I need to be. I don't exercise, I need to start!

Glad to have found you all!
Oh....at Ben's last ped. appt. they told me I could start cereal....UM NO!!!! I'd like to start at 6mo....making my own :)
Baby up...gotta go!!
Debbie

Debbie, welcome! good for you for waiting, even the AAP says 6 months now, but most peds still push solids.

Yeah, it's kind of scary how little knowledge a lot of pediatricians have about baby feeding (and breastfeeding). You definitely need to do the research on your own. I won't hold my kid away from solid food like some women online apparently do, but it's not a good idea to rush things either, IMO.

And...honestly...the poop doesn't really stink until you add solids into the diet. Not that it smells good, but I'll take that soured milk smell over the clear-out-the-room-reek my 17-month-old produces.

Thanks for the welcome!:carrot:

We had to change peds. due to insurance (long story) and at his 3 month check up they were running WAY behind and we saw a dr. that we don't like. Starting solids, now! I just nodded my head!

Last night I had a terrible stomach/back ache. I haven't had AF yet, so I don't think it's that. Now I just have a pain (dull, but achy and hurts) in my lower back...left side really. I dunno what it is? I thought maybe I pulled a muscle or leaning over when nursing. Could gas cause a pain like that?

Dh has to work today (he works for a major theme park in Orlando) so we are coloring eggs this morning (late, I know). Our 7 yo (8 soon) is all excited. The baby is asleep.

Tomorrow we are going to SeaWorld, they are having a Sunrise Easter Service...later we're heading off to a park with our good friends. We have NO family here. I'll make sure we pack healthy snacks!

Hope everyone has a great Saturday. I'll be working on pumping today to have some milk for next week. I have some frozen, but I like to have some in the fridge for the week.

:p Debbie

I made a ticker, but how do I put it on when I post? WIll I have to add it every time???

Thanks

Debbie

I think I got it!

oh...now banana is a hit! funny, dd hated banana

yeah, honestly solids are something that for quite awhile I consider more of a pain than anything. I remember with dd halfheartedly wondering if I could ebf until she was potty trained and start solids then :p

That's interesting to hear other comment about peds and solids, because my ped seemed to take it for granted that I had started DD on solids when I brought her in around 4 months. I just nodded my head like "Oh yeah, of course", mostly because I was surprised to hear it! I was pretty sure I'd read that 6 months of exclusive BFing was ideal...

We ended up starting at 6 months, but like you Ennay, I find them to be more of a pain in the neck than anything! It's much easier to just whip out a boob and be done with it! :D

Steph

Erin - According to the AAP it's supposed to be 6 months, but I think a lot of peds are still dispensing OLD advice in regards to solids. We waited until a few days before she turned six months (only because DH watches her on Wed nights and decided it was worth a shot when she was fussing). I agree that they are more of a pain than anything.

I think that gap between baby food and real food is the worst. Not yet because I'm sure he wouldnt care if I skipped a day since he is eating about 1-2 tablespoons total, but when they start to eat a lot, but still cant order off the kids menu...ugh.

We had to do a lot of traveling during that period with dd and what a pain. Especially since I never did commercial baby food (except for carrots - dont ask me why but dd LOVED jarred carrots and hated homemade - she still likes the jarred stage 2 carrots at 3 years old. They are a "treat" sometimes :lol: ) . Anyway, traveling and trying to find food she would eat was horrendous. Single servings of unsweetened yogurt are nearly impossible to find. She wasnt used to the types of babyfoods that are out there.

Yeah until VERY recently AAP was officially 4-6 months but even then many lactation consultants and allergists were saying 6 months. It only got officially changed maybe last year?

Its funny, my ped clearly thinks its a good idea to delay, but always talks about solids at the 4 month mark. I think she feels pressure from parents to want to start and doesnt have enough backbone to say "you shouldnt".

ennay - DD doesn't like the pureed jarred baby foods - or maybe she likes them too much - to spit out! We just give her table food. I mash it up for her and she does just fine (she does have two teeth). Restaurants are hard - I usually try to get her some soup (like veggie soup). She doesn't eat a lot of the broth, but she gets a variety of soft veggies that way. :)

We actually started solids at 4 months. He started showing the signs he was ready for foods. I too make his babyfood. It's not that much extra work to do it. Our hardest problem is all the freezer space it takes up. The only food he's really showed an aversion to is broccoli. He even likes avocado. :) We've about made it through all the veggies and as for fruits he's had peaches, bananas, apples, and pears. I'll probably start introducing meats in the next week or so. I have a magic bullet and love that thing for making baby food.

babyfood meat just grosses me out. I didnt start dd on meat until she was old enough for MEAT. I have a thing about pureed meat.

I gather avocado is a great first food. I'm a bit past that stage. :D I just looked over & realized Esther was sitting on her potty. With her pullup still on. She doesn't quite grasp the concept yet...

Quick post.....
We had a nice Easter.

Looks like Ben is cutting 2 teeth...he's not even 4 months yet!!!! I saw two whit things getting ready to break through his gums...MY BABYYYYYYYYYY!!! lol

He's been drooling like crazy and chomping on whatever he can find :D

Gotta go...he's fussing....

Deb

That's interesting...I definitely did see the 4 month recommendation in my travels, but most of my gfs were starting their babies on solids around 6 months, and a little reading seemed to back that up.

I was pretty determined to bf for at least a year and it looks like we'll hit that date pretty handily.

That being said, on the solids front, DD is getting adventurous-- at Easter dinner, she tackled the broccoli and mashed potatoes with aplomb. I think she really liked being in her high chair at the table with the extended family more than anything. I guess food is as social for babies as it can be for us! :) We'll wait on the ham though! Pureed meats give me the heebie jeebies too! :p

Yeah I read somewhere that if you had to pick just one food to eat, that would be your best choice. Good fats for their brain.

:rofl: on the potty....potty training is SO much fun. NOT

As a breastfeeding counselor and educator for years, and a mom, I can tell you the recommendation was 6 months, and even that is too soon. Babies' digestive tracks are too young to consume much of anything other than breastmilk.

I have a two month old and nursed exclusively for the first month and had to start supplementing with formula due to low milk supply. Still have 13 lbs to go to prepregnancy weight but to be truthful I'd like to lose more. (140 is my goal weight so I can go back to wearing my old clothes!). How much weight is a safe amount to lose while nursing?

Usually a lb a week is still as safe as the standard 2 per week for non nursing moms.

a lot depends on your milk supply, cutting too low can cut your milk supply further. Also a pound a week is the golden standard based on release of toxins that may be stored in your fat. Some other theories are its ok to go a little above 1/week if you are 20 or more above prepreg weight , but that once you get back to prepregnancy weight you should then stick to 1/week max (on average) or less.

Speaking of weight loss :lol: (as opposed to baby food)

How many calories are you guys eating? I am a calorie counter and sometimes feel silly talking about how much I eat because it is so much more than everyone else (and still a struggle sometimes!) I am very active and aim for 2000-2100 most days, but actually average about 2200-2300 over the long haul.

The myth is that we need to ingest more calories to sustain milk production and it isn't the case. In fact many women end up overweight because of this.

And losing weight doesn't affect milk supply. We store enough fat in our bodies to sustain the suuply. The first things affected are our own selves, health wise, production is quite honestly not affected much even proven in
3rd world countries that they make enough milk on a cup of rice a day.

I've researched this for years...studied it and taught it.

I'm beyond tired...woke up around 2:30am to nurse...stayed awake...very busy at work right now...

I'm not following any diet plan right now...or even watching calories...I'm just getting back on track.

I have a question though.......(not really...just being silly).....I am about 15 pds. under my pregnancy beginning weight...date of delivery I'm about 24 or so...basically I didn't gain any with this pregnancy....but I still am carrying the the 30 I gained with my first....plus another 30! Plus about another 30! Is it ok if I lose 2lbs. or more a week? :)

I am going to focus on eathing more fruits and veggies and not junk, drinking water and exercising 3x a week.

My milk supply seems fine?, I guess. So far I haven't had to supplement....and I only pump once a day during work....although today I didn't at all...I just pumped while I nursed....then pumped about an ounce from the side he ate off of.

Better get going....I have tons of computer reports/paperwork to have ready by 9:30 am....plus progress reports for Thursday and I can't remember where I put my grade sheet!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL - it does for me. I produce a TON of milk. So much so that both my kids were not easily getting enough hindmilk during the first 4-6 weeks. My son was lazy. He would stop nursing as soon as the milk became more "work" and wait 20 minutes until I had more. Most kids HATE OALD, he loved it. Just would sit there and let it pour into his mouth and refuse to SUCK.

The quickest way for me to cut production to retrain him was to drop calories for a week (and yes I tried all the other techniques first). Not drastically, but significantly lower than what I was eating. Especially fat

After that, no it doesnt make much of an effect once my milk was well established and stabilized.

Yes, eventually, as in africa, the baby will control the supply and the milk will catch up. But you will get an initial change. In a 3rd world country they will just demand feed until the milk supply increases. It isnt unusual for a baby to nurse 20 times a day there to keep supply up. They also do a lot more of milk producing activity like skin to skin contact 24/7. In the US people freak out at the slightest drop in milk supply and before you get a chance to let nature heal it, pediatricians tell you you dont have enough milk.

We've seen it often in our nursing groups here, not with women eating to being overweight, but with women eating WAY too little. Usually women who are already thin with low body fat reserves and who are in that early cant sleep, cant shower, cant find time to eat stage who inadvertently have cut their calories way too low. They have slower production and the babies want to eat all the time which then compounds the issue. We have had a lot of success with making sure they get enough calories to quickly bring up supply.

Even now, if I drop too low in fat for several days in a row, my son nurses more frequently.

Deb - It isnt recommended to drop more than 1 per week because of toxins in the fat. LLL recommends not less than 1800-2000 calories a day, I would start there and see what happens. Adding in exercise is a great way to go.

I lost more than 1/week for awhile, but it is slower now. But I was never aiming for more. I just ate my 2200 calories and did my workouts and some weeks were better than others :)

edit - I just looked it up. From December 5th to now I averaged 2234 calories and lost an average of 1.5 lbs/week. I wouldnt go drastically low to try and lose faster, but I also ...well 2200 is A LOT of calories, I couldnt see adding 250 per day to try to slow it down either. I think my body knew what it needed

by the way...why is benjamin worthy of rolling on the floor laughing? was he a surprise?

this is me too. I've tried to get back into the groove several times after I had Nate and each time I started self-sabotaging myself and would eat and eat and eat. I was trying to stay around 2300-2500 calories. I just kept feeling like I was giving up so much or something. This time I'm working to replace my unhealthy meals with healthy ones. That's not to mean I'm not still overeating. I was eating out for every breakfast and lunch and then going back for 2nds and sometimes 3rds at dinner. Now I'm having oatmeal or an omelet for breakfast, taking the time for a healthy morning snack and am bringing my lunch to work. Today I'm having grilled chicken breast, a baked potato, and steamed broccoli. I also have some cottage cheese and an apple on standby if I'm still hungry.

This is true from what I have seen as well.

My DDs have definitely all done the constant nursing thing. It's something very rarely talked about, and I think it kills more than one nursing relationship. Women expect to have a huge supply immediately, and when they encounter that 'round-the-clock behavior, they think they don't have enough milk to sustain their baby & the downward spiral of supplementing begins. (Which isn't to say that some women don't need to supplement, just that probably not as many as are coerced into doing it.)

Hello ladies!

You girls are JUST what I have been looking for! I am currently nursing my 8.5 month old son Logan. I have pretty much hoovered around the same weight since his birth no matter what I do, but I haven't tried dieting at all since he started solids, so I am taking the plunge again now.

I have about 40lbs to lose total, and thanks to a kidney infection I lost about 10, but gained back 5 right away (probably water weight since I was probably pretty dehydrated). My short term goal is 12lbs by June 1st. I am going to really watch my supply and try to catch any issues right away, but I don't forsee any. As long as I pump every other day or more my supply is usually in full force.

Yes, I am one of those weird women whose bodies respond better to the pump than baby, so if I cut out that one pumping session each morning my supply dips. Needless to say I have a lot of milk in the freezer since he only gets about 1 bottle a week.

welcome mommacat! Depending on how you have that frozen milk stored there are milk banks that accept donations for ill babes who would greatly benefit from momsmilk. Because of the screening they only accept 100 oz or more I think. They dont pay you, but I believe it is tax deductible.

anyway something to think about if you dont think you can use it up.

exercise seems to have more of an impact on my weightloss than when I am not nursing. My own personal theory is the "starvation threshold" (often talked about as 1200cals/day) is significantly jacked up when nursing and I have to exercise so I can eat more and reassure my metabolism that I have an abundance of food available