Breastmilk, Early Solids, Formula.

Nashua852

Nashua852

Registered User
Dear all,

My little one (4 months, 4 weeks) had his first taste of solids (baby rice mixed with breast milk) this week. Before I get any comments about how breastmilk or formula sufficiently provides for a baby's nutritional needs up til six months please let me assure you that this was an informed decision. Based on my baby's sleeping patterns, his physical ability, weight, and desire to try solids - (never underestimate the determination of a baby's army crawl when there's a plate of fruit lying on the floor) as well as discussions with licensed childhealth specialists. In fact I was planning on waiting until 6 months myself.

Little one slept through since six weeks from 9pm - 7am (we've been very fortunate) and had started waking up in the middle of the night for feeds again about 2 weeks ago. Writing it off as a growth spurt I didn't have any qualms waking up for a 3-4am feed again. However, within the two weeks the frequency of these feeds escalated until on Monday he woke up no less than three times hungry for a feed before 7 a.m -- (He has 6-7 feeds a day) it was like having a newborn again!

After having his 2 tsp.'s of baby rice with breastmilk on tuesday he settled back into his routine again and was a much happier baby. He took really well to the bright red spoon feeding him and seems interested in more. Since we began solids early I really want to take it as slow as I can; 2 tsp.'s of baby rice a day for the first week- to a week and a half and then 2 times a day for another week or so before starting him on pureed veg and fruit.

Yesterday, he kept crying for more after his 2 tsp.'s, and last night he woke up for a feed at 3 a.m again.
I really don't want to rush the solids so my questions are;

  • Should I top him with formula every night after his 8:30 feed?
  • If so, what brand would you recommend and how many oz/mls?
  • Should I increase his baby rice consumption? (Don't know about this..)
  • Or should I just suck it up and give him his middle of the night breast feed whilst sticking with the 2 tsp. a day (Don't really mind)

I hope to breast feed for as long as I can.
Regarding the links to early solids and allergies there's coeliac in the family so all his food has to be gluten free for the first year anyway.

Also, both husband and I were early (or at the time considered late) weaners - 4 mos. Could this be genetic?

God, these always turn out so long when I write them out -- Sorry! And thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for all your help. The support from this site has been so great -- and I admit to checking what's going on here almost every day. =P

Thank Thank Thank you all in advance.

Nash
 
The latest research I?ve read about celiac suggests to continue breastfeeding while you introduce wheat into your baby?s diet. So if you are not going to introduce wheat until 12 months consider breastfeeding for at least 15 months.

Being an early weaner is not genetic ? it is cultural. Over the last 50 years the recommendations from the medical professionals has been to introduce solids quite early ? at around four months and sometimes even earlier. The recommendations now are to wait until about six months. Most parents either follow what their own parents did or what everyone else around them is doing.

Baby rice and other first solids don?t have many calories when compared to milk. So don?t except your baby to be fuller with solids. And the nutritional value is much lower. Usually we suggest that breast milk continue to be the baby?s main source of food for at least the first 12 months of life. Starting solids is really just giving a taste so the baby gets use to it and over time can begin to get more and more nutrition for such food and less from milk.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Hi Sarah,

Thanks for your reply. I've seen you all over the forums on this site and your advice has been invaluable. You and LLL really do a fantastic job and I've been meaning to come to one of the tea breaks.

Little One has about 3 tsp.'s of solids now twice a day along with his milk feed. So he still gets around 4oz (as I mix the baby rice with breast milk) Thank You for the information regarding coeliac, I was hoping to breastfeed for about 12 mos. but now I'm thinking of extending that based on what you just said.

Would you be able to direct me to some of the recent research that's come out regarding gluten intolerance in babies? Is there a way to improve his chances of NOT getting a gluten intolerance?

Thanks again :)
 
The Importance of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Infants at Risk of Celiac Disease
http://www.mcnjournal.com/pt/re/mcn...9Cj2zQ5QhDV6B4Gw!1167962659!181195628!8091!-1
American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
?Exclusive breastfeeding, with its many health benefits, may mitigate or delay symptomatic celiac disease. Because infants with a positive family history of the disease could be affected, it is crucial to identify those at risk and educate and advise parents regarding the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.?

Breast-feeding protects against celiac disease
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/5/914
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 75, No. 5, 914-921, May 2002
?The gradual introduction of gluten-containing foods into the diet of infants while they are still being breast-fed reduces the risk of celiac disease in early childhood and probably also during the subsequent childhood period.?

same article but able to get full report:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11976167&dopt=Abstract
U.S. National Library of Medicine

Effect of breast feeding on risk of coeliac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/91/1/39
?Breast feeding may offer protection against the development of CD. Breast feeding during the introduction of dietary gluten, and increasing duration of breast feeding were associated with reduced risk of developing CD. It is, however, not clear from the primary studies whether breast feeding delays the onset of symptoms or provides a permanent protection against the disease. Long term prospective cohort studies are required to investigate further the relation between breast feeding and CD.?

Interesting blog
Human Lactation Informatin
http://lactiferous.blogspot.com/2007/07/breastfeeding-and-celiac-disease.html

Some of the older research seems to be inconclusive. One of the problems is the way that ?breastfeeding? is defined in these studies. Often exclusive breastfeeding (where baby gets nothing but breast milk), fully breastfeeding (where baby now gets nothing but breast milk but has had formula in the past) and mixed feeding all as one.

The latest research splits the breastfeeding into these different categories. And more and more research is showing that exclusive breastfeeding (and not just full breastfeeding) is giving the best health benefits.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Just side track here.
A question for Sarah. My 4 months old seems to be eating less frequent than normal.Normally he will feed at 8am, 11-12 (noon) deends on his nap, 3m and 6pm (5oz bottle breast milk) and go to bed. Then 1am feed and sometime 3am. Up at 6am.
This week seems seems to skip one feed during the day. either morning or afternoon. I'm not sure if I should force feed him or not. He doesn't mind if I force feed him at 5pm if he skiped his 3pm and then happily have his bottle of 5oz. at 6.30 or 7pm.
Is that normal?
Should i start using formula as a top up after bottle feed him on his last meal (6pm) to ensure that he has enough milk in his lttle tummy (because he already skiped one feed during the day).
Or should i just take his cue and let him skip the feed during the day?
Or is it time to stat solid?
 
adahc said:
Just side track here.
A question for Sarah. My 4 months old seems to be eating less frequent than normal.Normally he will feed at 8am, 11-12 (noon) deends on his nap, 3m and 6pm (5oz bottle breast milk) and go to bed. Then 1am feed and sometime 3am. Up at 6am.
This week seems seems to skip one feed during the day. either morning or afternoon. I'm not sure if I should force feed him or not. He doesn't mind if I force feed him at 5pm if he skiped his 3pm and then happily have his bottle of 5oz. at 6.30 or 7pm.
Is that normal?
Should i start using formula as a top up after bottle feed him on his last meal (6pm) to ensure that he has enough milk in his lttle tummy (because he already skiped one feed during the day)
Or should i just take his cue and let him skip the feed during the day?
Or is it time to stat solid?
Click to expand...

The above question is not only for Sarah but for everyone who has the same experience.
 
adahc, apparently at this age 4-5 mos. babies naturally start reducing the number of feeds they're getting. If your LO is sticking to his usual habits and gaining weight I wouldn't worry! :)

Oh and regarding starting solids, I don't think your baby is reducing the number of his feeds because he wants solids. My LO was showing all the signs of wanting to start solids so we gave it a try and he was back to his usual self in a day -- we're in week 2 now and things have gone back to normal so to us it's apparent that it's the right time. Not all babies start at the same time however and I was wanting to wait until 6 mos. initially which is the recommended time for strating solids.
 
Last edited:
Dear Nashua852,

I?ve found the following two web pages from LLLI?s web site with more information about breastfeeding and celiac disease which may be of interest to you.

LLLI Center for Breastfeeding Information
Journal Abstract of the Month for July 2002
This month we are featuring two articles on breastfeeding, as they are both on the subject of celiac disease, and how breastfeeding protects against celiac disease.

"A case-control study of the effect of infant feeding on Celiac Disease," by Ulrike Peters et al, published in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 01-7/8;45(4):135-42.

This study examined the duration of breastfeeding , the age when gluten was introduced into the diet and the incidence and age when Celiac Disease developed. 143 German children with Celiac Disease were studied. When children were breastfed for more than two months, the risk of developing Celiac Disease decreased by 63% as compared with those breastfed less than 2 months. Of particular interest: partial breastfeeding conferred the same protective effect as exclusive breastfeeding.

"Breast-feeding protects against Celiac Disease," by Anneli Ivarsson et al, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 02;75:914-21.

A Swedish team examined the effect of the continuation of breastfeeding during the period when dietary gluten was introduced. It was found that the gradual introduction of gluten-containing foods into the diet of infants while they are still being breast-fed reduces the onset of Celiac Disease in early childhood and probably also during the subsequent childhood period.

It is likely that the response of the immune system to an antigen may be modified by other exposues, eg, breast-feeding, because of its immune-modulating effect.

http://www.llli.org/cbi/journal7.02.html

An article from New Beginnings, LLLI's magazine for mothers
?Breastfeeding Saved My Child?
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBNovDec06p255.html

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Dear adahc,

As long as your baby is gaining weight and growing healthily then it is fine that he decides how much he wants to eat.

I would be careful with this if you are giving the milk in a bottle as babies usually drink more than they want from a bottle. I often think of breastfeeding like eating dinner with my husband ? one plateful is enough. And bottle feeding like going out to a buffet. Because the food is all around I end up having two or three platefuls ? and more than I need. The milk in the bottle keeps coming even after the baby has slowed his sucking down to get less milk ? so he keeps drinking ? this doesn?t happen at the breast.

There are a number of signs that a baby is ready to start solids. You might like to look at
When should my baby start solids?
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/solids.html
The best way to know when your son is ready is when he can sit up by himself. It aids the digestion if the baby?s body is straight.

Remember that the best food your baby will ever get in the whole of his life is your milk. Don?t feel pressure to start changing this for other inferior foods. The longer your baby has just breast milk the better his health will be. It is actually better for a baby to put weight on slowly (within reason) and continue to be exclusively breastfed than to gain weight quickly and not be.

Breast milk does two jobs: it gives nutrition and it also gives a boost to the baby?s immune system. This boost is at its most effective while the baby is being exclusively breastfed ? so don?t feel pressure to start solids (or formula which is considered another solid even though it is liquid) too early.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Thank you. As a new mum I need support like this from time to time.
I might attend the meeting this Wednesday with LLI. However I'm a bit nervous as it is during his nap time and in the afternoon on that day I have another appointment. I'm not sure how it goes but my son needs his sleep at some point.
 
LLL gatherings are social events for the mothers ? not necessarily for the babies. It is fine for your baby to sleep in his pushchair or in a sling/carrier attached to you during the meeting. We often have sleeping babies at our gatherings.
Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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