Anyone breastfeed exclusively for the 1st year?

[loladooder99]

you can always pump when she doesn't want to feed. Babies need the nurtrients that come from the cereal and fruit and vegtables. Its important to get them off to a good start in eating. You want them to learn to be able to swallow and chew. If you wait till she is a year old she will be very far behind in her eating skills. Pumping can keep your breastmilk supply up. With the cereal if she isn't interested in it. Try mixing it with the breastmilk and some fruit like applesauce. You can also try a different type like whole wheat cereal with raisins or oatmeal.

[christinamikayla]

Originally Posted by loladooder99 you can always pump when she doesn't want to feed. Babies need the nurtrients that come from the cereal and fruit and vegtables. Its important to get them off to a good start in eating. You want them to learn to be able to swallow and chew. If you wait till she is a year old she will be very far behind in her eating skills. Pumping can keep your breastmilk supply up. With the cereal if she isn't interested in it. Try mixing it with the breastmilk and some fruit like applesauce. You can also try a different type like whole wheat cereal with raisins or oatmeal.

I don't think I will go a whole year but things are going fine right now so why chage it? I have a friend that was BF till 9 months and her mom said she did fine with starting solids. Doctor said her weight was good and that she could wait. I think each baby is different. As far as the nutrition BF has every thing she needs from what I am being told and reading. Dr. did say I could give her vitamins fro the iron.

[loladooder99]

If your consulting your doctor about it then thats good. To each their own. I didn't breastfeed my son except for the first three weeks I was too sick with anemia/pallor and It was draining me to the point of exhuastion. I had a horrible c-section after hours of labor. I plan to breastfeed with the next baby the whole first year too. My son is 13 months old and eats like a little piggie and he is still a lean baby only in the 25 percentile for weight. I was breastfeed as a baby and I went from 7lbs to 11 lbs my first month. lol. I just hope its not hard for you to get your baby to eat. I've heard about babies being picky aka my niece is horrible. My son thank god is only picky about cold milk. Good luck and kudos for breastfeeding that long.

[willisfmly]

Originally Posted by christinamikayla You may all think I am weird but here goes. Can a person Breastfeed exclusively for the entire first year? Like no cereal, jar food, formula at all. I am not saying that is what I am going to do but just wondering if there is anyone out there that did this and how did it go. When I told the Dr that I was going to wait until DD was 6 months old to start on rice cereal he acted weird about it. He looked at me like he had never had someone say that before. She is almost 5 months old and sleeps through the night 10+ hours and seems satisfied on just BF. She is in the 75-100% for her weight so she is gaining weight fine. Any Feedback would be great.

No your not weird I did this with my last two children and am very glad I did!!!
If you would like to discuss it feel free to PM me..............

Oh and way to go sounds like your doing a great job BFing your sweet
baby Breast Feeding is your SUPER POWER way to go !!!!:encour age6:

[Mitchell]

The first year they get most of their nutrients from breastmilk (or formula) and eating solid food is really just for practice and entertainment. Breastmilk has more calories than veggie purees and such anyway, so underweight babies should be encouraged to nurse more, not less.

There is no medical reason to offer rice cereal at all - ever. Any doctor that says otherwise needs a brush-up nutrition lesson. That stuff has very little nutritional value, if any. If you want to offer cereal, wholegrain cereal is a much better nutritional choice. But even then, it's not necessary. Your baby can start eating meat or veggies instead - it's perfectly fine.

My kids all ate solids after ~7 months, but limited solids and they nursed a lot. The two boys were both 30lbs by 12 mos and my girl is 10mos and just shy of 26lbs. They are all tall children and very healthy and proportionate for their weights now, despite the initial chub.

To be honest, the solids are as much for mom as anything - it keeps them busy! I diced some banana and some chicken for DD today for lunch and she was happy with that for a half hour. She didn't need it, but I kind of did, lol.

Good luck and good for you for nursing!

[cecismom]

I did not introduce any solids to DD until she was 6 months old. She was exclusively BF until then and was off the charts in height and weight. She did not get fruits and vegs until 7 months....human milk is the food made for babies and provides the most nutrition. Even after getting solids she still bf a lot and I pumped and nursed until about 13 months.

[tinabohio]

OP good for you for following your baby! For sure waiting did not hurt my daughter in eating. She has been asking for veggies and begged for a banana today. This is the child that really wasn't eating until close to 1 by her choice (and my laziness, nursing is just so much easier). Baby girl likes radishes!
Once your baby is interested, maybe it will just be time for real food!

[tenisha]

Originally Posted by lilymaid To be perfectly honest, I don't really have a plan...my baby girl will be 7 months old in two days & I am still BFing exclusively. Like a previous poster mentioned, she is soo interested when we're eating food - turned out it was the silver spoon she was coveting! =) I've heard that it's totally doable to BF exclusively for the first year, and I guess I might as well try it. I've also heard that it helps with your infertility, though from the many pregnant/nursing women I've talked to, I've chalked it up to varying from one woman's body to the next. I personally don't have my cycle back yet, and that's always nice. :D Jill lilymaid

No cycle for me yet either, and my twins turned 1 on the 7th. Still BF'ing and lovin' it!

[chakmom]

I breastfed both my children exclusively for their first year. Both are healthy, doctor checkups have all been fine. Never had an issue with starting them on solids. My 1st went from breastfeeding to puree's, the 2nd child went from breastfeeding to solids. They never used a bottle, went straight from the breast to straws. Breastfeeding is so wonderful for a baby (and mother), keep up the good work!

[allgirls]

With my 3rd child we introduced solids at 6 months. This child always seemed hungry compared to my other 2? I had to supplement with all my girls because I just couldn't pump enough to feed them adequantly.
I got my cycle back while I was still BF and that altered my milk production drastically. All my girls were either 95% or higher with the oldest being off the charts (they changed the charts the following year).