Solid Foods

Starting solids was one of the milestones I looked forward to with my Bella, that and crawling. So when our pediatrician gave us the go ahead at our four month appointment I couldn't wait to get started. I still planned on breastfeeding until at least 12 months but I thought solids would be a fun and new activity for us. My Bella took to it like a champ she started out on brown rice and peas then progressed to bananas, avocados, apples and pears. She loved the new tastes and textures so I was satisfied. Hubby bought me a Baby Bullet before I had the baby so I am able to make her food myself. It came with a guide with information on safe foods for baby and the vitamins, nutrients and benefits from each fruit and vegetable. The Baby Bullet also came with a feeding schedule so I decided to use that as a template and then take cues from my Bella to tailor it to her needs. Everything was fine for a couple of months until about 2 weeks ago when my milk supply began to slow. Of course I panicked because I hate to pump and I don't have a supply for emergencies like this (I have learned my lesson I will pump from now on). Formula is not an option so I took to the forums and blogs to find out what I should do.

I read a lot of messages from women who said the milk just simply dried up and I began to panic more. A couple of moms said that the dwindle in milk supply was the first sign that they were pregnant again so I checked that too. I tried eating oatmeal and practically drowning myself with water but ended up sending up an S.O.S to an acquaintance of the family who is practically a professional nursing mama still nursing her five year old. Her first question was why are you feeding her solids? I explained that her doctor said it was okay and she is aware of my intentions to nurse until 12 months. She told me she didn't give her daughter solids until she was a year old. She explained to me that introducing solids and feeding her BEFORE I nursed her are probably the reasons for the reduction in supply. Her body was telling my body she was already full every time she came to the breast. I was unknowingly weaning her off. I was following the schedule I had that specifically said follow the solid foods with a formula bottle or nursing session. I want to be clear that I do not fault our pediatrician or the schedule in the Baby Bullet because there are a lot of people who don't have all the information about breastfeeding because formula feeding is more common. None of my doctors even talked to me about nursing. And even now most people I know think I should stop breastfeeding now that she is older than six months.

Now that I know what the problem is I took her completely off solids and I have been nursing like crazy. I found a couple of articles on the La Leche League webpage I linked below about feeding solids and breastfeeding. I still would like to keep feeding solids but not at the expense of our milk supply so I will start her up again in a couple days following the more accurate information I have now.

When should my baby start solids?

Starting Solids