I thought for sure the newborn fussies had returned to our house last night. I nursed Anne as soon as I got home, per usual, and she fell asleep on my lap. I let her stay there for about a half an hour before I had to get up to go start chores. When she woke up, she was a super cranky baby who would not. stop. whining. or crying. for anything!!!
Kristian and I were practically at our wits end trying to find something that would make her happy. Me holding her didn't work. Kristian holding her didn't work. Toys didn't help. Kitties didn't help. Walking her around the house didn't help. Letting her ride on Kristian's back like a pony helped for about 2 minutes before she was unhappy again (and probably only worked at all because it was something new). She didn't want to nurse either, which is my usual go-to solution. I wanted to pull my hair out. Kristian and I looked at each other, both with lost and helpless expressions on our faces.
Settling in for a night of dealing with Super Cranky Girl, we nixed the idea of me even trying to cook dinner and heated up some pre-packaged soup we keep on hand for "emergencies" (read : usually when I'm too lazy to cook, but they come in handy for nights like this too). I fed some soup to Anne, who inhaled it like she was starving. We finished dinner, and lo and behold we had a happy baby again.
She was hungry. For food. Not breastmilk, but actual food!! This was a first. If only we had known that was the solution, I would have happily made dinner the second she woke up! Sigh. Yay parenting!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Weekend Snapshots
(in no particular order)
* Anne grabbed the rails of her crib while sitting on the floor and pulled herself to a standing position. This was a first, and when I got excited and said "Yay, you did it!!!" she grinned like she thought she had just conquered Mt. Everest. In keeping with true Anne fashion, she refused to do it a second time.
* Waking up with Anne on the weekends is possibly the best thing ever. She wakes up smiling and babbling and rolls around on the bed alternatively "talking" to Kristian or me. It's so cute I could probably watch her for hours but inevitably Kristian kicks us out of the bed so he can go back to sleep. It's ok, I wouldn't want to wake up at 6:30 am if I didn't have to either.
* Anne enjoys going out in the stroller for walks through our neighborhood so when I run out of ways to entertain her, I take her for a ride. She looks attentively around at the houses and trees and cars that we pass. We have a jogging stroller so I thought I'd give it a whirl for the first time. Birkenstock sandals and running = not made of win. Next time I'll go more appropriately dressed and get my jog on. I realized that the end of our street is not a Mountain of Doom like the rest of it, and the side streets could be joggable as well. Would make for a nice little bit of exercise.
* Pumping at work has been going reasonably well lately so I was able to take Anne over to her grandparents' house on Saturday so Kristian and I could enjoy some much needed alone time. It was pretty awesome :-D I love my daughter, but I love my husband too, and we needed that. Will definitely have to do it again soon.
* Went to church on Sunday without Kristian because he was sick. I need to start introducing Anne to the nursery, for several reasons. One, she's been getting increasingly fussy during the service, at least until I nurse her and she falls asleep for the rest of it. For two, when I took her in to change her diaper they were singing songs and I swear the look on her face said she wished she could join in. I would have let her this past Sunday but Anne has a cold and I didn't want to get the other kids sick. Another reason is a little more selfish on my part...I feel like I could get to know the other young moms at church better if I spent more time in there. And I really do want to be better friends with them; it's just hard when I work and a lot of the moms at my church are SAHMS; our schedules just don't line up well. The only thing I worry about is that Anne's routine is to nurse right when the sermon starts and then she sleeps on my lap for the rest of the time we're there...not sure how messing with her morning nap will go on a Sunday.
* Sermon on Sunday was about being judgmental; i.e. judging other people and being condescending and looking down on them. It gave me a lot to think about because being judgmental is something I struggle with. I think most people have at least some tendency to do it, but I certainly don't want to be judgmental and I try very hard not to be. I get mistaken for being judgmental sometimes even when I'm not; I have no problem thinking that I disagree with someone's actions without thinking that they're a bad person or that I'm better than them, but I'm not good at conveying that sometimes. Something to work on.
Sermon can be heard here: http://cornerstoneduluth.org//sermons/07170211_David%20Mathis.mp3
* Anne grabbed the rails of her crib while sitting on the floor and pulled herself to a standing position. This was a first, and when I got excited and said "Yay, you did it!!!" she grinned like she thought she had just conquered Mt. Everest. In keeping with true Anne fashion, she refused to do it a second time.
* Waking up with Anne on the weekends is possibly the best thing ever. She wakes up smiling and babbling and rolls around on the bed alternatively "talking" to Kristian or me. It's so cute I could probably watch her for hours but inevitably Kristian kicks us out of the bed so he can go back to sleep. It's ok, I wouldn't want to wake up at 6:30 am if I didn't have to either.
* Anne enjoys going out in the stroller for walks through our neighborhood so when I run out of ways to entertain her, I take her for a ride. She looks attentively around at the houses and trees and cars that we pass. We have a jogging stroller so I thought I'd give it a whirl for the first time. Birkenstock sandals and running = not made of win. Next time I'll go more appropriately dressed and get my jog on. I realized that the end of our street is not a Mountain of Doom like the rest of it, and the side streets could be joggable as well. Would make for a nice little bit of exercise.
* Pumping at work has been going reasonably well lately so I was able to take Anne over to her grandparents' house on Saturday so Kristian and I could enjoy some much needed alone time. It was pretty awesome :-D I love my daughter, but I love my husband too, and we needed that. Will definitely have to do it again soon.
* Went to church on Sunday without Kristian because he was sick. I need to start introducing Anne to the nursery, for several reasons. One, she's been getting increasingly fussy during the service, at least until I nurse her and she falls asleep for the rest of it. For two, when I took her in to change her diaper they were singing songs and I swear the look on her face said she wished she could join in. I would have let her this past Sunday but Anne has a cold and I didn't want to get the other kids sick. Another reason is a little more selfish on my part...I feel like I could get to know the other young moms at church better if I spent more time in there. And I really do want to be better friends with them; it's just hard when I work and a lot of the moms at my church are SAHMS; our schedules just don't line up well. The only thing I worry about is that Anne's routine is to nurse right when the sermon starts and then she sleeps on my lap for the rest of the time we're there...not sure how messing with her morning nap will go on a Sunday.
* Sermon on Sunday was about being judgmental; i.e. judging other people and being condescending and looking down on them. It gave me a lot to think about because being judgmental is something I struggle with. I think most people have at least some tendency to do it, but I certainly don't want to be judgmental and I try very hard not to be. I get mistaken for being judgmental sometimes even when I'm not; I have no problem thinking that I disagree with someone's actions without thinking that they're a bad person or that I'm better than them, but I'm not good at conveying that sometimes. Something to work on.
Sermon can be heard here: http://cornerstoneduluth.org//sermons/07170211_David%20Mathis.mp3
Monday, July 4, 2011
Birth in the Media / A bit of a ramble...
If you know me, you know I'm a natural birth advocate. No, I'm not a sadist that thinks women should endure massive amounts of pain to have a baby; I believe that women are stronger than we've been told (epidurals have only been around for just over a 100 years...compared to the thousands of years women have managed birth the natural way, that's a drop in the bucket...and I'm pretty sure pain alone doesn't kill people so don't try to throw the mortality rate at me), and it's been proven that it's safer and healthier for mom and baby to have as little intervention in the birth process as possible. (I'm not going to get into a debate about whether or not home birth v. hospital birth is safer. They both have their benefits, and we certainly took advantage of having medical equipment nearby in case of a catastrophe. But interventions like epidurals and induction can cause all sorts of problems). We as women were biologically designed to give birth. Our bodies know what to do. And it's our community of other mothers who are supposed to help us prepare mentally in order to cope with the pain, because really, it's all mind games and believing in yourself and trusting the process that helps you deal with the pain of contractions. Take the fear out and the pain becomes manageable. Because really, natural birth is amazing, and empowering, and the most beautiful experience in the world, and most of the women I know who gave birth naturally, and who had really prepared to do it, say the exact same thing, and can't wait to do it again. Wait, what's that I'm saying, we can't wait to give birth naturally again, to go through that pain and endurance test all over again?? Yep. Because it really is that awesome. I would rather give birth again any day than be pregnant, honestly. Pregnancy was not kind to my body. But birth...birth was an experience all of its own.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent there, just trying to give a bit of background. Since having Anne, I've seen a couple of tv shows now that portray birth, and it irks me to no end. First, for some reason they almost always only show a woman pushing, they never show her coping with the contractions. Secondly, they're always on their backs in a bed, which is possibly the number one worst position to give birth in, though I will give some credit and say at least they're usually semi-sitting. Gravity is your best friend!! I stood up or kneeled for the majority of my labor, and the only time I really felt like the contractions might send me over the edge was when I had to lay down to have my cervix checked. Those few contractions I had to go through on that bed were the worst. Stand up, ladies!! It helps. That baby is trying to move down, not sideways.
There's an episode of Scrubs where Carla has just given birth and she needs to breastfeed her baby. First, I will say I was pleased that she was breastfeeding. But then she had to go and make the comment "Oh, my nipples/breasts are so sore, I wish I could use formula." Really?? What kind of message is that supposed to send? Why couldn't she have said "Oh my breasts are so sore, I need to correct my latch but I'm so glad I can give my baby the best nutrition possible" ? Or something else positive. Breastfeeding is already viewed with enough negativity and lack of education in this country without a tv show reinforcing it. And don't even get me started on Jordan who, if I remember correctly, scheduled an induction and epidural. Scheduling an induction, unless you're having issues like preeclampsia or other actual medical complications, is like taking a cake out of the oven 20 minutes before it's supposed to be done. Babies come when they're supposed to! Trust your body!
Last night we watched the episode of Bones where Angela gives birth. I was proud that they had her go through a natural birth, possibly the only one I've seen on tv, but again irritated that she was laying on her back in a bed. Angela is very forward-thinking, there is no way she would have been laying on her back because she would have done enough research to know that gravity helps. Why couldn't they have shown her walking around to cope with her contractions? Or Hodgins giving her counter-pressure on her back? Or having a doula at her side helping her, which, considering the character, would have been completely reasonable? Also, I was annoyed that the doctor attending her decided when it was time for Angela to push. Which, if you've given birth, you know is total bs. A doctor doesn't decide that. Your body does; it's involuntary. I will say I was happy with her response to Bones after it was over, though, when she told her how amazing it was. I think if they had made Angela tell Bones it was awful and she'd ask for an epidural the next time I would have thrown something at the tv. So kudos to the writers for that at least, but I wish they could have done a bit more research about what natural birth might look like for Angela.
When will they show a different kind of birth on tv? A birth where the woman is in control, not a doctor, trusting her body and the process, dealing with the pain in a positive way, and possibly trying other positions than just laying on her back? When are they going to make birth on tv look the way birth can appear in real life? TV doesn't hesitate to show you every graphic detail of someone being murdered, but they can't show better details of a woman bringing new life into the world?? Get with the program, entertainment industry! Now the show that dares to show a water birth, I might consider that show a miracle...
Anyway, sorry for the tangent there, just trying to give a bit of background. Since having Anne, I've seen a couple of tv shows now that portray birth, and it irks me to no end. First, for some reason they almost always only show a woman pushing, they never show her coping with the contractions. Secondly, they're always on their backs in a bed, which is possibly the number one worst position to give birth in, though I will give some credit and say at least they're usually semi-sitting. Gravity is your best friend!! I stood up or kneeled for the majority of my labor, and the only time I really felt like the contractions might send me over the edge was when I had to lay down to have my cervix checked. Those few contractions I had to go through on that bed were the worst. Stand up, ladies!! It helps. That baby is trying to move down, not sideways.
There's an episode of Scrubs where Carla has just given birth and she needs to breastfeed her baby. First, I will say I was pleased that she was breastfeeding. But then she had to go and make the comment "Oh, my nipples/breasts are so sore, I wish I could use formula." Really?? What kind of message is that supposed to send? Why couldn't she have said "Oh my breasts are so sore, I need to correct my latch but I'm so glad I can give my baby the best nutrition possible" ? Or something else positive. Breastfeeding is already viewed with enough negativity and lack of education in this country without a tv show reinforcing it. And don't even get me started on Jordan who, if I remember correctly, scheduled an induction and epidural. Scheduling an induction, unless you're having issues like preeclampsia or other actual medical complications, is like taking a cake out of the oven 20 minutes before it's supposed to be done. Babies come when they're supposed to! Trust your body!
Last night we watched the episode of Bones where Angela gives birth. I was proud that they had her go through a natural birth, possibly the only one I've seen on tv, but again irritated that she was laying on her back in a bed. Angela is very forward-thinking, there is no way she would have been laying on her back because she would have done enough research to know that gravity helps. Why couldn't they have shown her walking around to cope with her contractions? Or Hodgins giving her counter-pressure on her back? Or having a doula at her side helping her, which, considering the character, would have been completely reasonable? Also, I was annoyed that the doctor attending her decided when it was time for Angela to push. Which, if you've given birth, you know is total bs. A doctor doesn't decide that. Your body does; it's involuntary. I will say I was happy with her response to Bones after it was over, though, when she told her how amazing it was. I think if they had made Angela tell Bones it was awful and she'd ask for an epidural the next time I would have thrown something at the tv. So kudos to the writers for that at least, but I wish they could have done a bit more research about what natural birth might look like for Angela.
When will they show a different kind of birth on tv? A birth where the woman is in control, not a doctor, trusting her body and the process, dealing with the pain in a positive way, and possibly trying other positions than just laying on her back? When are they going to make birth on tv look the way birth can appear in real life? TV doesn't hesitate to show you every graphic detail of someone being murdered, but they can't show better details of a woman bringing new life into the world?? Get with the program, entertainment industry! Now the show that dares to show a water birth, I might consider that show a miracle...
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Adventures in Bedsharing
I decline to call our sleeping arrangement "co-sleeping" because co-sleeping(1) encompasses bedsharing as well as a crib that's been attached to a bed like a sidecar or simply having your baby in a bassinet next to your bed. The concept of co-sleeping is that they're near you, in whatever capacity you're comfortable with. We actually bedshare, as in Anne sleeps in the bed with us, right next to me. Not everyone should bedshare or even co-sleep with a sidecar style crib arrangement, as there are rules to keep this as a safe practice(2), but it works beautifully for us.
Waking up in the middle of the night to her little body snuggled up next to mine is possibly one of the best things ever. I grew up sleeping with a small dog tucked under my arm, so I'm no stranger to sleeping with a small creature by my side. Anne smells better than my dog did, though. ;-) I love being able to check on her just by opening my eyes, or being able to immediately soothe her back to sleep if she cries out because of a nightmare or some other unknown thing troubling her.
One morning I woke up to her laying on her side facing me, her sweet face tipped upward toward mine and her arm thrown over my chest. I didn't want to move.
It's also helped when she's been sick and congested because I could immediately respond if it sounded like she was having trouble breathing. I love knowing she's *right there* and the physical proximity is comforting.
Breastfeeding is so much easier when I can let her latch and then go right back to sleep. The most effort it takes for me is to move her to the opposite side of my body each time. No getting up to get her out of a crib, and she usually barely has time to work up a good whine before I have her calmed down again.
Also, since I work and commute an hour to my office, having her in bed with me at night helps the separation anxiety. (mine, not hers. lol though maybe it helps her too...) Even though we're not awake it still feels like I'm spending time with her. (I think they call it bonding...)
I'm going to be sad when she starts to wean; I'm going to wean her from the breast and the bed at the same time. As much as I love bedsharing, she can't sleep with us forever; if nothing else, I miss snuggling with Kristian at night because she's often in the middle of the bed (one of the few rules I break concerning bedsharing...Kristian is also used to sleeping with pets in the bed so I don't worry about him rolling over on to her, not to mention he'd clobber me and wake me up in the process because she sleeps so close to me), and she'll need to learn to sleep alone at some point. But I will miss it terribly and will probably schedule "slumber parties" on occasion.
I never dreamed I would bedshare, and even found a journal entry where I adamantly said I thought it was dangerous and would never do it before Anne was born. A lot more information on the subject, some encouragement from our breastfeeding instructor, and the blessings of my husband changed my mind. We started out with Anne in an in-bed co-sleeper thing called a snuggler(3), which is sortof like a little cushioned box with low sides you can put in the bed with you. The thought was that this would keep her safer and would help facilitate moving her to a crib at some point. She slept in it twice. Then we had to wrap a bililight blanket(4) around her for a week and the giant cord wouldn't fit in the snuggler, so Anne slept next to me instead. She refused to go back in the snuggler after that. 8 months later and it's been bliss ever since :-)
(1) http://baby.about.com/od/sleep/p/cosleeping_explanation.htm
(2) http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/sleep-safety/safe-co-sleeping-habits
(3) http://hubpages.com/hub/Deluxe_Snuggle_Nest_Cosleeper_Review
(4) http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/umbili.htm
Waking up in the middle of the night to her little body snuggled up next to mine is possibly one of the best things ever. I grew up sleeping with a small dog tucked under my arm, so I'm no stranger to sleeping with a small creature by my side. Anne smells better than my dog did, though. ;-) I love being able to check on her just by opening my eyes, or being able to immediately soothe her back to sleep if she cries out because of a nightmare or some other unknown thing troubling her.
One morning I woke up to her laying on her side facing me, her sweet face tipped upward toward mine and her arm thrown over my chest. I didn't want to move.
It's also helped when she's been sick and congested because I could immediately respond if it sounded like she was having trouble breathing. I love knowing she's *right there* and the physical proximity is comforting.
Breastfeeding is so much easier when I can let her latch and then go right back to sleep. The most effort it takes for me is to move her to the opposite side of my body each time. No getting up to get her out of a crib, and she usually barely has time to work up a good whine before I have her calmed down again.
Also, since I work and commute an hour to my office, having her in bed with me at night helps the separation anxiety. (mine, not hers. lol though maybe it helps her too...) Even though we're not awake it still feels like I'm spending time with her. (I think they call it bonding...)
I'm going to be sad when she starts to wean; I'm going to wean her from the breast and the bed at the same time. As much as I love bedsharing, she can't sleep with us forever; if nothing else, I miss snuggling with Kristian at night because she's often in the middle of the bed (one of the few rules I break concerning bedsharing...Kristian is also used to sleeping with pets in the bed so I don't worry about him rolling over on to her, not to mention he'd clobber me and wake me up in the process because she sleeps so close to me), and she'll need to learn to sleep alone at some point. But I will miss it terribly and will probably schedule "slumber parties" on occasion.
I never dreamed I would bedshare, and even found a journal entry where I adamantly said I thought it was dangerous and would never do it before Anne was born. A lot more information on the subject, some encouragement from our breastfeeding instructor, and the blessings of my husband changed my mind. We started out with Anne in an in-bed co-sleeper thing called a snuggler(3), which is sortof like a little cushioned box with low sides you can put in the bed with you. The thought was that this would keep her safer and would help facilitate moving her to a crib at some point. She slept in it twice. Then we had to wrap a bililight blanket(4) around her for a week and the giant cord wouldn't fit in the snuggler, so Anne slept next to me instead. She refused to go back in the snuggler after that. 8 months later and it's been bliss ever since :-)
(1) http://baby.about.com/od/sleep/p/cosleeping_explanation.htm
(2) http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/sleep-safety/safe-co-sleeping-habits
(3) http://hubpages.com/hub/Deluxe_Snuggle_Nest_Cosleeper_Review
(4) http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/umbili.htm
Friday, June 24, 2011
Motives?
I was asked, yet again, recently why I post the parenting articles that I post on Facebook and my blog (in more or less words). I've been thinking about this question all night, trying to explore my reasons and motives for openly discussing my opinions about controversial parenting topics.
I post these articles because I want other parents to know how terrible I think they are. They need to understand that I'm the only one that has figured it out, that I have all the answers and they're all doing it wrong if they're not doing the things I believe in. I need them to see that they are hateful, horrible people if they choose to raise their children a different way. I love making other parents feel terrible about their decisions.
**And if you honestly believe that load of crap I just wrote go ahead and remove yourself from my life completely because I don't need people in my life who would believe that about me.
There are a couple of reasons I post the articles and opinions on certain topics that I do. For one, because, well, it's my opinion and I like to share my opinion and I'm not afraid of the fact that it's controversial. And while I have very strong views on certain topics, if someone were to reply with a convincing enough argument against any particular topic, I could change my mind. In fact, some people have responded with comments that made me look at various topics in a different light, and while I may not change my opinion completely, I do understand other parents' views a little better.
For two, part of me has always been an activist. In college I did a lot with supporting gay rights. I still believe in gay rights because I think that whatever you do in your bedroom is your own business and we're all human and deserve to be treated with equal respect and dignity. But it's not at the forefront of my life anymore, my daughter is, so now my inner-activist has found a home in parenting issues and babies' rights.
I had mainstream ideas until I read the articles I re-post and the opinions of others that I've now adopted as my own. So there's always a chance that if I post something that resonates with someone, they will change their mind too. And to me, that's a good thing.
I never, ever post things with an intent to hurt anyone's feelings. I share because there are friends of mine who will agree with me and who will enjoy what I post, and because maybe, just maybe, I can open someone else's eyes to my viewpoint. I am never, ever attacking anyone who has done things differently, or even who reads what I post and still decides to continue to do things their way. Unfortunately, I am not always tactful, and I apologize for that.
I post these articles because I want other parents to know how terrible I think they are. They need to understand that I'm the only one that has figured it out, that I have all the answers and they're all doing it wrong if they're not doing the things I believe in. I need them to see that they are hateful, horrible people if they choose to raise their children a different way. I love making other parents feel terrible about their decisions.
**And if you honestly believe that load of crap I just wrote go ahead and remove yourself from my life completely because I don't need people in my life who would believe that about me.
There are a couple of reasons I post the articles and opinions on certain topics that I do. For one, because, well, it's my opinion and I like to share my opinion and I'm not afraid of the fact that it's controversial. And while I have very strong views on certain topics, if someone were to reply with a convincing enough argument against any particular topic, I could change my mind. In fact, some people have responded with comments that made me look at various topics in a different light, and while I may not change my opinion completely, I do understand other parents' views a little better.
For two, part of me has always been an activist. In college I did a lot with supporting gay rights. I still believe in gay rights because I think that whatever you do in your bedroom is your own business and we're all human and deserve to be treated with equal respect and dignity. But it's not at the forefront of my life anymore, my daughter is, so now my inner-activist has found a home in parenting issues and babies' rights.
I had mainstream ideas until I read the articles I re-post and the opinions of others that I've now adopted as my own. So there's always a chance that if I post something that resonates with someone, they will change their mind too. And to me, that's a good thing.
I never, ever post things with an intent to hurt anyone's feelings. I share because there are friends of mine who will agree with me and who will enjoy what I post, and because maybe, just maybe, I can open someone else's eyes to my viewpoint. I am never, ever attacking anyone who has done things differently, or even who reads what I post and still decides to continue to do things their way. Unfortunately, I am not always tactful, and I apologize for that.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Another Satire : Cry It Out
I love this article. I even love the way it's written, honestly, and my sentiments actually are the same as the author's, and I'm not going to apologize for it, so if this article offends you : too bad.*** This is what I believe about letting a baby cry it out. It makes me incredibly sad that mothers have been taught, and listen to this bad advice, that ignoring their babies at night time is a good thing. It's not. It's painful to hear your child cry for a biological reason...that's your "alarm system" telling you to take care of your child. Somewhere along the line working mothers decided that their own uninterrupted sleep was more important than the needs of a tiny, helpless baby, and it breaks my heart. I wish more women would listen to their maternal instincts and ignore crappy advice to just let their babies cry. But this author says it better than I can:
http://womanuncensored.blogspot.com/2009/12/just-let-her-cry.html
*** The only phrase I really don't like is when she claims that parents who do this "suck at being a parent at night time." I don't think these parents "suck at being a parent." I think they've been given, and are following, bad advice. I have friends that have used sleep training to some degree or another by using CIO (by the way, there are alternatives to sleep train without making your babies cry), and I think they are very good parents. But I also wish they didn't practice CIO, because I personally feel that CIO is awful.
http://womanuncensored.blogspot.com/2009/12/just-let-her-cry.html
*** The only phrase I really don't like is when she claims that parents who do this "suck at being a parent at night time." I don't think these parents "suck at being a parent." I think they've been given, and are following, bad advice. I have friends that have used sleep training to some degree or another by using CIO (by the way, there are alternatives to sleep train without making your babies cry), and I think they are very good parents. But I also wish they didn't practice CIO, because I personally feel that CIO is awful.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Adventures in Baby Led Weaning
Anne is just over 8 months old now, and we've been doing her introduction to solid foods by the method known as "Baby Led Weaning" since she was 6 months old. I absolutely love it. Anne loves it. She gets so excited at dinner time when we put her in the highchair, often protesting loudly if I don't get her portion of our meal to her quickly enough. If she sees us eating something, she has to have a taste of it. I am confident Anne will never have the typical "white diet" most kids have (pasta, chicken nuggets, etc. only) because she already loves things like broccoli, zucchini, green beans, and eggplant as well as meat like steak and an assortment of fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, etc. If it's a green veggie, it always goes in her mouth first before anything else on her plate, with no cajoling from us.
Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is a way to introduce solid food without using purees at all, by waiting until your child is 6 months old (instead of 4 months like with traditional puree introduction), and by giving them table food from the get-go. Because of the slightly delayed introduction, BLW might work better with a breastfed baby than a formula-fed baby since the calorie intake is different, but you can do it with either. You let your child feed themselves, which teaches them hand-eye coordination, portion control, how to manipulate the food in their mouth for swallowing, and how to chew. Because they are in control of what they put in their mouth, they're more open to trying new textures, colors, and tastes. Whatever you cook for yourself, you just give your baby a portion of, whole and not pureed, and let them explore the food. Salt, family food allergies, and dangerous foods like honey (botulism) nuts (too hard, actual choking hazard) are things to take into consideration, but for the most part pretty much every food you eat you can feed to your baby.
I found BLW just before Anne turned 4 months old, when we had intended to use purees like most people do. I was going to make her own baby food at home with a blender so I would know it wasn't full of preservatives and other junk I didn't want to feed her. And then I read about BLW, and decided to try this route, partially because I thought I would take the lazy route and not have to make her food. I can't tell you how glad I am that we did it. (though it being less work is debatable, considering the mess it makes and the forethought I have to put into preparing meals she can manage to pick up with her fingers).
In the beginning, Anne gagged fairly frequently, as the book about BLW explains will happen and is normal. It's simply her body's way of letting her know she stuffed too much food in her mouth. A baby's gag reflex is much farther forward on their tongues than an adult, which actually helps prevent choking (the #1 fear of any parent giving their baby solid food). She has never choked, though I will say the gagging sound is very disconcerting until you get used to it and my heart *might* have stopped beating a couple of times while I held my breath and waited for her to work it out by herself. Also in the beginning, it's mostly play and exploration more than eating, but babies get very little nutrition from solid foods until they're about a year old. Most of their nutrition comes from breastmilk or formula, so it doesn't matter how much she's eating or not eating as long as she's drinking enough milk. In the beginning, it's all about learning how to handle the food first.
When Anne was about 7 months old, she started drinking more milk at daycare than I could pump, but we weren't ready to send solid food yet because she was still gagging off and on and we weren't comfortable with the teachers being the ones to monitor her while she ate. So I did send some purees, some baby oatmeal cereal, and baby yogurt for about 2 weeks until I felt like she was better at moving the food around in her mouth and swallowing. I think she's had two servings of peas and carrots each, and that's it for the purees. I do still send the baby cereal and yogurt, but I don't consider those to be purees so much because yogurt is a normal food even for adults and the cereal has a slightly mushier texture than regular oatmeal. But she gets solid table food for lunch.
It seems like almost overnight she's suddenly started really eating and not just playing with her food and spitting most of it out. Over this past weekend she ate strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes, chomped on a piece of steak, and bit into corn on the cob while I held it up to her mouth for her. I think having that upper tooth is really helping because she can bite into more things now. But she's chewing and swallowing, and not gagging anymore, and she's gotten much better at the pincer grasp for picking up little pieces of food. It's fun to watch her pick up something small and manipulate it in her hand until she can get it into a position good for putting it in her mouth. Watching her eat is amazing.
If we've eaten it, she's had a taste of it, or at least it's been offered to her. Some things she's completely ignored (like lima beans...maybe she takes after Kristian, who hates them. lol) but most of it she at least tries. I ordered Panang Curry on Friday from Chin Chin and gave her some of the potatoes, veggies, and meat out of it. She loved it. How many parents who do traditional puree introduction can say their child loved curry at 8 months old?
I look forward to her learning how to use utensils, but in the meantime it's fun to watch her manipulate the food in her hands. At least until she flings it to the floor anyway. ;-)
Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is a way to introduce solid food without using purees at all, by waiting until your child is 6 months old (instead of 4 months like with traditional puree introduction), and by giving them table food from the get-go. Because of the slightly delayed introduction, BLW might work better with a breastfed baby than a formula-fed baby since the calorie intake is different, but you can do it with either. You let your child feed themselves, which teaches them hand-eye coordination, portion control, how to manipulate the food in their mouth for swallowing, and how to chew. Because they are in control of what they put in their mouth, they're more open to trying new textures, colors, and tastes. Whatever you cook for yourself, you just give your baby a portion of, whole and not pureed, and let them explore the food. Salt, family food allergies, and dangerous foods like honey (botulism) nuts (too hard, actual choking hazard) are things to take into consideration, but for the most part pretty much every food you eat you can feed to your baby.
I found BLW just before Anne turned 4 months old, when we had intended to use purees like most people do. I was going to make her own baby food at home with a blender so I would know it wasn't full of preservatives and other junk I didn't want to feed her. And then I read about BLW, and decided to try this route, partially because I thought I would take the lazy route and not have to make her food. I can't tell you how glad I am that we did it. (though it being less work is debatable, considering the mess it makes and the forethought I have to put into preparing meals she can manage to pick up with her fingers).
In the beginning, Anne gagged fairly frequently, as the book about BLW explains will happen and is normal. It's simply her body's way of letting her know she stuffed too much food in her mouth. A baby's gag reflex is much farther forward on their tongues than an adult, which actually helps prevent choking (the #1 fear of any parent giving their baby solid food). She has never choked, though I will say the gagging sound is very disconcerting until you get used to it and my heart *might* have stopped beating a couple of times while I held my breath and waited for her to work it out by herself. Also in the beginning, it's mostly play and exploration more than eating, but babies get very little nutrition from solid foods until they're about a year old. Most of their nutrition comes from breastmilk or formula, so it doesn't matter how much she's eating or not eating as long as she's drinking enough milk. In the beginning, it's all about learning how to handle the food first.
When Anne was about 7 months old, she started drinking more milk at daycare than I could pump, but we weren't ready to send solid food yet because she was still gagging off and on and we weren't comfortable with the teachers being the ones to monitor her while she ate. So I did send some purees, some baby oatmeal cereal, and baby yogurt for about 2 weeks until I felt like she was better at moving the food around in her mouth and swallowing. I think she's had two servings of peas and carrots each, and that's it for the purees. I do still send the baby cereal and yogurt, but I don't consider those to be purees so much because yogurt is a normal food even for adults and the cereal has a slightly mushier texture than regular oatmeal. But she gets solid table food for lunch.
It seems like almost overnight she's suddenly started really eating and not just playing with her food and spitting most of it out. Over this past weekend she ate strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes, chomped on a piece of steak, and bit into corn on the cob while I held it up to her mouth for her. I think having that upper tooth is really helping because she can bite into more things now. But she's chewing and swallowing, and not gagging anymore, and she's gotten much better at the pincer grasp for picking up little pieces of food. It's fun to watch her pick up something small and manipulate it in her hand until she can get it into a position good for putting it in her mouth. Watching her eat is amazing.
If we've eaten it, she's had a taste of it, or at least it's been offered to her. Some things she's completely ignored (like lima beans...maybe she takes after Kristian, who hates them. lol) but most of it she at least tries. I ordered Panang Curry on Friday from Chin Chin and gave her some of the potatoes, veggies, and meat out of it. She loved it. How many parents who do traditional puree introduction can say their child loved curry at 8 months old?
I look forward to her learning how to use utensils, but in the meantime it's fun to watch her manipulate the food in her hands. At least until she flings it to the floor anyway. ;-)
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