Honestly, i'm kinda sad about the fact that i'm no longer baby's lone source of nutrition. He's no longer exclusively breastfed and he seems to be delighted by all the new foods he's been tasting! Hayyy... I have mixed emotions about this.
On one hand, i'm glad that he's introduced to solids and he seems to have no adverse reactions so far. On the other hand, the selfish me is tearing up inside as i struggle to breastfeed him some more!
[caption id="attachment_354" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
P enjoying frozen fruits in a mesh.[/caption]According to Unicef, breast milk is best for babies even until 2 years. It's written in the agency's publication entitled Facts for Life:
"Breast milk remains an important source of energy, protein and other nutrients such as vitamin A and iron, even when babies begin to consume additional foods after 6 months of age. Breast milk helps protect a child against disease for as long as the child breastfeeds. It is recommended that a mother continue to breastfeed her child up to two years and beyond – as long as she and the child wish to continue. Breastfeeding can comfort a child who is upset and is an important source of nourishment during a child’s illness."
My husband and I agreed that we'll breastfeed for at least two years. Now, 8 months on, it's getting harder to nurse my son. I keep on thinking, "He seems to be more interested in the outside world than my boobs!"
Here are some of the breastfeeding challenges that i deal with everyday and some ways to handle them.
Baby’s teething!
My son now bites during our breastfeeding session. Although he has no teeth yet, it still hurts. I can feel his gums as he bites my nipple and the skin near it.
- When baby does this I ask him to stop and then I unlatch. This way, he'll learn that we can't go on if he continues to bite. I’m still teaching baby how to stop biting. I expect more hurt from cuts in my nipples as baby has yet to get his pearly whites. But i'm determined to breastfeed even until the time he gets his teeth. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and I hope I get to do this! Here are more suggestions when baby bites.
Baby’s often distracted.
Since he passed the 6-month mark, I noticed that baby has been more distracted. He's more busy and alert now. He stops breastfeeding for anything.... like dogs barking, sounds from TV, voices of his lolo or lola. His only decent feeding is during bed time!
I try to rid him of distractions so he can continue breastfeeding. Here's what i do:
- I dim the lights in our room so he can focus on breastfeeding.
- I close the door to avoid outside noise so he continues feeding
- I turn down the tv or radio volume so he's less distracted
Here are more tips to deal with a distracted baby.
It’s now getting harder to find time for a decent feeding session.
When he was still a newborn, he fed almost every 2 hours. Now i struggle to breastfeed even at 4 hour intervals! Since baby learned to sit upright (with support) and to stand with support. He seemed to be enjoying his new perspectives, he can't stay put and breastfeed for at least 10 minutes!
- I try to breastfeed at least 6 times per day to ensure that he gets enough milk. I let him nurse all he want in the morning, before i go to work and at night, when we're about to sleep.
- Just like any prodding mom, i offer him my breast on any chance i get. Sure, i feel hurt when he snobs them. But i still insist and hope that he sucks some more.
- I'm also exploring new breastfeeding positions to keep up with my now semi-mobile son. I expect that my acrobatic moves will be put to test.
It's getting harder to squeeze in a pumping session while at work.
It's almost 5 months since i got back after my maternity leave and work has been more and more demanding! I was given special treatment as a new working mom. But after 5 months, i'm a less new working mom already. People have been less lenient in the office. More and more deadlines are given to me, like any other ordinary employee. As i get more busy at work, it's getting harder to squeeze in a pumping session. Read this more for tips for working moms who breastfeed.
Expressing breast milk is important at this stage because baby directly breastfeeds less. Pumping will help maintain your breast milk production so never miss a chance to pump when you can't directly breastfeed.
- When i'm really too busy, i just pump for 10 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes per session. Frequent short pumping sessions are better than just one long pumping session.
- There are times when i do work outside the office and get back later in the day. I bring an extra manual pump and a cooler bag during these days just in case it's too late and my breasts feel engorged while out of the office. So far, i'm still not able to pump outside the office.
- I squeeze one more pumping session when i get back from work if baby's sleeping. Eight months on and my mantra's still the same - pump, pump, pump!!!
Since I’m away for about 8 to 10 hours daily, I’m not sure anymore if baby is dutifully offered breast milk.
My MIL is overly excited to introduce many types of food for baby. I really get paranoid and i hope she delays giving baby meats, eggs and citrus fruits. I plan to give such foods later, may be in 10 months, so we can reduce risks of an upset stomach. Delaying such food will also allow time to ready baby's stomach for more complex foods. I've also noticed that his expressed breast milk intake dwindled. From the usual 16 ounces, he just drank about 10 - 12 ounces while i'm at work!
- What i do to lessen overfeeding of solid baby food is to "ration" his baby food. I just bring out 2 small jars of baby food for baby to consume while i'm away. I put these jars with the 4 baby bottles for his consumption while i'm at work.
- I also give clear instructions that only the food i prepared shall be given to baby. And i pray that these clear instructions are followed by the caregiver, hopefully.
Introduction of complementary food
This is the main culprit why baby gets less milk. From the wording itself, baby food is complementary food! I just want to point out even more, baby food at 6 months is meant to complement breast milk. Kelly Mom says that breast milk should be the main source of nutrition until 1 year.
I'm not undermining the benefits of baby food. Baby food is vital so that he can get nutrients like protein. Introducing baby food will also ensure that he'll get used to different tastes and texture of foods.
My pediatrician already warned that baby's breast milk intake will decrease once solid foods are introduced. So here's what i do to ensure he's getting adequate amounts of breast milk:
- I nurse him before i give him solids. This ways he'll be less hungry and be satisfied with just 3 to 4 spoonfuls of solids.
- I limit the amount of baby food, just 3 to 4 tablespoons per feeding. I serve solids 3 times a day. I plan to increase to 4 times by 10 months.
- I let him drink 1 ounce of expressed breast milk from the cup after feeding solids. This also serves as his practice sipping from a cup.
- I use breast milk to dilute his baby food, which includes pureed fruits and veggies and infant cereals.
- I also serve frozen breast milk in a mesh feeder. Baby enjoys munching on a feeder because it relieves his itchy gums.
I'm committed to breastfeed until at least two years, so i'm intently researching on ways how i can deal with these struggles. I really to hope to get through these breastfeeding blunders.
Click here to read about breastfeeding beyond one year!
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