Breastfeeding/Starting solids

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Expert: - 6/21/2009


Question
QUESTION: I just started feeding my 5 month old solids who has been exclusively breast fed up until this time.  She used to nurse every 2-3 hours (which drove me crazy), now she sometimes will not nurse for 6-8 hours, or just nurse for a couple of minutes.  There are days that she will still nurse every 3 hours.  She doesn't seem dehydrated but no matter how many times I try to put her to my breast, she will cry and turn her head.  Is she just being finicky or should I worry?

ANSWER: Dear Christina,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

Her current behavior is not, according to pediatrician Laura Marks, the usual response to starting solids.  She seems to be experiencing pain with nursing.  It could be an ear infection, which causes pain with swallowing, or reflux, or possibly even teething.  It's encouraging that she doesn't seem dehydrated, but Dr. Marks still recommends that you check with your own pediatrician.

Probably the doctor won't find anything seriously wrong and may be able to help the two of you get through this rough patch. However, it's always good to check out any unusual symptoms or behavior.

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response! I think she cries when I try to nurse her because I'm trying to hold her down to get her on my breast. She's had no fever and has seemed her usual self besides the feeding.  Could it be that I'm feeding her too much at breakfast (1-2 Tbsp of fruit with 1-2 Tbsp of cereal)where she doesn't feel like nursing? Also, after the initial 8 hour fast in the morning, she usually will eat about every 3 hours. I will also take your advice with the pediatrician on monday to rule out an ear infection.  Thanks again for your help.

Answer
Dear Christina,

You might try giving your daughter a little bit less fruit & cereal at breakfast. It doesn't sound as if you're giving her too much, but experiment with giving her less and see what happens.

Why do you have to hold her down to get her on the breast? Doesn't she move toward the breast on her own?

And it might help if you nurse her first before giving her any solid food.

Good luck!

Sally
--------------------------------
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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