Breastfeeding Question - Springdale, AR

I gave my 1st rice cereal in his bottle early and he slept through the night, but it did not help my 2nd or 3rd, so it was probably just a coincidence. If you are planning on breastfeeding until 6 months, I would probably just try giving her a formula bottle at night to get her used to it, and it may hold her a little longer. I would let her get used to that for a few weeks before adding any cereal, but you may find that neither help her sleep better. Also, I don't see any reason you couldn't add cereal to the pumped milk, but I remember it being a headache because it would get stuck in the nipple and the baby would get frustrated, then I burnt a hole in the nipple using a hot needle, but then it had to be pretty thick to not come out too fast. So, good luck, and I would probably just try formula at night for now. All my kids did a lot better with soy formula and walmart now carries the parent's choice brand soy for like $10 a can. Also, when you try formula and if it makes her gassy or spit up, use the same kind for awhile before switching to give her belly time to adjust. Good luck! Hope this helped a little.

The rule of thumb my family has always used is 10lbs and 24oz. If a baby is 10lbs and eats 24 ounces and is hungry for more they are ready for some ceral. My brother came home from the hospital on cereal he was such an eater. It's hard to tell how much she eats if she is nursing but there are ways of estimating intake. I wouldn't recommend putting cereal in a bottle. Even if it is thin you have to expand the opening and it will come out too fast. It will be messy and frustrating but stick to a spoon with some very thin cereal. There is no reason not to use either breast milk or formula when mixing cereal.

Best of luck
M.

Ok I am no expert by any means and you probably already know this, but a nutritionist warned me that rice cereal that early (before 6 months) isn’t a good idea since their digestive systems aren’t really ready for it. It could mean some tummy troubles or food allergies later on. On the other hand I know some people who did that with their children and had no problems. I personally didn’t think I wanted to take a chance, so I tried to find some other ways to give myself a break. I breastfeed as well and the first month was pretty rough, so I completely understand how you feel! My daughter just loved nursing so much she would have done it all day if I let her. In order to give myself a break I pumped and dad fed her some in the evenings. I also bought a hands free bra that holds the pumps in place so I could pump and use the computer or read and have both hands free. That saved my sanity and gave me some time to myself when I needed it.

NO! I would NOT give a 1 month old, or even a 2 month old cereal! Babies' bellies are not capable of digesting it yet. Keep in mind that just one month ago, her diet consisted of amniotic fluid and blood. If you do give her cereal, she will become constipated and "cholicy." From what you're saying, she's eating appropriately and getting enough food from your breast. I think it would be a better idea to save the bottle-feedings for night time. Have your husband give you a full night's rest by HIM getting up to feed the baby instead of you, maybe on a weekend. One full night's rest at this point is a god-send, so being tired is something that all moms have to battle with. Hopefully, you're sleeping when she sleeps. You're definitely doing the right thing by breastfeeding your daughter instead of formula-feeding her. You're giving her all the vitamins, minerals, and fat that she needs, so I would NOT recommend that you give her cereal.

Some people might say that she is too young but I tried it with my son. It didn't help my son sleep at night though. I've heard that it has worked for many mothers. Personally, I would give it a try. I nursed my son until he was a year. I didn't go by the book with everything. Nobody knows your child like you do. Just make sure you are using rice cereal.
My son never took a pacifier. At times he would want to use me as his pacifier. It sounds like that is what she is doing to you. It gets frustrating but hang in there. She is just a month old. It will get easier. Breast feeding is the best thing for the baby. Plus it gives her mommy and me time. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. Having support while breastfeeding is definitely needed.

L.,

One month old is too young to add rice cereal to a bottle. Your baby can choke because the milk is too thick. If you want to supplement, use formula. Also, have you been trying to diet off the baby weight? If you are not getting enough fat in your diet, your baby might be getting "skim" milk. The same thing happened to me with baby #4. My pediatrician said she had talked to 5 women with the same problem that week. Increase healthy fats (from olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, whole milk, etc.) and see if it helps your baby sleep longer. It will take at least a week to know if it is working, so give it time.

Good luck,
S.

Hi L.. You are doing great, breast milk is the best thing you can provide for your baby. I breast fed 2 sons for 1 year each. It is hard, but the time passes fast. First off, no, you should never add cereal to the milk or formula. Their tummies are not ready for it, and you could trigger an allergic reaction by introducing solid foods too soon. Unfortunately, waking up in the middle of the night is part of having a newborn. As she gets older she will wake up less. Babies have to eat often to regulate their blood sugar. Breast fed babies should eat every 2-3 hours and formula fed babies can go 3-4 because it is digested slower. The comfort a baby gets from nursing is incomparable to anything else. She may not be hungry every 30 minutes, but just wants the comfort. You should ask your pediatrician when it comes to stuff like this, you are likely to get some bad advice or old wives tales. (I studied medicine at LSU) Stick with it as long as you can, when it doesn't work for any reason for either you or your daughter, it is time to stop breastfeeding.

Breast-fed babies tend to eat more often than formula-fed babies, in part because breast milk is digested faster. It doesn't sit in their little digestive tracts taking forever to break down. Her digestive system is not ready for cereal or anyhting else other than breast milk. All cereal at this age will do is upset her digestive tract.

Very few month-old babies sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. They are growing rapidly, especially the brain and internal organs, and burning up nutrients at an amazing pace. Thus they need to "refuel" often.

When my daughter was a baby, my pediatrician told me that as long as she was gaining weight and making plenty of wet and dirty diapers, to let her nurse on demand.

I am also breastfeeding my 3 month old son and ran into the same problem that you are having. I excused the excessive eating to a growth spurt, which he had at 3 weeks. I was at my wits end and all of my friends were telling me to try formula and rice. The pediatrician said no rice cereal until 4 months so I went with the formula and found that it made it worse. Finally, everything leveled out and he stopped eating so often. He also started sleeping 8 hour streches through the night at 6 weeks. So to make a long story short just hang in there and it really does get a whole lot easier both between feedings and with sleep. Just a heads up, he hit another one of those growth spurts at 3 months and started eating every 1 1/2 hours again for about 4 days but he still slept through the night.

L.,

Your baby will get up and feed every 2-3 hours when breatfeeding.Cereal is a no in the bottle and will not help her sleep she can't digest it yet and will only add unneeded weight.I have an 8 month old and he sleeps less now then he did at 2 months old!Be prepared to be tired and exhaused for at leat a year.15-25 minutes is good,mine would eat sometimes only 10 mins..As long as she is gaining weight and the doctor says she is good then she is getting plenty to eat.I was worried about not getting enough too but needless to say breasrfeed babies are bigger then formula babies and I have a health 23 pound 8 month old....It sounds like you have everything under control even though you are probably in a daze from lack of sleep just remember it will only get better....so they say...lol...
GOOD LUCK!

I breast fed my four kids my oldest never seem to fill up. lol but then when my next one was born he started to be the same till a friend gave me some fennel tea. We were stationed in Germany and I could purchase it on the economy but here in the states you might be able to purchase it at health food store or in spice section on grocery store as fennel seed and brew the tea. If that doesn't help then add some breast milk to rice and feed her that but try the tea first. It might be that she is just having gas that is not working out as much with burping.

I wouldn't give her rice cereal. I think most doctors would say the same thing. Once your daughter has gained significant weight, she will stop eating as often. My son did the same thing. The sleeping through the night or just longer will come. Hopefully soon. 5 hours is considered medically sleeping through the night. My son is 7 months old and we are not even there yet. But don't worry between 6-9 months most babies sleep through the night.

I nursed my first daughter and I had a similar problem. The doctor had told me that sometimes the baby will want the breast, not so much b/c they are hungry, but rather as a calmer...like a pacifier. I know with breastfeeding it's hard to be sure just exactly how much they are eating but if she is having good wet and dirty diapers and seems to be satisfied after about 20-30 mins then she should be getting enough to eat. In that case if she starts gettin fussy 30 or so mins later, then it's very likely that she might not be hungry but is just using the breast as a pacifier. I do know that rice cereal can be added to either formula or breast milk and most docs will tell you to wait till 6 months to give it to your child, but both my girls started it a 2 weeks and have been amazing. I never gave it in a bottle tho...I always mixed it will the milk and spoonfed it then a bottle after but if you do give it in a bottle make sure the hole is big enough that it wont get clogged b/c then she will get REALLY mad lol. I am all for breastfeeding but I am also realistic and if you nurse her and she seems hungry within like 30 mins or so, maybe try supplimenting with an ounce or so of formula. If she relaxes then you know she was still just hungry, but if she doesnt then it's very likely, like I said earlier, that she may be using the breast as a pacifier. If you are not opposed to supplimenting with formula then it's definately worth a shot. It may seem like a huge chore trying to figure out whats really going on and trying several different solutions to resolve the problem, but with patience you will find out exactly what works for your child and the sooner you do, the sooner you will sleep more than 2 hours a night!! lol Good luck! I'm no expert by any means, but I hope the insight may provide some help.

Hi L.,

I know how you feel. My son is almost 11 weeks. Believe it or not, I know the nurses tell you to only breastfeed for the first 4 to 6 weeks before bottle feeding because is can cause nipple confussion, I started pumping milk to have some in the frigerator. When I wanted to just get out the house to take a break, I went ahead and pumped. This gave my husband some bonding time with our son feeding him a bottle. My son had no problem taking the bottle around the first or second week. I think because when I was in the hospital they were feeding him formula some until my milk production came. So I usually bottle feed in during the day and nurse him at night. He now just began daycare this week, so he is definitely taking the bottle now and when I have him home in the evenings and and night I just nurse him. I also at least give him a bottle of regular formula because just in case I am not getting any milk anymore, he will be used to that formula. Enfamil is pretty good. Talk to your daughter's doctor first to make sure it is okay.

I know alot of people told me to go ahead and put cereal in his milk, but I don't. I think we are suppose to wait until they are 4 or 5 months before doing so.

Sounds like your daughter is getting enough feeding. Sometimes if they are fussy after eating, could be because they might have to burp or have gas. I know when my son gets like that, I usually give him a little bit of gripe water which you can get that from the expression store at baptist. It helps with colic, gas, and hiccups too. WONDERFUL STUFF!!!!!!!!! Works better than any gas drops I know. But her sleeping patterns will get better. They are just little ones and trying to still get used the living in this world because they have been protected in our womb for nine months.

I did not want my son on formula either but it is always good to give them one feeding a day at least 2 to 3 ounces which I think your daughter should be getting full. Also just remember to eat and drink plenty of water and rest to keep your milk producing.

Hope this helped some.

I don't think giving cereal at this age will help and it may cause more problems. I've known people who started giving cereal too early claiming the baby it helped the baby sleep but the funny thing is, it sounded like they were still getting up as many times throughout the night. Your baby is on HER regular feeding schedule for a breat-fed baby. They need to eat every couple of hours at this age. Hang in there! It won't be like this forever. You're doing a great job and a good thing for your baby. I breast-fed my little girl until she was 15 months and I miss it terribly.