Supplementing with Rice

Hi R., there is nothing wrong with the rice cereal. a lot of my friends have done it. They say that it helps the baby sleep longer too. So don't wory, as long as your baby gets enough supplements and is full its a good thing.
I hope this helps. take care

Y.

1 mom found this helpful

Formula, in my experience is evil. It is way too expensive and caused a number of stomach problems for my daughter. You need to work at the breast feeding, drink tea made with anis, fenchel, and kumin to help your milk come in more... and I have been giving my daughter rice cereal since she was almost 2 months old. She is almost 4 months old now and is in the 75 % for height, 50% for weight and 50% for head size. She also did so well with the cereal that she is now spoon fed bananna cereal, carrots, peaches, and green beans. My doctor said that you can give a baby baby cereals and foods whenver you think the baby is ready for it. A number of biological stufdies have proven that the only reason babies are unable to eat baby food straight out of the womb is due to a mouth muscle reflex and has nothing to do with their body's inability to digest the foods.
Go for the cereal, add your breast milk to it instead of/in addition to water if you are worried though.
~American in Germany
Mother of 2

1 mom found this helpful

I started rice cereal at 3 months with my son who is now 4 months. I started it at night time right before bed because he was not getting enough to eat at night and was up every 2 hours or less to eat. I started him off with pumping some breast milk and mixing it in the rice cereal, then letting him nurse afterwards to wash it down. I used the playtex bottles that had the bags, so that way I could get the air out and made the hole a little bigger with a needle. You just have to be careful, choking happens a lot with it or a big mess because their not used to the taste and cant swallow it. I am now using a bowel and spoon to feed it to him and he loves it. I hope this helps you. I know doctors and everyone eles says no food before 6 months, but it does not hurt them. She just may be a little constipated because its something new.

1 mom found this helpful

R.,

I agree with Jennifer M on this one. I too had a lot of issues with breastfeeding my son from the start in the hospital he was unable to latch on and then from there I was unable to pump milk I supplemeted from the very start and it did not interfer with my breastfeeding or the child being able to take the breast it is most important to make sure that your child get proper nutrition, it does not make you a failure as a mother to have to supplement with formula it makes you a better mother to make the correct choices for your child, if the doctor says to supplement and you do not have a nurse or leche group there hands on to help you through this right now I would listen to the doctor. When I was in the hosptal after having my son and the nurse was unable to help me get him latched on and she went and got a bottle I nearly fainted when she fed him from the bottle but he was so hungry and frustrated at that point, I wanted to cry because I thought I would never be able to breastfeed and thought he would want the bottle instead of me, I had to push all my fears aside and continued to attempt to breastfeed he did accept the breast and I was able to supplement and still was able to produce the proper amount of milk every woman is different but I know how you feel and do not let your fear rule you at this time everything will fall into place, have faith and just because things are not falling into place the way you imagined, there is a reason for everything, keep trying and do what the doctor ordered for the time being...
I only supplemented with formula about once a day when my son was your child's age, and I let my husband or older son do those feedings and on some days he only took the breast depending on how well he was doing or if I would be out without baby. Supplementing is not a bad thing because it allows other members of your family and friends bond with baby during feedings.
In my experience I had a hard time in the begining but when it was time to whean it was smooth transition he was able to accept the cup with no problem it was very emotional for me but he was fine, I think because he was secure in knowing that he could still get what he needed another way...just my experience nothing more.
Also I used playtex nursing started kit it seems to me to be closest to the breast as far as the way the nipple it designed.
Good luck and relax we have your back here at mamasource!

I personally would supplement with formula before rice. Rice is not going to provide all the nutrition that your baby needs and is also not good for her digestive tract. It seems like they are always changing what they think is best and now hey are suggesting waiting until 6 months before introducing solids. When my twins were born they gave me a human milk supplement (it's normally used to help preemie's gain weight, but you could ask your Dr. about it for your daughter). It's a powder that you mix in the bottle with the breast milk. It's expensive, but the hospital gave us a bunch.

I'm not sure about supplementing...but I am a huge Breastfeeding advocate. I would do everything possible to continue breastfeeding. I would find out how to contact a Le Leche leauge member or go get one of their books as I am sure that they would have the information in their book about problems with breastfeeding twins. Good luck! You should be so proud of yourself for being willing to breastfeed twins!!

It's ok to do as long as It's not to thick,It's not going to hurt the baby. Good Luck

I have heard of people supplementing with cereal- but my little guy wouldn't take it so I supplemented with formula and it seemed like he was able to keep up with both - no problem. He nursed until he was about 9 months old.
Good Luck with whatever you decide!

R.,

Did you get to speak with a Lactation Consultant? I don't have a website, but I bet you can google: LaLeche League or Lactation Consultants...

If you truly want to continue to breastfeed, you might not want to supplement...that is my gut feeling, but I may be wrong.

The Lactation Consultant that saw and advised me, also weighed by baby and told me how much weight the baby HAD to put on by the next three days, so that I wouldn't have to supplement..but also did warn me that if the baby didn't put on said weight, I would have to add supplements, at least for a while! (Her advice was to let the baby feed as much as she wanted. I slept by her... and picked her up and put her to the breast every 2 hours...Luckily, the weight was fine when we returned to the hospital in three days....(We were seen at Air Force Base in San Antonio..they're awesome!)

Please go on-line and google for more professional advice. Remember that not all doctors are completely in tune with the latest in Breast-feeding! Good Luck, M. Angeles

Hi R.,

If the doctor told you to supplement with formula then she probably needs the nutrients, to be healthy not just an eating problem. I would ask the doctor if you can do rice, But I think that watering it down so its thin enough to drink is very lazy, if you are going to do the rice thing she is old enough to eat off a spoon, It will take her a few times to get the hang of a spoon but I did that with my son and he was only about a month and a half old it also had him sleeping through the night. But back to the supplementing, I would def ask my Dr. Please don't be lazy like most people and feed her rice though a bottle! LOL Hope you didn't take my advice the wrong way.

I dont know what your daughter stomach can handle but I would think formula before cereal.I have plenty of friends who could not breast feed, there is nothing wrong with todays formula.If you are that nervous look into organic. Noone can tell you exactly what is right for her but ceareal does not have the vitamins she needs.I hope you both find what helps her the most. S. A

I would really try other alternatives before supplementing with anything, both will decrease your milk supply. Rice cereal doesn't sound like a good idea based on the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no solids until at least 6 months. Maybe the problem is that your baby isn't getting enough of the hind milk. What color is her poop? If it's green, then she is only getting the fore milk (which is like skim milk, not much fat). How long is she nursing on each side before you switch breasts? Are there any LLL leaders in Kuwait? Le Leche is a worldwide organization. Maybe you could check out their website. I am a nursing mother of a 9 month old, and LLL has been SO helpful to me.

My daughter also rejected my breasts. We never could figure out if it was the thrush or acid reflux. But I would have her checked for both. Please let me know if I can help you. I have been through this very recently!

it is supposed to be good at keeping the milk down when they spit up, it can be done. as for weight gain, docs want lots of weight gain, but at her age as long as she's not losing weight she's probably okay.

A lot of Mom's ignore the advice not to start with rice cereal until a baby is 4 or 5 months old, but it's not a good idea. Baby's digestive systems just aren't mature enough to handle it before that age, and while some babies have no problems if they start earlier, at least no problems that the parents are aware of, there are those that do develop problems such as constipation, reflux, gas, etc. Have you tried talking to a lactation consultant? If there isn't one in your area you could also try talking to a maternity nurse. When I was pregnant and when I had my daughter, those nurses had much more helpful advice about things like nursing than my Dr. did. Good luck.

Hi
Here are some ideas:
Put your daughter on a schedule. It will be hard at first but you can do it. You want her to eat every three hours, and soon she will be sleeping for 6 hours through the night. If you can pump, give her one bottle of pumpled breast milk for her afternoon feeding around 3-4 o'clock. This will give you a break; someone else can feed her. Also, it will not hurt her if you give her a good, high-quality formula. That way she can get used to it. If you want to give her the rice, you need to make a hole in the bottle nipple with a sterilized knife, cut the hole bigger by making a cross shape. Use breast milk to dilute the cereal so it's very thin-don't use water. This might help but honestly you should try to wait until she's four months if you can for the cereal and don't feel bad about the formula. Most babies will eat anything you give them if they're hungry. Also, when she is six months you can start her on baby food but no matter what anyone tells you, including the doctor: Do not give her fruits first! Give her vegetables first. Sweet potatos, squash, carrots, green beans, broccoli, peas are great. Their taste buds are not developed so much yet, so they will not mind vegetables and they'll get used to them, then you can give her fruit when she's older. If you give her fruit first, she might reject the vegetables later. Hope the breast feeding works out. Don't feel bad about giving her formula. Both my daughters were breast fed and supplemented with formula; they are tall tall teenagers now and have always been healthy. Formula will not hurt her. Good luck!

Havn't tried it personally.
I would seek a second opinion or maby a lactation consultant. Your body should be producing enough milk to sustain you DD without suppliments. I would think as long as she is gaining weight and not loseing it it shoul dnot be a problem. Baby's can go through stages where they don't want to nursr as often then they go through stages where they're constantly attached to you.

Best of luck!

My son also has had weight gain issues since he was born. I discussed cereal with my pediatrician, but he pointed out that formula is much more calorically dense than cereals, and that before 4 months, babies are not ready to digest anything but milk. So, as much as it is hard to give up the dream of exclusive breastfeeding, I think formula is your best supplement while she is this young. Also, have you tried Fenugreek to increase your milk supply?

Hi R., how old is your baby now? I breastfed all three of my kids for over a year each so maybe I can be of some help to you with the breastfeeding. If you want to you can email me at thelopezfamilia at yahoo. (I haven't gotten on here much so if you write me back on here, I may or may not be able to find it! Ha ha) About the rice cereal, you are "allowed" to start them on that as early as 4 months. I have always heard don't put it in the bottle, I don't really know about that. Is she 4 months yet? If so you could start feeding her the rice cereal. In my opinion you don't have to supplement with formula though ... what kind of problems are you having with the breastfeeding? A.

I have successfully nursed 2 of my boys for 1 year and my last son for eighteen months. I had problems with not making enough milk with my first one. In order to make enough I had to drink a lot of water, more than 64 fl.oz. I also had to maintain a certain weight. Otherwise it effected how much I made. If you do decided to supplement with rice cereal you could pump some milk and use that to water it down. I did that too when he was old enough to have cereal. You might what to pump in between nursing to encourage more milk production. The midwife told me that between the hours of 2 and four your body makes more milk, so she encouraged night feeding. Good Luck!

I would not suggest supplimenting with anything. nurse her as often as possible every tim eshe makes a feeding cue. that will get your milk flowing. also BF babies gain differently than formula babies.

IF you decide to suppliment do so with formula NOT rice there is little to no nutrition in the rice cereals and all you ar edoing if filling her tummy with nothing. My suggestion is to nurse her first, on both sides then give a bottle. If she's still hungry she'll take it if not she'll refuse and you will be giving her the most important thing first Mommy's milk

You can do the cereal, but the baby really need the nutrients in the formula...the cereal will just help her stay full longer to allow longer times between feedings. In all honesty, you should not do the cereal until you are ready to take her off the breast [the reason for distancing meal times].

It sounds like to me that you may not be producing enough milk to fill her up...thus no sugnificant weight gain. If this is the case, you have to really consider the formula, and if you are in fact not producing enough milk perhaps you should increase your liquid intake but not with liquids filled with carbination or sodium. Drink lots and lots of water...by increasing you intake you increase your output.

Good luck:)

I am currently on my 3rd child but as a mother of 2 older children I started to give my children cereal when they were about 3 months. Now times have changed a bit on when to start but I didn't have an problem starting my children on Rice Cereal at 3 months old. I agree to water it down and with my oldest child I used breast milk with the cereal and my 2nd child I used formula only. Both kids are fine it's really how their digestive system reacts. Do what you feel is right but breast milk is always the best but depending on the baby's appetite you may not have a choice but to start supplement with either formula or cereal. Research recommendations talk again with your doc.

I was told the same thing by my doctor when my daughter was 4 months old. Needles to say I actually listend and now my daughter is stictly on formula. I'm not telling you not to listen your docs but my daughter was not UNDER weight she was just slower catching up to where she "SHOULD" be. To answer your question though you really shouldn't put cereal in a bottle. Make it really runny and spoon feed her depending on how old she is. mabey then she would still take the breast. What I did was gave her formula after each feeding and she eventually just weened her self of the breast and ended up not wanting it at all. If she is old enogh try giving her a little rice cereal in the AM with bananas and formula or breast milk in it. Good luck to you in whatever you do.

R.,
The rice cereal will not supply a baby her age with enough nutrition. Your choices are to work to increase your supply or supplement with formula if you want to have her brain continue to grow as normal. Infants should not have any solids until 6 months- it should all be breast or formula. I would look up Lalaeche league and see if there is anyone in Kuwait that might be able to help, or send an e-mail to a local chapter. Also, Lactation consultants are located all over the world and they all take the same exam to be licensed, so there might also be a consultant in your area that can help increase your supply. The first thing to do is to feed or pump every 2-3 hours if you aren't already to let your body know you want more. If you feed the baby without difficulty, you can then pump to increase a little more and feed her what you get in a bottle once the supply picks up. If you do all of this already, definitely get in touch with one of the groups listed above for more assistance.
Good luck- L.

when you begin supplementing, it will decrease your milk supply. drs. will recommend this but breastfeeding experts do not. try and contact a lactation consultant -- even one online or read up on this through la leche league or other breastfeeding resources. hang in there!!

I have two children...on my first baby when she was four months old I started doing the rice cereal. We watered it down a lot at first and then gradually made it thicker. After a couple weeks of this and having a very upset baby, I took her back to the doctor who said her little tummy was not ready to digest such things yet. He told us to wait until she was six months old before trying the cereals and baby foods. With my second baby, I didn't even try giving him cereal until he was almost 6 months and I never had to deal with an upset baby due to stomach aches from not being able to digest the foods. I think formula is a fantastic way to reach your baby's nutritional needs until her tummy is advanced enough to handle the starches of rice cereal. Good luck...you may have better success. Every child is unique and can handle things differently.

Hello!

I had to supplement with Formula and rice cereal when i was Breast feeding too..at first my Daughter didn't like it for she preferred the Breast.Yet, she got hungry enough to try it!
If you can Pump or express your breast milk and add rice cereal to it then ..I would try that first ..then if you need to supplement with formula that is ok, too..Do what works for you and your Baby.. the more you express or pump the more you will make so go for it! its a wee bit more work but if you want to do Breast then try it that way!

GOOD LUCK!

Lady Rhia

Breastfed babies gain weight at different rates than formula babies. Formula babies are often heavier than breastfed babies because breastfed babies eat only what they need, while formula fed babies eat whatever is in the bottle. While it is comforting to see how much your baby eats through the bottle, as long as your baby is healthy and gaining weight and producing wet diapers, your baby is fine and you don't need to supplement.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/growthcharts....

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

It can be hard with your first child to go against the advice of a doctor. You need to do what you feel comfortable doing, but if she isn't losing weight and your mother's intuition tells you she is healthy, you do not need to supplement. My son was always low in weight, but he was strong and healthy. There is no other time in life when we feel pressure to be at the top of the weight curve! In my opinion, people need to rethink this.

In all likelihood, her weight is fine and she is getting enough. In the event that you do have a supply problem, nursing problems are solved by more nursing not less. Increasing nursing will increase supply, if you do indeed need to have it increased. Again, most likely everything is fine. Trust your instincts.