Moot Thoughts & Musings

yes. away with guilt. you know your kid, and the well-meaning folks who write all the books and run all the meetings dont know your particular child and your particular needs. he will be fine. he'll be more than fine. you're doing very well.

You're doing great, Jeannette! It's way too easy to second guess all your decisions, especially during the first year. You are well within the recommended "window" for starting solids, plus it sure sounds like Ellis is ready to try eating. I can't believe he's almost 5 months!

It's hard, I know. As I've told other moms who waited til after 6 months to start: Just think of all the new fun experiences Ellis will be having with new fun tastes in his mouth! And the joy you;ll have taking pictures of all his grimaces and eager leanings toward the spoon. Before too long you'll have waaay to many pics of a grubby faced Ellis grinning in glee with grossness all over him! And since his hearing is lacking, take joy that this sense is one he will fully appreciate with no handicap!

As far as the milk thing, get some Mother's Milk tea. It works! And if you're really desperate you can spring for a couple bottles of Penta water. it's like $2 a bottle but when I felt dry with Josiah I stretched out 3 bottles and I really noticed a difference! If nothing else just drink water water water all the time and you won't feel so dry. And, of course, cut out the caffiene-ugh.

man, I hope he gets into that food thing, because otherwise things could be pretty embarassing ten years down the road.

J, guilt should really be a four letter word, in my book. What a nasty little creature it is. Deny it!! He's YOUR baby, and YOU know what's right for him. Put away those parenting mags and trust yourself, mkay? You're doing an awesome job.

As for your milk, it is absolutely normal for your body to adjust to milk production like that. I mean, you know your body better than anyone, so decide for yourself. But, in all my nursing experience, there comes a time when there is no noticable letdown, and you stop leaking all together. It's usually around this time, when nursing becomes seamless, and suddenly your body just doesn't make a big deal of it anymore. So don't worry on that end.

But the food- boy is that fun! You know Ellis's signals, so let him tell you when he's ready. Sounds like he's interested now, so I say GO FOR IT! :) I don't think I ever made it to quite 6 mo with any of mine, and they didn't explode or turn into pumpkins or anything and no one turned me in to Social Services - so it's all good.

Sorry to ramble a bit there. I just feel strongly about fighting that internal guilt we feel as mothers-- it's our worst enemy as women IMO.

Okay, I am going to put my old mother paddle in here. Usually, I listen to all of you and think I really don't need to, but I am going to weigh in here. (hmmmm. lots of metaphor!) What the "experts" tell you is 'general' information. In any situation it is general information. It is not the equivalent of gospel truth ever, but it is researched and sound. I am all for a mother's intuition, but it needs to be blended with facts and I think that is what you all are doing. I can see you are trying to encourage Jeannette adn I love you for it, but don't say it's all hogwash at the same time. Because it's not. My oldest adn my youngest of the 5 I gave cereal to at 4 mos, the rest 6. The last month is pretty draining physically, but I learned that if you view having a baby as taking 18 mos instead of 9, it helps to keep a grip. Plus, you shouldn't encourage anyone in a tired moment to give up. I remember when I had my 5th and my mom came to stay with me. My 2 yr. old would not take a nap. I sat outside his door and spanked him every time he came out, maybe 50 times. Then I gave up and went downstairs with him and the baby and my mom looked at me and said, "We know who won that one." So I turned around, went back upstairs with both little ones and crawled in with Sam. And he took the nap. Sometimes a different tack is what is needed, and an idea is helpful.

J, certainly hope you didn't think I was encouraging you to give up, or that your fears/feelings aren't valid. That wasn't my intention at all...

As "Grammy-in-residence" (I think that's what you and Chris mean by loco Grammy), it looks to me like the boy is super interested in our food and manners at the table in a way he never has been before, and wants to participate in our dinner times. He watches every bite, smacks his lips, and reaches. Sure looks to me like he is ready. As always, it is Ellis and his mommy who know best.

Jeannette,
Most people stop feeling letdown by this point, so I really wouldn't worry about that. Drink some Mother's Milk tea and take him in to get weighed if you are really worried. Breastfed babies plateau at about that age, so don't worry about dropping percentiles, just losing weight. Breastmilk still gives way more calories per ounce than any solids, so less breastmilk still provides more nutrition (in o so many ways). That's not to say that solids are evil (they aren't!) but if you are worried about your supply, breastfeeding more is always the answer. When I felt like a milk machine, nursing at the keyboard really helped me, because I was distracted. After a few attempts, Kate became a pro at it. Hope that helps!

I had milk supply issues with my first two. What you said about taking a few days to slow down might really be what you need. *hug*

What was necessary for me to keep nursing was to be sure to get at least one night feeding in. As the baby got older that usually looked like baby going to be 7ish or so, and then I'd rouse the baby to nurse before I went to bed at 10-11pm. My babies also usually woke around 5 am until we weaned--that's when I'd bring them to bed and doze and nurse.

Fenugreek was also a big boost for my supply. If you have allergies (like to ragweed) you may want to avoid it. But for me--I'd take a capsule or two before bed and by morning look like an exotic dancer. Along with that, of course, is drinking lots of water.