can't pump enough for cereal!!

[lisavasmom]

Hi out there! I have a 8 month old son that is draining me!! He had been sleeping through the night, so when I'd wake up I'd have plenty of milk to pump for cereal during the day. Lately, he's been waking (I believe it's due to teething) and nursing a few times at night. By morning I can only pump maybe a 1/2 oz. and I usually use about 3 oz. for a feeding. I should also say that he's been a one sided nurser, so my left breast has never produced enough milk to really speak of. I've been just using water to mix the cereal with, but he doesn't seem to like it much, and will usually fuss -- HEY MOM what's this $#%@&*?!

So, I'm stumped. I swear I used to give my older daughter rice milk on occasion mixed with water, but now I noticed on the rice milk container it says not to use as infant formula. Whole milk is supposed to be delayed until the first birthday,so I still have 4 months to go.

Does any one have any suggestions? Has anyone had this problem? I'd appreciate any input!!

[alegna]

Skip the cereal. It has almost no nutritional content anyway. Most moms around here seem to skip it.

-Angela

[eirual]

I've just recently tried to mix up some cereal for my 6.5 mo old. We do like a tsp MAX of cereal and squirt in enough BM to make it good and thin. How much cereal are you giving that you need more than half an ounce??? Sounds like too much!

Do cereal for a small meal, and do fruits or steamed veggies if you feel he wants more than one helping of solids. Giving him less solids will also make him nurse more, and hence get you to make more milk.

[eirual]

*oops*

[TypicalSituation]

Yeah, I would just skip the cereals. Babies don't really *need* food for the first year or so. It is just for fun.

[bri276]

yeah, but some babies like solid food, and whole grain, organic, fortified cereal is most decidedly NOT junk food. kinda sick of it being treated that way around here all the time.

you're not using rice milk as infant formula if you're just adding it to cereal instead of water, yk? I notice dd doesn't mind water in the cereal as long as there is also fruit in it, so I usually mush up bananas to add in if I need to use water.

however, 3 oz is a LOT to be adding to cereal! how much cereal is he getting? :lol

[JillyD]

goat milk is an option too

[TurboClaudia]

yeah, but some babies like solid food, and whole grain, organic, fortified cereal is most decidedly NOT junk food. kinda sick of it being treated that way around here all the time.
:yeah:

~c

[lisavasmom]

he can eat a lot of cereal! At least 1/4 c dry measure. I give him Earth's Best Mixed grain, so it's definitely not crappy stuff. He has a big appetite, and can eat a lot of cereal/jarred food that I give him.

I just started feeding him 3 times a day to see if that helps.

When I fed my dd she would stop at a reasonable amount of cereal. He doesn't show any signs of wanting to stop eating. He's not large for his size, he's just right, but he likes to eat.

If I don't feed him cereal, what option would I have? He doesn't have any teeth yet..

[lisavasmom]

I don't think I've ever mixed up as little as a tsp of cereal for either of my kids. I do let him bf as much as he asks for, but he's not as interested in as feeding as much as my dd did at his age. That could be why I'm not producing as much milk, I don't know.

But I'm confused as to why feeding him cereal is a bad thing. I've read 'Child of mine-feeding with love and good sense' and so far I don't think I've made any bad feeding choices.

[mommyto3girls]

I use the Earth's Best cereals, but don't mix them with breast milk. I puree some peaches or pears and mix the cereal in as a thickener since the peaches and pears tend to get watery. Actually Sage likes consistancy to all of her food so I now use the Earth's Best Cereal to thicken everything that isn't a finger food.

Would that be an option? Don't worry about the plain cereal, use pureed fruit instead? I also add it to Stoneyfield farms Organic yogurt.

[lisavasmom]

dear 'mommy',
Thanks for the pureed fruit option. That's a great idea! I like the Earth's Best cereal, but was having a problem with it ending up very watery when I'd heat it up via steam heat. I really like the fruit idea, and I'm sure he will too. I gave my older daughter Stonyfield yogurt when she was younger as well. Some of the Yo Baby has cereal already mixed in, and she was a big fan of that. I'm planning on giving that to Hank, too.

I appreciate the advice all--:thumb

[alegna]

That's a LOT of cereal. I would back off any solids that you're spoon feeding him, give him chunks he can feed himself. Breastmilk should be the main nutrition the whole first year. Nurse before solids also.

-Angela

[mama-a-llama]

was having a problem with it ending up very watery
I recall reading that there are enzymes in breastmilk that prevent the cereal from thickening well, so that may be part of it.

[lisavasmom]

That's a LOT of cereal. I would back off any solids that you're spoon feeding him, give him chunks he can feed himself. Breastmilk should be the main nutrition the whole first year. Nurse before solids also.

-Angela


I do nurse before solids. I always have, even with my first. He can't really handle solid chunks (unless it's very mushy), he doesn't have teeth yet. He can handle thick cereal.

My dd self weaned at 2 yrs & 2 days, and I agree that breastmilk is extremely beneficial as long as they'll take it, but I don't agree with delaying solids until after they're a year old. I would be breastfeeding constantly with the appetite my son has.

I don't feel that that's a lot of cereal, my daughter was a much more frequent nurser than my son, and ate a fair amount of cereal as well. To each his own, I guess. I appreciate the input.

[royaloakmi]

I used to mix in pureed fruit - both of mine loved it. (I could barely keep up with nursing my twins at that age, so I never pumped for cereal, or for anything for that matter.)

[alegna]

I do nurse before solids. I always have, even with my first. He can't really handle solid chunks (unless it's very mushy), he doesn't have teeth yet. He can handle thick cereal.

My dd self weaned at 2 yrs & 2 days, and I agree that breastmilk is extremely beneficial as long as they'll take it, but I don't agree with delaying solids until after they're a year old. I would be breastfeeding constantly with the appetite my son has.

I don't feel that that's a lot of cereal, my daughter was a much more frequent nurser than my son, and ate a fair amount of cereal as well. To each his own, I guess. I appreciate the input.

They can't regulate their intake well when spoon fed and eat much more than they would otherwise. Biologically it makes much more sense to let them self feed. If they can just eat a few bites then that's really all the solids they need. I'm not talking about delaying all solids until a year if you don't want (and baby is interested) but breastmilk SHOULD be the main nutrition the whole first year.

-Angela

[taterbug1999]

would whole milk be that bad just for cereal and just for awhile until he backs off night nursing and your milk catches up? I can't imagine that an oz or two would be detrimental in cereal for a few days till he gets through his growth spurts or whatever is causing the increased night feeds.
As for cereal, my son loved it from the first try- funny its just oatmeal...but we started by mxing with water so he just got used to it. Now we mix with whole milk because he is older. I like it because of the high iron content- feel like I know he's getting more that way, so I would not stop the cereal if he likes it. And I think my ds would eat about 1/4 cup at a year or a bit before.

[alegna]

NO cow's milk until at least a year.

-Angela

[lisavasmom]

They can't regulate their intake well when spoon fed and eat much more than they would otherwise. Biologically it makes much more sense to let them self feed. If they can just eat a few bites then that's really all the solids they need. I'm not talking about delaying all solids until a year if you don't want (and baby is interested) but breastmilk SHOULD be the main nutrition the whole first year.

-Angela
I don't know where you heard that babies can't regulate their intake when spoon fed. I've never heard/read that before. My whole spoon feeding routine consists of putting the food on the spoon, holding it out so the baby can see it, then waiting for him to open his mouth and reach for the spoon. When he shows obvious signs of not wanting anymore food, I stop. I have put clumpy cereal on the tray in front of him, and he will sometimes, pick it up and eat it, but he likes taking the spoon and feeding himself, and has fun with it. So, he is self feeding.

I don't know why you keep accentuating to me that breastmilk should be the main nutrition the first year, I've already agreed with that. He does mainly breastfeed. The amount of cereal he eats in no way is more that the breastmilk he consumes on a daily basis.

I'm an advocate of breastfeeding, and self led weaning. My daughter was a very frequent nurser, my son isn't normally only now that he's teething (which is very normal). Kids are all different. What you experience with your child (or subsequent children) will be vastly different. Feeding is one of those things.

[bri276]

right, if your baby is eagerly leaning towards a spoon with their mouth open, that's a pretty darn good indicator that he wants it! and when they don't want it, it's very obvious also, they'll turn their head away.

I think people with kids who aren't that into solids don't "get" that some babies LOVE solid food. and that some babies, like mine for instance, will still get 30-35 oz of breastmilk per day and still have room for solids. In fact as an EP'er, if I don't give her cereal w/ fruit, at night she'll be up longer and I'll have to pump an extra time. She loves the solids, they're good for her, she's still getting tons of breastmilk- sounds like a similar situation.

[orangecanoe]

Mama--is it possible that you're just not getting a good letdown with the pump? I only say that because I only pumped with my first in order to mix with cereal or thin avocado and only got an ounce here and there. Now that I have to exclusively pump for dd2, I realize that at times...especially in the morning, I can get as much as 2-3oz *before* letdown if my breasts are more full. I always hated pumping the first time around....it's just now that I realize that I probably almost never got a true letdown before. This time, when I started having to pump more for dd2, I would pump on one side while dd1 nursed on the other and got into a routine that made getting a letdown much easier. Could you try pumping while he nursed?

[Fiercemama]

If I don't feed him cereal, what option would I have? He doesn't have any teeth yet..

Anything that you can manage to mash against the top of your mouth with your tongue. You'd be surprised what they can manage. Soft fruits and veggies like banana and avocado or steamed/baked sweet potato. There are lots of steamed veggies, like carrots, that babies can manage.

[alegna]

The other problem with feeding babies under 1 a whole lot of solids is that they need a LOT of breastmilk to get the nutrients and fat they need. Baby brains need a lot of fat to grow. Every 1/4 cup of cereal, every jar of purees that you're spooning in is that much precious tummy space that is filled with something that is LESS than breastmilk.

-Angela

[lisavasmom]

It could be that I do have a problem with let down. Sometimes it seems as if it takes forever for that to happen. I may try the pumping while he nurses suggestion as well, thank you for that!

I would like to say that I have always enjoyed using this forum as a sounding board for advice because I read Mothering, and feel it's a wonderful resource for information on my growing children. I also like to think that it's readers are people like me, and just want to make informed choices about the options for raising our kids.

With that said, I don't appreciate the comments about my feeding my baby 'a whole lot of solids' and that 'Every 1/4 cup of cereal, every jar of purees that you're spooning in is that much precious tummy space that is filled with something that is LESS than breastmilk.'

First of all, I'm of the belief that if you have a parenting method that works for you, then great, go with it! I do not throw stones.

I should say that I believe many people start solids too early, thinking that it may help with sleep, etc. I know that to be false. I started both my children on solids when they were physically ready, and not by age. My dd was older than my son when I started her on solids, because it was by what she could DO not how old she was.

There is also the arguement that it's not a good idea to wait too long to start them either. To miss a point of developmental readiness makes it harder to learn. There is the thinking that a fully bf baby could run out of iron stores by the second 6 months, hence the iron fortified cereal.

Angela, obviously you didn't start your dd on solids until she was a year for your reasons, and I (in your view) am 'spooning in a whole lot of something that is LESS than breastmilk' into my child because I want to.....? I don't know. Where you get your information, I don't know. But you seem to come off as awfully judgemental. Perhaps I'm taking it too personal, but the tone is condescending. I just was looking for a friendly forum to get some ideas, and I as always, appreciate the mamas who take the time to give me their sound and tested advice. You are all appreciated! :hug

[alegna]

Angela, obviously you didn't start your dd on solids until she was a year for your reasons, and I (in your view) am 'spooning in a whole lot of something that is LESS than breastmilk' into my child because I want to.....? I don't know. Where you get your information, I don't know. But you seem to come off as awfully judgemental. Perhaps I'm taking it too personal, but the tone is condescending. I just was looking for a friendly forum to get some ideas, and I as always, appreciate the mamas who take the time to give me their sound and tested advice. You are all appreciated! :hug

Actually I started my dd on solids at 6 months. Live and learn. Like it or not soilds ARE less perfect than breastmilk. They have fewer calories, most have significantly less fat and they are not as easily digested.

-Angela

[TurboClaudia]

lisavasmom: i agree with almost all of what you wrote. a very thoughtful and respectful and mature post.

~claudia