The Truth About Breastfeeding, Part 3: Separation Anxiety and Adding Solids

In case you missed them, read part one and part two of the series by guest-poster Laurie to catch up.

They say you can never spoil a baby. But what if baby gets so hooked on one person they don't want anyone else? I've created a Baby Beast, as we affectionately call H now. Because I didn't have a job to return to she got Mama all day every day. It seemed just so much easier to only nurse and skip the bottle. It meant one less thing to clean - especially since our dishwasher is me.

Until C started a new job recently he was working weird hours at work sometimes 8-4 other days 11-7, some days he didn't even have a clue when he would be home. So H got used to be home with Mama and J. It was Mama feeding, Mama changing the diapers, Mama providing amusement and consoling. C tried to help when he was home but the weird hours were getting to him and H wanted one person only.

Even visits to see family would lead to tears if I wasn't the one holding her. And if we tried to have the rare babysitter -- oh, it was horrible. Maximum amount of time for happiness was 90 minutes then her fury came. She hated the bottle, if you got her in the first 90 minutes she would take it only if H thought she was the one holding it.

At H's 4 month appointment her doctor said she'll grow out of it eventually and that she's seen worse cases. We were told to keep trying the bottle, surprise surprise it didn't work. On the upside though she was reaching or surpassing the expected milestones. We also got a new activity to try - solids.

American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until 6 months to introduce solids. When it comes to introducing solids to your baby there are different options. Like us many parents choose to start with a baby cereal such as rice or oatmeal then later give purées. With purées you can either make your own or buy jars pre-made. There is also baby led weaning. With baby-led weaning (BLW) you introduce little finger foods that baby can to themselves. A lot of parents that choose BLW wait until a minimum of 6 months if not longer.

A popular first food for with this method is avocado. Other then being only 4 months she showed signs of being ready. She would watch us eat and mimic chewing motions. H also had very good neck control - a must for a solid eating baby. With H's doctor's approval we began introducing baby oatmeal mixed with breast milk. Our hope was the cereal in her belly would help ease her reflux. If it wasn't for that we would have waited a bit long to introduce.

We began with a tablespoon once per day and slowly increased over a month. H's reflux seemed to be improving with less spit up. We tried introducing the bottle and H didn't want anything to do with it. Only successful time she took a bottle no issue was one time I gave it to her. She threw a fit if C or anyone else tried.

Other then the bottle hating, feeding-wise everything was going well. H enjoyed her morning oatmeal and was still nursing like a champ. At 5 months old her doctor gave approval to introduce purées. Again, we began with a tablespoon or so once a day. It was in addition to her breakfast of oatmeal. We started with the stage one purées since they were smoother. The ones H wasn't fond of from being too runny we added a little oatmeal to thicken.

Now, H is 7 months old and doing great with her solids. Going by her pediatrician's recommendation we're doing three meals a day. Morning is a jar of fruit purée with oatmeal mixed in for breakfast or half a cup of baby yogurt with probiotics. The yogurt we only do twice a week. Lunch is half a jar of purée veggie mixed with half a jar of meat purée with a little bit of multigrain cereal to even out the texture. Dinner is the same as lunch. It's important to follow your baby's lead for when they're full. H rarely eats a full jar usually about 2/3 or 3/4.

We've given up on getting her to take a bottle. I had asked H's pediatrician about trying a sippy cup instead. So a couple weeks ago we purchased a Munchkin Latch sippy cup. The reviews I read on Amazon showed a lot of babies have success taking the sippy when they wouldn't take a bottle before. SUCCESS! She loves to use her sippy cup. I have just been putting about 2 ounces in it at a time so it's not too heavy for her to lift. H hasn't figured it out completely yet but she likes trying!

Thanks for following along on my journey! As H continues to grow I will share the next leg of the adventure.

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About the Author
Laurie is a stay-at-home mom to two little girls -- a baby and a 5-year-old -- and is stepmom to a 5-year-old daughter. Living in New England, she has a big Australian Sheepdog along with the kids and her husband. She enjoys music, decorating cakes and Doctor Who.

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