Needing encouragement

[mollycuddles]

I'm ebf dd2 - she's 20 weeks and was above 91st centile weight for a while but has now settled just above 75th. This is clearly her line as her length is 75th too. She's great - gorgeous and just started rolling over. Basically perfect (biased - much)

Ds was ff from 3 weeks and dd1 ebf. Ds started solids at 12 weeks and dd1 I'm not sure. She was born in 2001 so before the guidance re 6 months but I'm sure I was advised 6 months then and it was definitely 20 something weeks. Ds was a very hungry baby and I didn't think I had enough milk, latch was rubbish, cracked nipples, mastitis. Your basic car crash. Dd1 was a 3 hourly feeder by about week 4 according to her red book and a great sleeper. Dd2 definitely takes after her brother and feeds every hour or so in the day and about 2 hourly at night. Until 16 week regression she had a good 4/5 hour block at bedtime. Sadly no sign of that returning. I'm shattered. There's tons of allergies, asthma, eczema, diabetes etc in mine and dh's family so I really want to avoid formula completely and stay off solids until 26 weeks. Dh thinks we should start solids as she is very interested in food and nearly sitting up and because I'm so tired. I don't see the point as nothing she's allowed early has more calories than milk anyway. I express morning and night for my freezer supply as I'm going back to work in 3 weeks.

I just need some encouragement really. I don't know anyone who's lasted until 26 weeks before solids and no one but me with dd1 who has completely avoided formula. At least I know I can do that! I have some minor trauma to my left nipple from last night (?she might be teething as she has taken to biting down hard on my nips when she's tired or grumpy). She barely sleeps all day too unless out walking and was too tired to take her out in the pram today. Dh has recently fractured his hand so I'm doing all the school run driving and cooking, washing etc. He can clean and Hoover etc one handed and change nappies.

Sorry, a bit needy of me to post this as all is ok really but just want some very un MN cheer leading.

Encouragement I can do...I think!

No formula here (in 18 months)

Waited til 26 weeks to introduce solids even though DS was grabbing/smacking his lips etc

When I DID introduce solids he ate loads straight away, no faffing (despite BLW)

Formula (surely not something you'd want to do when you've made it this far!?)/food may not make one bit of a difference-some of them sleep, some don't. However, DS did transform from a non-sleeper to a great sleeper at about ten months and now out sleeps them all

So sorry you don't have more help-you sound very dedicated to your children and clearly deserve a rest, for all the good me SAYING it is....

sounds like you're doing really well and working really hard to do what's best for your dd :)
Everyone I know seems to start weaning at 4-5 months despite the guidelines . I want to wait til 6 months but ds is only 6 weeks so it's a long way off!

Yes I can do encouragement too :)

You can do this, it is what your body was designed for. I've never given DS any formula, and we started him with his first foods at 25 weeks. He took to it really quickly, and was eating the same things as us pretty much from the word go.

If you are getting tired, have you tried taking an iron supplement? I started taking one when DS was about 4/5 months and found it really helped with my energy levels.

You are doing so well, sounds like have tons on your plate and it's bad bad luck that DH injuring himself has co-incided with this tough bit! Hang in there, 6 weeks isn't long :)

Thanks so much :)
It's just nice to know that 6 months isn't impossible. Even baby foods are all labelled 4 months - including the more apparently middle class ones like Ella's kitchen.
Tough day today - had a surveyor round to value the house as we're hoping to remortgage and get a better deal, had to go to school about dd1 - routine parent/teacher thing and phone call from ds school as he's having some problems...
But I can do this.

You can do it!

If she's teething some teething gel might help.

We exclusively breastfed and DS started weaning at 26 weeks, it is possible.

We did it too. Weaning earlier just makes even more work for you (you wanna avoid that). We are also doing BLW in the sense that she has what we have for dinner. It's not always finger food so she has a mixture of spoon food and finger food.

I've someone mention calcium supplements before.

Any hats off to you, sounds like your doing amazing. I've only for the one (so far...)

Weaning is soooo boring & think of the mess! Hold off for as long as possible!

Well done on getting this far! You are doing so well! I know it does seem like forever at the moment, but it won't kast for ever I promise! Just keep on going one day at a time.

Try and remind your dh that youur lo doesn't even know what food is yet. So when she's looking at yours it's in the same way she looks at everything! Once you do start solids it'll be a while till she realises what it's for and that it will fill her up! and even thhen milk will be her main nutrition till one.

If he dosen't buy this maybe give some safer fingerfoods when youu eat? Ds's first ever food was a cucmber stick and he gummed all the middle bit off it! But really youur dh shouuld understand why you want to leave off solids for a bit longer.

Goood luck

Weaning is a big disappointment and it won't fill up your daughter any more than milk. You've made it this far -- you can do it.

You mentioned your LO barely sleeps during the day. That could explain at least part of the night wakings. She is probably too overtired to fall into a deep sleep so she is waking up at the change in sleep cycles. I think that any daytime sleep you can get her to have will help the nights. (I would bet this will help more than any change in her diet.) Just an idea -- it helped us.