BF 19week old too early for baby rice?!

[Hannah7]

My DD is nearly 19weeks, still feeds every 2hrs in day and 2-3 times in night.

She is in 75th percentile for weight, seems unsatisfied nd tries to gnaw anything that dares get too close to her mouth! She also watches me so intently when im eating!

Know WHO says bf till 6months but they use to say 4, DS was 6months before gave anything else but he was ff and very satisfied and settled.

Any thoughts appreciated :-)

But, how much milk are you putting in the rice? A whole feeds worth? Or an ounce or so? If it's the former then yes, it will be more filling and more calorific but if the latter it won't be.

and surely, you don't refuse them booby just cos you've given them a bit of a spoon feed - tis not an either/or, but a both. any which way you get a full baby in the moment - its more a matter of how long they stay full. i found a bit of ricey bmilk meant i wasn't feeding every 2 hours. unscientific, sure.

This has details of calories in baby rice - based on rice prepared with water, but you could add to the milk and do an average of the two or something.

"i found a bit of ricey bmilk meant i wasn't feeding every 2 hours."

But it's totally NORMAL for a breastfed baby to feed that often. It's only the formula feeding generation that has convinced society babies need to be going 3-4 hours between feeds.

Jesus christ, even I don't go 3-4 hours between drinks/food.

but if their tummies are full of the more bulky but less calorific babyrice they will go longer between milk feeds?

daydreamdolly, did you ask your health visitor why she thought she knew better than the WHO? Or what effects her method would have had on a virgin gut??

OP Google virgin gut, look up WHY the WHO reccomends 6 months, and then decide for yourself.

HTH

Thanks everyone for your comments, sorry cant respond to them all individually but there have been so many!

Think im going to wait until at least 22weeks and stick at bf. Am use to ff from DS so still only going 2hrs seems crazy as guess im thinking 3-4 hrs for ff by now!

Very interesting about virgin gut, DD does have occasional small amount of formula so she doesnt have this! I agree its best to only have breast milk but its yet another thing to make ff mothers feel bad, like I said DS was ff and only ill once in first year, DD has had 5 colds and a cough so far!

Thanks again everyone :-)

Hi,coming to this late I know but my 19 week old is just the same and I dont intend to wean her until she can sit unaided and feed herself etc. The night feeds are knackering though so you have my sympathy on that! Just to pick up on what you said about illnesses - a 2nd child is often ill more than the first was, they catch all their older sibling's bugs! Nothing to do with what they are being fed. My poor 3rd baby has had loads of colds.

out of lots of mammals, human milk has very little protein in it which is a determinant for growth rates. a human mother, anthropologically speaking, would not be away from her young at all so would feed frequently. a rabbit on the other hand, would leave the young for ages so their milk has way more protein in it so the babies can grow while the mother is away.

interesting fact for you

'I agree its best to only have breast milk but its yet another thing to make ff mothers feel bad' ... no, it's really not.

"It's only the formula feeding generation that has convinced society babies need to be going 3-4 hours between feeds."

or possibly the fact that i have other stuff to do?

i also think that there is a lack of evidence to support later weaning to solids in the first world.

The fact you have other stuff to do?

EAP, You don't have to look very hard to find lots of scientific evidence and why would you think that gut developement would be different depending on where a person is born??

From Kellymom:

"Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies (see Allergy References and Risks of Artificial Feeding). From birth until somewhere between four and six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut." This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby's bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too. During baby's first 4-6 months, while the gut is still "open," antibodies (sIgA) from breastmilk coat baby's digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also."

Sometimes the difficult thing is to know which question to ask.

'or possibly the fact that i have other stuff to do?'

Why did you have a baby if you're too busy to feed them? Jesus Christ, heard everything now.