BF baby - rice or formula?

[meganandlucymummy]

My DD2 is 17wks and has been exclusively breastfed. When/if she starts to become less satisfied on breastmilk alone before 6 months would you introduce formula or rice? Thanks

neither .. just breastfeed her

don't understand why you would plan on doing either to be honest

she will have a growth spurt around 20 weeks but it will calm down

unless you don't wish to continue bf which is a different issue

My DS2 was hungry at 16 weeks so I started him on rice mixed with breast milk just once a day - this kept him happy enough for a while.

Agree with twiglett.

Babies have regular growth spurts where they feed more/seem more hungry/wake in the night.

The MOST calorific thing you can do to quench their hunger is feed more, and your b/milk should be more than enough.

There is no sound scientific base for weaning early - its not been proven to improve night waking etc.

But, that is unless like twiglett says - you dont wish to continue b/feeding.

ds was exclusively bf. i was aiming for weaning at 6mths. when he showed signs of being dissatisfied, i fed him a bit more regularly.

bad advice .. sorry

.. WHO recommends not weaning until 26 weeks due to maturity of the gut

you risk increased chance of later onset of allergies and conditions like asthma and excema .. ie in teens and beyond

no point putting your baby at risk of an unhealthy future when you no better

(I weaned one of my children at 14 weeks when the advice was 16 weeks .. I don't regret it but if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have done it)

Going back to work when DD 24 wks, would like to maintain morning and night feeds then but phase formula in for daytime. The reason I ask is she is appearing increasingly less satisfied despite feeding more often. Thanks for your advice so far.

I know where you coming from meganandlucymummy my dd is bf, 20 weeks, last few nights she has been waking every 2 hours! last night i was in tears and started thinking along those lines, ideally you should continue only b/feeding but of the 2 devils which is worse, man made chemical formula or a natural product e.g yogurt. any i feel a bit better this morning tho shattered with dd2 (2.9 yrs) plus dd1 wont take bottle to give me abreak, moan moan, rollo on 26 weeks.

thanks duvet - glad to know you could make sense of what I said - don't think I explained myself well. I'm fairly up-to-date with what is recommended but I'm thinking that I might need to work outside of the box so to speak and just wasn't sure which of introducing formula or giving rice earlier was worst?!?!

I can appreciate how tired you feel I have a 25 month old with chiken pox in addition to this hungry little one! x

If you absolutely felt you had to choose one I'd go with rice. Its much less allergenic than cows milk proteins and if you've got this far avoiding formula I'd continue until 6 months.

Between four and six months your baby is likely to become distractible and also start teething and wanting to sit up and beginning to be frustrated with not being able to move around or reach things she wants, all of these things can make her seem unsettled and this is NOT always a sign of hunger. If you are still feeding on demand, albeit more often than before, and she is still having plenty of wet nappies and gaining some weight then she's getting plenty and you don't need to give her anything else.
Weaning early is not likely to help her sleep or feel more settled, only reaching her milestones at her own pace will do that. Or the dreaded teeth coming through..

Totally agree with Twiglett's advice.

It is a myth that babies can NOT be satisfied on bm alone before 6 months. Bm has a very high calorific content and baby rice does not.

I personally would not run the risk of allergies and the possibility that baby might wean off the breast due to early introduction of solids/formula.

I know I made the absolute right decision to wait until my DS was 6 months old to introduce solids, because my sister and SIL's who introduced formula and solids before 6 months now have children who suffer from the following: asthma, eczema, wheeszing and heyfever to varying degrees.

My son (now 20 months and still bf) has absolutely none of these problems and I am positive it is due to exclusive bf for the first 6 months.

Really appreciating your advice everyone. Roxswood - I hadn't thought about other reasons for being unsettle like frustration etc. I will definately be battling it out as long as poss.

This is the 2nd time I have breastfed and I hate breastfeeding but have undertaken to do it at least til 6 months as I know it's the best thing for her. I am on my 3rd episode of mastitis now and waiting for a scan of my boob to see if there is an abcess so in a bit of discomfort but still breastfeeding - so I am committed to it.

It's quite sad to have to admit how much I dislike breastfeeding. I keep telling myself maybe I'll get into it, or when the boob prob is sorted maybe I'll enjoy it then but I doubt it. I am envious of you mums who enjoy brfeeding and especially those who feel it helps with bonding etc. It would be so much less of a (painful) chore if I could enjoy it just a wincy bit! Anyway I've moved off the subject now - sorry!

Thanks for all the advice again - much appreciated x

Good for you malm for hanging in there!
That is devotion to the cause!

meganandlucymummy, that is so refreshing to hear such an unselfish attitude, you don't like b/f but you know it's best for baby - Good on ya girl for sticking it out this long - you can do it - and you certainly won't regret it.