Grrrrr at my GP!! Question for exclusive breast-feeders (sorry, long)

[JacksFirstChristmasMama]

How long did you exclusively breast-feed your baby? (As in, no other food... or if other food, only tiny "getting to know other food" amounts).

My DS is almost 10 months old. He's pretty much exclusively breast-fed and not that interested in a lot of other food. He loves to grate gum apple bits, and carrot, and eats banana in one of those safe-baby-feeders. He occasionally takes a bit of mashed potato from my finger. But a lot of the time when I offer food, he pinches his lips shut and turns his head away.

At his four-month check-up my GP told me "ne needs food" by 6 months. I didn't really agree but what do I know, he's my first. So I tried some applesauce (which was fine) and then baby rice, which led to violent vomiting. Found out that some babies don't develop the enzyme amylase (to digest starch) until they are around 9 months and so grains are not always a good first food. But it took a bit for us to realize it was the baby rice and not a stomach bug. Once we'd figured that out, we went back to exclusive BF for a while. Then occasionally tried again with solids. But I think the vomiting epsiodes scared him off anything that came on a spoon, because he was definitely not as eager to try again! I checked for advice on Kellymom, and with the La Leche League, about how long I could exclusively breast-feed and was told at least up to a year, but to try and interest him in fruit and veggies so he knows they're ok. Sounded good to me.

At a recent visit (for me) GP asked about DS's food intake. So I explained. She was horrified and told me that there is no way breast milk was enough and that he needed food.

BTW, DS is almost 10 months old, 29 or 30" long, and weighs 23 or 24 pounds. He's been sitting upright by himself since 5 1/2 months old, has been cruising around the furniture for a few weeks, is starting to stand by himself for a few seconds, and has 6 teeth. He's bright and happy and chatty.
Sure looks like a thriving little boy to me.

So... how long has anyone exclusively breast-fed? And if he continues to be not too interested in solids for a while longer, how much longer is exclusively breast-feeding ok?
Any help would be appreciated, she made me feel like a crap mum!

oats have gluten in, rice doesn't.

oh my god, our dss were born on the same day! how freaky, they are just the same. are you me? are you/am i a name changer???

Really kalo, Feb 13? Wow! I don't think I'm you though... how did his birth go? If it went better than Jackbaby's, then maybe I want to be you, LOL!
What's your l.o. eating?

very long labour - 48 hours.

he really has eating only some banana rice pudding today.

and he's only put on 2 oz in 6 weeks

he likes potato (oven chips too)

and i make a chicken and organic veg mush which he will eat occasionally at tea time from a spoon but not any other time and no spoons with anything in the day.

he eats little handfuls of shepherds pie now and again but i would say on average he eats something one meal in five, the rest of the time refuses and cries

My DS, at 10.5mo still eats very little some days. Other days he stuffs his face (sausage mash and beans tonight (only a little bit of sausage) which always goes down well) but more often he eats about 3 bites and makes a lot of mess. He often completely refuses breakfast and still has at least 4 BF a day (normally more) and one during the night. He does eat a fairly wide variety of stuff, and I stop myself cooking his favourite foods every day, even though he would eat more.

I do worry that a) I'll be BF in the day forever (I wanted to start cutting down between 12 and 18 months to get down to just morning and evening) and b) he won't eat more while there's still all this breast milk on tap but I remind myself he's grown himself pretty well so far, so I should keep trusting him for the moment!

Definitely give your baby control of what they're eating. Offer them whatever you're eating (we just stopped adding salt and use very low salt stock cubes) and you'll probably find they're more interested. Also, try to eat together - DS always eats more when we have family round, and less when I'm not eating at the same time (rarely).

Today I gave DS some lovely left over spaghetti with creamy tomato sauce and some of his favourite veggies. He threw it on the floor, stole my tuna melt toastie and ate about 5 bites, plus some of DH's apple.

My DD really wasn't interested in food until 15 months. She'd have a bite of things from time to time, some days were better than others, but breastmilk was definitely her main source of nutrition during that period. It wasn't until she started nursery full time at 16 months that she took an interest in food and was keen to eat what the other children were eating. She still breastfed huges amounts when she was back home with me after nursery though!

I'd try not to worry to much and keep a chilled out attitude towards food otherwise your DS could pick up on any anxiety and turn food into a battle ground for years to come. Whilst it's easier said than done, just keep reminding yourself that if he's gaining weight and his healthy and happy, then you're obviously doing all the right things

Eeeewww kalo 48 hours??? No thanks, I think I'd rather be me, I went 36 hours and it ended with forceps, which was bloody awful. If they'd let me go another 12 hours he'd have been a Valentine's baby... meh.

Anyway, I'd like to report that we had pureed blueberry and apple for two days running, as well as banana, and some bits grated off a carrot.

Don't worry....you have a similar story to me though despite trying to temp both my dd's they weren't interested at all until after 12m. They were both exclusively fed for 12m and then went straight past puree and mush on to proper food.
My paediatrician said it was very normal and I had a very supportive baby health nurse who just kept saying look how healthy happy and content they are.
They both kept b/f for another year or so.
Don't worry...he sounds fine. Tilba x

Ooh, thanks Tilba!
Really, thank you all, he's my first and sometimes I have no clue, and it's great to find people who will share their experience!

Just keep offering bits of food and let him get on with it.
Possibly, sit together to share family meals.

DD will not have purees. She prefers solid foods to gnaw on (no theeth yet at 7 mths)
She very much wants to be in control too ,so if i am holding a juicy fruit for her to suck on she holds my hand and controls it.

He main staple is still breast milk.

My friend BF quasi - exclusively until 13 mths. She's an enthousiastic juicer so she did give her DD little amounts of fresh juices to sip on and rice cakes to sharpen the little teeth! that's it.

I have another non eater. Mainly breastmilk until 13 months - DD hated purees, we ended up putting purees on pitta bread which she ate for a while. Pasta was and still is her favourite food, she survived on pasta and pesto for quite a while.

Try BLW but its no guarantee that your child will eat solids. DD now turned two and still will only eat a limited range of foods and is a struggle but she seems to grow and thrive.

HV/dietician at the hospital all told me to cut down breastfeeding to improve appetite. I did have to cut down at about 17 months as I couldn't stay pregnant and eventually she self weaned when I was pregnant at nearly 23 months. Cutting down breastfeeding never improved her appetite.