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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Help -food makes her constiapted -not food makes her hungry! What to do!

11 replies

bodenbetty · 21/12/2006 08:48

DD 24 weeke has been on solids for just over a fortnight. My HV told me just to go for 3 meals a day satright off as she was ready for it so have been doing although with hindsight maybe that has overloaded her system - though we are only talking 2 ice cubes per meal. she has had pear, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, apple. ahve also tried oatibix + formula (she is 100% bf)
she has stopped her regualr bowel movements & I ahve had to give her Oj twice to get anyhting out - though it is quite soft when it comes.
do I carry onm feeding her though this is happening? take it back to just 2 sorts of food at a time? leave it altogether? (but tehnshe wakes up 3 times a night really hungry...)
just want to do teh best thing but not quite sure what that is - any ideas? cheers.

OP posts:

morningpaper · 21/12/2006 09:05

Waking up 3 times a night really hungry or really wanting a feed is quite normal at this age I'm afraid.

I wouldn't use that as an indicator of anything.

Have you got any books on weaning? The theory is that ideally you need to introduce one food at a time for a few days to make sure that her system gets used to it and doesn't cause any reactions.

olittletownofberolina · 21/12/2006 09:20

She's a bit little for 3 meals a day... (a tiny bit little for weaning altogether in fact)

Slow down a bit. Go back to just 2 or 3 foods - parsnip, carrot, sweet potato are good ones - and to one, maybe 2 meals a day. Replace the rest with bf as per before weaning.

Is she uncomfortable when she doesn't poo/when it comes?

Oh, about the waking - I weaned ds as 6 1/2 months and he woke up 5-6 times a night for a bf until he was about 10 months... t'one is not necessarily connected to t'other

Original poster

bodenbetty · 21/12/2006 09:24

she is stil having her full complement of bf in the day as I only give her food about 1-2 hours after each feed.
so do you think i should reduce the number of meals or the amount of food or both?
you wouldn't think she was my 2nd I feel more confused thanI did with my first......
my Hv recommended teh full on weaning as she wasn't putting on any weight & had satrted waking more often than she was before.
BTW the OJ has had no effect so far ths morning....

OP posts:

Original poster

bodenbetty · 21/12/2006 09:25

oh & I am terrfi4d that by starting weaning I am causing her irepairable damage - I just want to do whatever is best for her 7 feel I ahve no ide what that is. if 1 more person tells me to follow my instincts i shall scream; :-((

OP posts:

olittletownofberolina · 21/12/2006 09:27

Weight gain often slows/plateaus at this sort of age. If she's happy, weeing plenty (pooing is a different issue - in excl bf babies over a couple of months there can be days and days without a poo), developmentally OK, no real need to worry yet. And weaning is not guaranteed to improve waking

I'd cut out 1 or 2 of the meals for now. Are you bf on demand?

nearlythree · 21/12/2006 09:29

I'd stop the formula/oatibix thing, and wean on fruit i.e. pear for three or four days, then apple, then carrot. My dd1 got constpiated and it was a while before she could cope with starchy veg like parsnip and even sweet potato. Courgette was okay though.

3 meals/day sounds excessive to me.

olittletownofberolina · 21/12/2006 09:29

Please don't beat yourself up re. damage - you did start earlier than current recommendations, but it's not like you started at 12 weeks or something You are doing your best.

The kellymom.com site is great for bf and weaning advice

Original poster

bodenbetty · 21/12/2006 09:34

yes breastfeeding on demand which seesm to be about 3 hourly in the day. then I always b/feed her around 4.30 before her bedtime feed at 6pm. tehn its odd on as to when she wakes at night.

OP posts:

nearlythree · 21/12/2006 09:41

Bodenbetty, I weaned dd1 at 17 wks - this was before the current recommendations - and she is fine. Don't panic, early weaning was the norm for yrs.

Mojomummy · 22/12/2006 09:38

agree with others here that 3 x meals a day is too much.

Go with nearly3 advice & make sure the purees are wet (mine would sometimes be quite dry)

Definetly cut out the oatbix & any cereal unless it's gluten & wheat-free. Too tough on little digestion systems.

I don't know why the HV's get so hung up on the 3 meals a day. Certainly not little to worry about as baby is BF.
FWIW the literature from Heinz, recommmends something like 1 meal a day for 2 weeks, the increase to 2, then 3. If you want I'll recheck it - came with the Heinz Tiny Tums. This is from 26 weeks as well.

I'll be doing all this in a months time !

VeniVidiVickiQV · 22/12/2006 09:43

Personally I'd leave out weaning on to solids altogether - give it a week or two to let her settle down and then try again. Limiting to very basic fruit and vegetable purees OR try the baby led weaning approach.

Up her milk intake if she seems more hungry - its the most important food for her in her first year.

Try not to worry too much.

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