I try to eat healthy, but I'm still always tired!
	Do breastfed babies avoid solid foods?
	How can I diet to lose weight?
	Baby constipated, is it his diet?
	Is it necessary to add protein to breastmilk?
	I'm a vegetarian, how much protein do I need?

I try to eat healthy, but I'm still always tired!

I know being tired is a common complaint of parents of toddlers.  I try to eat a healthy diet but that doesn't always happen.  I still take prenatal vitamins, but I'm wondering if that's enough and maybe that's partly why I'm so tired.  My daughter still nurses at least 6 times a day if not more. Are there any special concerns I should I have for my diet as she gets older?





It is true that being a mother of a toddler is tiring, but there are aspects of your lifestyle that you might want to examine, and changes that you might consider making to boost your energy.  For example, you mention that you aren't always able to eat a healthy diet.  I am curious about how much weight have you lost since Megan was born, and whether you are still losing weight?  Although I do not know your pre-pregnancy weight, your current weight, or your height, it may be that you are not getting enough calories, and that your body is compromising energy. Remember that you should eat a healthy, balanced diet to improve your health and energy level, but also to be a good role model for Megan.  At 14 months, she is observing what you eat and your eating patterns, and this will influence her eating behaviors as she grows older.  I also suggest that you have your hemoglobin serum iron checked by your physician, to see if you might be anemic.

Then, I wonder if you are getting enough exercise.  Lack of exercise can contribute to feelings of lethargy and fatigue.  Try going for a long, brisk walk after dinner or before you put Megan down.  Although you feel very tired, you may find that the exercise re-invigorates you.

The other thing that comes to mind is the question of depression.  Fatigue is often a symptom of depression.  This is out of my field, but if other things are going on in your life (i.e. stress in your marriage, lack of a support system, etc.) that might trigger depression, you may be wise to seek help.  This may not apply to you at all, but without knowing more about your personal life, I though that it should be mentioned.

Overall, my concerns are more for you, and for how your fatigue affects your interactions with Megan, than about her nutritional status.  At 14 months, I assume that Megan is eating a variety of other foods, so that her nutritional needs from your breastmilk are probably quite small.

Do breastfed babies avoid solid foods?

Our son just turned 6 months yesterday and he will not eat baby food.  We started trying to give it to him at about 4 1/2 months old.  He pierces his lips shut and won't let the food get in.  We've tried all kinds of tricks but he's too smart! Is this a common reaction to baby food for breast fed babies? I plan to breastfeed him until about age 1.  I didn't know if this was something that is common to others.  Thank you for reading this and I look forward to hearing from you.





Many babies do not start eating solid foods until at least six months, so Thomas may not have been developmentally ready to do so when you first tried at 4 1/2 months.  Six months is an appropriate age for a baby to start solids.  However, this does not need to be baby food.  It is perfectly fine for Thomas to begin eating regular table food at this age.  He does not need to eat baby food at all.  In fact, I suggest that you not even try giving him baby food any longer. Instead, offer him finger foods to supplement the breastmilk that he gets each day.  He may prefer finger foods that he can eat himself, and this allows him to control his own food intake.  It also can make your life much easier!

You should not expect a baby at this age (6 months) to pick up food and eat like an older child or adult would.  Instead, he will probably smell the food, play with it, mush it in his hands, then taste it.  This is normal. Developmentally, it is unlikely that a 6 month old wouldn't be interested in picking up food and at least exploring it.  Take advantage of his developmental stage! Don't push him to eat, but do offer foods.

Try putting small pieces of table food in front of Thomas when you are eating, and let him control his diet.  Try small pieces of soft, cooked meats (such as ground, chicken, or liver), cooked vegetables, soft fruits (such as bananas, cantaloupe, peaches, or pears), and pieces of bread or cooked pasta to start. Avoid foods that are likely to produce allergies or that can be a choking hazard.  This includes globs of peanut butter on a spoon, any nuts, raw carrots, or raw apples.

It is wonderful that you want to breastfeed for a year.  As that time approaches, you may even want to continue nursing Thomas longer than that, which is perfectly fine.  You could also introduce Thomas to a cup with water, juice, or cow's milk (after he is one year old), and let him drink himself, too.

In summary, I think that it is quite normal for an infant who has had control of his food intake through breastfeeding to want to continue this- and I'd say more power to him!

How can I diet to lose weight?

I'm interested in a diet for myself that might lessen Shai's discomfort and help me to lose those post pregnancy pounds (i.e. low gas and low calorie) Thank You.





At 2 1/2 weeks postpartum, I would recommend that you not worry yet about losing weight.  Make sure that you eat a healthy diet, and monitor your weight loss during the next six months.  Don't restrict your calories so soon after Shai was born.  Many women find that they lose weight just by breastfeeding, and that they return to their pre-pregnancy weight by about six months postpartum.  Weight loss that occurs too fast can decrease your milk supply and leave you feeling tired.  At this early time postpartum you can begin with gentle exercise, however.  Try going for a long walk each day, for example.

You mention that Shai has gas and seems uncomfortable.  You should understand that at just 2 1/2 weeks Shai still has an immature digestive tract, so that some gas is normal.  Overtime, this problem may correct itself.  If Shai's gas is severe, however, this may be a colic reaction.  You should see your pediatrician if you are concerned about this. If your doctor determines that your baby has colic, you might try modifying your intake of milk to no more than about three 8-ounces of milk per day.  Don't go lower than this, though.

Finally, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between discomfort and hunger in an infant.  If you think that you may not be producing enough milk, and that this may be triggering Shai's discomfort, I suggest seeking help from a certified lactation consultant

Baby constipated, is it his diet?

 We are having a number of issues with solids/ nursing.  Hard poos that resemble rabbit poop, all day long. I'm curious as to whether this is just his digestion or whether its something to do with how I feed him.  We make our own food.  He eats avocado, yams, zuccini, pears, apples, apricots, prunes, beets, yogurt and peas.  He eats about a 1/4 cup a sitting give or take 1/8 of a cup!  He nurses an awful lot. Maybe 10-15 times a day.  We also give him water in a sippy cup.  He gets totally constipated on grains like brown rice, white rice and amaranth.  Oh this only gets more complicated...we are celiacs (no gluten). I'm going back to work in a week and I'm concerned that he is going to rely on solids more during the day only making his constipation and rabbit poop worse.  We co-sleep, and I'm open to as many night nurses as he wants, and I'm pumping to give him EBM instead of water while I'm gone.  Any suggestions?  Also how can I ensure that he is getting the iron he needs without supplemental cereals or formula? He is really healthy and has never not gained weight.  Thanks for your help!





First, I want to commend you for nursing as you are. It sounds like you are doing all of the right things and that Griffin is gaining weight well!

I am puzzled about the constipation that you refer to, however, especially if Griffin is eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.  Are you pureeing your foods?  If so, you don't need to be doing this for a baby of this age, and raw fruits may alleviate Griffin's constipation. Eating raw fruits and vegetables, in contrast to pureed fruits and vegetables, takes up more water during the digestive process and creates more bulk in the gut. This, in turn, stimulates the gut and lessens constipation.  So, when you can, give Griffin raw fruits and vegetables, rather than ones that are cooked or pureed.  For example, try small pieces of fresh apricots, prunes, or pears with the skin left on.  These are potent stimulants for the gut. These and many other fruits - such as cantaloupe and watermelon - are high in fiber and plentiful at this time of the year.  At the same time, do be cautious of fruits and vegetables that, when fresh, can be a choking hazard for babies.  For example, don't give Griffin raw carrots, or raw apples unless they are finely chopped.  You might also try beans, such as pinto beans or kidney beans, which children of this age can often eat.

To ensure that Griffin is getting the iron he needs, I suggest that you try giving him small amounts of red meat, which would supply the iron that you are concerned about.  Small pieces of chopped liver are a particularly good choice.  Red meat, especially liver, has a high concentration of iron in the most bio-available form for humans.  If your son is teething, cook the liver, cut it into strips and freeze it.  Then, let him chew (or gum if he doesn't have many teeth) the strips of frozen liver.  This will both increase his dietary iron intake and may help the discomfort of teething.

If Griffin's constipation doesn't resolve itself, you should talk to your pediatrician about the matter.

Is it necessary to add protein to breastmilk?

This is pertaining to my last baby, a preemie.  He had swollen eyelids at about 3-4 months and I was told that breast milk drops the levels of protein at that age, which is no problem for a full-term baby, but not good for a preemie.  They wanted me to supplement with formula 2-3 times per day, but I refused. Instead, I purchased some "human milk fortifier" that they had used in the hospital, and pumped once a day, adding the fortifier.  This seemed to fix the problem.  My question is:  Is it true that breastmilk changes significantly at 3-4 months, and was there a better way to add the protein to avoid this problem?





It is true that the concentration of protein does decrease in breastmilk over time, but this is a dilution factor because the volume of milk actually increases a bit during this time.  The other thing that is happening is that your baby is growing, so although the total amount of protein the baby is taking in may be about the same, the amount of protein per unit of body weight does decrease. And, with a very rapidly growing premie, it could well be that his protein needs were a little greater than your breastmilk supplied.

I think that you did exactly the right thing to remedy your baby's problem! I'm glad that the outcome was so successful.

Obviously, your current baby wouldn't need that supplementation.  She was a normal weight at birth (9 lbs 1 oz) and wouldn't be growing as rapidly (in terms of her change in weight per unit of body weight).

I'm a vegetarian, how much protein do I need?

I am a vegetarian and want to know how much protein I should eat for both my sake and my daughters and from what sources should the protein come.  Also, are there any special foods I should keep in my diet as a vegetarian?





It would help to know what kind of vegetarian you are.  Are you a lacto-vegetarian so that you are eating milk and cheese?  Do you eat fish?  Or are you a vegan?  If you are a vegan, you should really meet with a dietician that knows about vegetarian nutrition. You would be very wise to make sure you have a good variety of lentil, bean, rice products in your diet.  You should also use calcium enriched soy-products and juices.  I generally worry less about protein in the diet of a vegan, however, and more about some of the minerals - such as zinc and calcium.  One of the main problems with a vegan diet is getting enough calories, because the foods are so bulky. If you'd like to provide more information about the type of vegetarian you are, and about your weight and height and the weight/age of any other children that you have, I'd be happy to offer more specific suggestions for supplementing your diet.  With this information, I also could provide specifics about the recommended intake of proteins and other nutrients.



 

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