Teen Pregnancy Forum - I Have a Question For Those Who Are Already Mothers?

I too use similac....

I have heard about this. You have to know that you baby will not starve herself. She will get hungry enough that she will take the bottle. I would suggest using the bottles that resemble the breast.

I just searched and came up with this, this should help:

q: I am going to be 18 years old and my son is 10 months old. I breastfeed and I tried to get him to eat from both the bottle and my breast but he preferred my breast, and now he is so picky that’s all he wants. I want to stop breastfeeding so I can go back to school, and I wanted to know how to do that without him starving. I’ve also been trying to give him fresh milk and he likes it, but he also only wants it when he wants it. I try to give him solids but all he does is cry so I tried to feed him table food but he fights with me. What do I do?

-- submitted by maria

a: (karen sokal-gutierrez, m.D., m.P.H.) maria, feeding your baby can be one of the more frustrating aspects of being a mother! But you should feel very proud of yourself for breastfeeding your baby and giving him all the benefits for his bonding with you, nutrition, and protection against diseases. Studies have shown that breastfed babies are less likely to develop illnesses such as colds, ear infections and diarrhea; they’re less likely to develop allergies; they’re less likely to become overweight; and they’re more likely to have a higher iq. Breastfeeding also has benefits for you—it helps you lose the weight you gained during pregnancy, and it helps protect you from getting breast cancer.

The american academy of pediatrics recommends breastfeeding until your baby is at least one year old. But it’s up to you to decide how long you want to breastfeed. It’s great that you’re planning to go back to school to continue your education—that will also benefit you and your baby. If you want, you can continue to breastfeed when you’re going to school. It’s a nice way to maintain the special closeness with your baby, even during this change in your schedule. You can continue to breastfeed your baby during the morning before school, after school during the afternoon and evening, and on the weekend. You can also decide whether or not you want to pump your breastmilk during the day for your child care provider to give to your baby. La leche league can give you good advice on how you can work breastfeeding into your daily schedule (call 1-800-la-leche).

Many breastfed babies—just like your baby—prefer breastfeeding to bottlefeeding because they love the special closeness and warmth, the feel of their mother’s nipple and breast, the taste of breastmilk, and their mother’s scent. A breastfed baby is more likely to accept a bottle if you start trying out bottle feedings within the first two months of life, when he’s most adaptable. Now that your baby is 10 months old, you have a couple different options for giving your baby milk while you’re away at school:

1. You could stick to your original plan to try to give your baby a bottle. Often, breastfed babies will accept a bottle from another person, just not their mother (since he knows he gets the breast from you). Try having another family member or your child care provider give your baby the bottle. With another caregiver, it may just take a few days of persisting with the bottle for your baby to accept it. Sometimes it helps to try out different nipples until you find the one your baby likes best. You might also try to pump your breastmilk and start by giving him breastmilk in the bottle until he’s comfortable taking the bottle; then mixing half breastmilk with half formula for a few days; and finally switching to formula. Remember, give your baby formula, (not cow’s milk) until he turns 12 months of age since cow’s milk does not have the right nutrients for young babies. And give him whole milk (not low-fat or non-fat milk) from 12 months until 2 years of age because he needs the milk fat for proper growth and development.

2. You could decide to skip the bottle and just start giving your baby breastmilk or formula in a sippy cup. At 10 months of age, most babies are ready to start learning to drink from a sippy cup. If your baby learns to drink from a sippy cup now, you can avoid the struggle to teach him to take the bottle and then the struggle to get him off the bottle later. It can take a few weeks for him to learn, so be patient and keep trying.

At 10 months of age, your baby should also be interested in eating a variety of solid foods. If he doesn’t enjoy solid foods, it may be because he’s filling up on milk and doesn’t have any appetite left for solid foods. For your baby’s 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, try offering him solid food first, when he’s hungriest, and then milk afterwards. He can eat lumpy pureed food such as well-cooked mashed potatoes, vegetables and rice, or commercial baby food stage 2 and 3 or junior foods. He can also eat soft table foods such as well-cooked noodles, cooked vegetables, soft fruit, scrambled egg yolks, and well-cooked meat cut into small pieces. At this age, he’ll enjoy feeding himself with his hands and starting to use a baby spoon or fork. You can teach him how to dip the spoon in his food and bring it to his mouth. You can start by giving him a spoon to hold while you feed him with another spoon. Be patient with his making a mess at first. After several months of practice, he’ll be feeding himself.

Try to relax with your baby during meals—that will help him relax and enjoy eating. Don’t worry if your baby is slow to accept new foods. Keep offering him different nutritious foods, but don’t force him to eat. Although babies might not eat very much one day, they usually make up for it the next day. If you are concerned about whether he is eating enough and growing properly, be sure to talk with the pediatrician about it at the next visit.

(for more information, see the article on this web site (link below), “advancing baby foods: fruits, vegetables, and meats.”)