The introduction of solid foods into an infant's diet should not be taken lightly, my friends. Aside from considering what your doctor advises, or what is written in the countless books on the market, one seriously needs to be prepared for the bowel content change which will ensue within days of your baby's first taste of rice cereal! I kid you not.
This is especially true for those breast milk snobs, like myself, out there. This new stuff will make you gag. Literally. So, if you think that it's not for you, well you'd better put your child back in the envelope and return to sender! However, if you are able to come to terms with this large alteration in your life, then read on.
No mixing involved
My paediatrician, much to my delight, insisted that I give our son solely breast milk for the first six months of his life. Of course, I have been very fortunate that my milk has been flowing since the day he was born. It has made things very easy for me. No matter where we are, when the boy is hungry, I don't have to worry about making sure I have a clean bottle, a tin of formula, and cooled boiled water. There is no mixing involved, and no cleaning up after the fact. If I'm driving, and he's screaming in the back of the car for his nutrition, I simply pull over, climb into the back seat, and satiate him! Next time you see a green car parked up, with the engine still running and no one in the front seat, no need to speculate where the driver is!
But alas, this privilege will soon be no longer. There I was, a couple weeks ago, thinking about the six month mark when I'd start the little man on rice, when I realised that he was taking a full feed every hour or so. At first I didn't really notice, as it had been creeping up on me quite slowly. I have been pretty strict about keeping to a schedule, however, every now and then, during a growth spurt, it would get disrupted.
At the beginning of last month, the same thing was happening, so I didn't pay much attention. The night before my birthday, he drank close to 16 ounces of breast milk (you remember that honey husband of mine who takes the expressed milk out of the freezer and does night duty). The next day he continued with no shame. I was at a friend's house for lunch and he kept going. It would be like any of you eating one meal after the next, stopping only to use the bathroom or have a short doze! Imagine how fat you'd get!
Same predicament
I don't think my son was being greedy though. You know when you eat a massive bowl of soup, with no 'food' in it? You feel full right after you've finished, but an hour later you wish that you'd eaten those dumplings, or had a sandwich. I started to wonder if perhaps he was in the same predicament. My milk alone was simply not satisfying him. But he wouldn't be six months for another two weeks. What to do?
Leave it to a friend who has no children, nor any experience with bringing up a baby! She does have several university degrees, including an MBA and a master's in science, which clearly indicates that she has a head full of sense! My degree in philosophy made me an 'over thinker' when it comes to such difficult decisions! If no one sees the baby eating solids, has he really eaten solids?
Anyway, before I get too distracted here, let me finish the story. The long and short of it all is, I went home and gave our baby rice cereal. He was all over it or, rather, the rice was all over him!
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