Mesothelioma - Is rice necessary for a breastfeed baby she is 3 months and just seems SO HUNGRY after. Dr said to wait until?

Is rice necessary for a breastfeed baby she is 3 months and just seems SO HUNGRY after. Dr said to wait until?

4 months I was told by family members that 3 months is okay as long as it is runny and a few people in my family said to wait until 6 months and skip rice all together and just do veggies at 6 months So frustarated with what they are telling me!

Public Comments

Go with the Dr.'s advice. Your baby girl is getting everything she needs from breast milk, even if it seems like she is always hungry. Start her off at 4 months.
Listen to her doctor. Starting solids too early can cause childhood obesity, diabetes, etc. If she is still hungry you can supplement with formula.
Babies can't really digest solids until atleast 4-6 months and babies don't need anything but formula or breastmilk for the first 12 months of life. It is best to wait until atleast 4 months (preferably 6 months) before introducing solids. You start with rice cereal because it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction then you can move on to the other cereals and into veggies then fruits then meals. They say that introducing solids to early can increase a childs risk of obesity and many other health problems.
If your baby is gaining weight well. Then you should not have to introduce food yet. They might have a need to suck use a pacifier for this if that does not work. Try introducing the rice cereal on a spoon. If the baby can eat this and not gag then his swallow reflex is just fine and is ready for him to eat this way and I would say go for it.
It is much better to just exclusively breastfeed until at least 4 months. When you do introduce solids, make it soupy rice cereal. Rice should always be the first solid introduced because it has the lowest incidence of allergic reactions.
I completely understand your frustration. How long are you nursing for? because you should let her nurse until she stops eating. If she is still acting hungry you could try the rice cereal. Rice cereal is an awesome source of Iron which your baby needs to grow. You could try a tablespoon a day mixed with breastmilk to see if she'll take it. by 6 months she should be up to 4 tablespoons a day to get all of the iron she needs. Good luck!
It's best to wait until AT LEAST 6 months to introduce anything other than breastmilk. 3 months and she seems hungry all the time? 3 months is growth spurt time! Nurse her til her heart's content. #1 She'll be getting nutrients to help her maximize her growth spurt. #2 all that suckling will help boost your supply so she can take in more when her belly is bigger. Nurse, nurse, nurse. Rice cereal is totally unnecessary. Go ahead straight for fruits and veggies (I'd recommend starting with avocados. Good fats, nice and mushy, not too strong of a flavor) when she hits 6 months+. Here's a site with lots of good info on why it's best to wait to introduce solids: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html Kellymom.com is a GREAT resource for BF'ing moms :) ETA: re:iron in rice cereal. There is plenty of iron in your breastmilk- baby does not need the fortified iron in rice cereal. It would probaly end up constipating her. Don't let the side of the Gerber Rice Cereal box trick you into thinking you need to give your child iron fortified over processed cereal. .......if we DID need to give our babies iron via rice cereal- what did mothers do for the thousands of years before Gerber came along with their "baby cereal"? Guess everyone was anemic............
The current recommendation, backed by sound scientific research, shows that it is best to wait until 6 months before introducing solids. If your child seems hungry, you need to feed her more breast milk, not other fillers that lack the nutrients she needs. As for rice cereal, you do not need to start with that. Solid introduction is about experimentation with taste and texture, both of which rice cereal greatly lacks. Also, Rice cereal is heavily processed. It is stripped of its nutrients, and then fortified with synthetic nutrients, which messes with the way the body naturally absorbs them from food.
Isn't great how everyone has an opinion on how you should care for YOUR baby? I think you should listen to your doctor and yourself. There are studies that show that babies who eat solid foods later have less allergies. In my opinion, babies develop at different rates and they are ready for solids at varied times. (I think it's pretty obvious they develop at their own pace) At any rate, I had three sons and each of them ate solids at different ages. One was two and half months old when he nursed so constantly that I started him on rice. He's now 16 years old and has no ill effects that I can see. Another son, now 18, started solids more by the book. My "baby", now 14, refused ALL solids until he was 7 or 8 months old. I do feel that in my experience it is better to start with rice, its the easiest to digest and least likely to cause stomach upset. Listen to yourself- no one knows your baby better than you. Good luck!
My mom always told me that the health rules change b/c when I was a baby she was told to start putting a tsp of cereal in with the milk by six weeks old. I worked for a child care for 5 yrs in the infant room and breast milk is very thin compared to formula so it tends to run thru the baby much quicker and if the baby is taking straight from breast you have no way of knowing if she has gotten enough to eat. I would suggest giving some cereal at least in the milk, we did suggest this to some parents and it helped make sure it is rice though because oatmeal can make the baby constipated bc it is a thicker cereal.
your doctor is right. Maybe she is teething, does she have a dummy? she may just want something to suck on.
well this is a hard question because everyone has their views on what is best for THEIR baby. I would suggest to wait. If she is very hungry and breastfed then this is probably a growth spurt. It depends on how often she is wanting to nurse. Some babies decide they want to use thier mothers breast as a pacifier, this can be hard for mom and baby. Some babies also get used to nursing and want to nurse all the time, which they are only snacking. This is not good for them because milk comes in two stages. The first stage is a light milk, the second stage (the let down) is very thick and contains the nutrients the baby needs. I started my baby on rice cereal at 4 months old, NO EARLIER. If it is introduced too early then it can cause constipation. If a baby gets constipated consistantly then it is very difficult to get them regulated again. The Pediatricians will suggest to give them corn syrup, which is not good for the babies blood sugar. Other foods like fruits and vegetables need to be introduced to your babies digest no earlier than 6 months. Reason for this: If you give your baby foods (except rice cereal) earlier than 6 months of age, then they can form food allergies. Good luck with your baby!
She is way to young to even think about solids. All my family was saying that to (older people did it but its best not to with new science we have now they see its worse). I took all the bad things everyone was telling me and I still forbid to give in and I am glad bc my son loves all foods and has no problems what so ever (he is 8 months and VERY healthy).
You should wait until 4 months to give rice cereal. If you start early there is a higher chance of developing food allergies. Start baby food at 6 months. It really depends on how often you are feeding her and for how long, and of course with nursing you can't tell how much she is getting. She also could be going trhough a growth spurt, in which case they tend to be more hungry. Try putting feedings closer together, and see if that helps.
3 months is WAY to young . . . 4 month is ok and 6 is even better. Nurse for longer sessions . . . my daughter went thru a growth spurt at that time and I often feed her every 1.5 hours. The longer you breastfeed the better and exclusively is EVEN better. I personally plan to wait until 6 months, not do rice cereal and go w/ making my own food in a processor.
I have read and been told very negative things (from Drs. and professionals) about starting babies on solids, no matter how "runny", prior to 6 months old. It can cause food allergies and other more serious problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also recommends not to start cereal and solids until AT LEAST 6 months old. A lactation consultant would probably tell you that your baby is just trying to grow. They usually have a growth spurt at 3 months, and they want to nurse more often to increase your milk supply. The more they nurse, the more milk your breasts will make. She just needs a little more right now, and is trying to stimulate your breasts to increase their supply to support her growing appetite and body. I remember my son went through this same thing, and that is what my lactation consultant told me.
no I would just wait til 6 months rolls around. I'm not a mother but my best friend is. and her son just turned 6 months and is just now feeding him veggies and juice.
What is she doing that makes you think she is "SO HUNGRY after"? She might not be hungry, she might just enjoy pacifying herself at your breast and be unhappy not to be sucking any more. Try giving her a pacifier when you unlatch her. This is what I do with my 6 month old daughter. I can tell the difference when she's drinking and pacifying. When drinking, I can hear the swallow and see her jaw move up by her ears. When pacifying, she seldom swallows and the way she moves her mouth is faster than drinking. Hope that helps. If her weight gain is fine and your pediatrician is satisfied with her growth, I wouldn't rush to give her rice. I started rice at 5 1/2 months, I'd go with your pediatrician's advice. Also, you could ask a lactation consultant to observe a feeding to see if she's just pacifying. Call your hospital where you gave birth, they usually have free lactation services, or a pediatrician can recommend one and it will be covered by your baby's insurance.
Rice isn't necessary for any baby. But if you want to give it to your baby go on your doctors advice. If she seems hungry, just keep feeding her and try pumping to build up your supply.
Just wait. Solids are for 6 months. When she is 6 months skip rice and introduce fresh veg and fruit puree! It's for experience, not nutrition, so no reason to shove that slop into her ;) At 3 months, babies go through a growth spurt. There will be several times this will happen and baby will want to nurse more frequently-- let her. She isn't starving, I promise. Your doctor is right (and feel lucky that you have a doctor that knows what he is doin!). Family members are going to encourage practices that we now know are detrimental to health that they didn't know when we were growing up. Check out kellymom.com and also it might be best to find a local LLL (La Leche League) to meet with other mommas who are having the same frustrations as you! It's a great support system and they will have good advice for you!