On Feeding

So when I started out as a new mommy, I joined a breastfeeding support group locally. It was a neat group. The lactation consultant weighed each babe before and after each mom fed her respective child to see how much milk baby was taking in. This helped assure moms that their babes were in fact getting the nutrition required to grow and thrive. This is important for the breastfeeding mama because unlike bottles, you can't see how much milk is/isn't in the breast. (Now that would be a cool design!) I was never terribly worried about whether or not Little Bug was getting enough milk mostly because she's gained weight steadily and some may even call her a "chunker." (Don't look at me.)

My concern is in feeding her table food. I have absolutely no idea how much of what and when to feed her. This is when an instruction manual would come in really handy. After all, the side of my dog food bags have feeding instructions. Even my houseplants come with watering instructions.

And then there are all the different POVs. The internet sites say one thing. The crazy baby care book that Publix sent to me for joining their club told me to feed her 4ozs of food 3x a day or something crazy like that. That's more food than I eat. I use that book for kindling mostly. Her pediatrician assured me that she only needs breastmilk until she's one year old. But she loves to eat. She gets so happy when she sees the little ramekin and the baby spoon. So I feed her. I even try to feed her everyday. In fact, tomorrow I'm going to venture out in this veritable blizzard so I can buy a high chair from Craigslist so I don't have to feed her on the kitchen floor.

What do I feed the Bug? Well today she had red peppers and apples. A few days ago I introduced peas with basil. This kid eats well. How do I determine her menu? It's a combination of opening the fridge and seeing what's in there that I can cook and mash in the blender and being at Whole Foods and seeing what new and interesting foods are available to feed her. (I steer clear of major gas producers for now.) I make all of her food from fresh organic produce. She does not get any cereal because it's just filler really. She doesn't need the nutrition from it. I'm teaching her the words and to associate them with the item and the sign for the item. It's also proving a good way to teach about color and shape. Today she felt and smelled a pepper and an apple before eating them for her mushy dinner.

It's a learning experience for both of us and I hope I can help her learn to have a healthy relationship with food and enjoy all that God has given us that grows in the ground, on trees, on vines.