Dear all,
Thanks so much for all the input that I've gotten since I wrote in. I must
say that I've learnt alot from the discussions and couldn't help but feel
guilty of all the confusion and chaos this topic has caused. Everyone is
entitled to his/her own opinion and I feel that we should learn from each
other instead of tying to see who is right or wrong.
Pam MazzellaDiBosco wrote:
"...the whole body signals--ability to sit alone (unsupported),
losing tongue thrust, unable to satisfy at breast even after increased
feedings ( to allow for growth spurt), etc. This usually puts the baby
closer to the six month mark than four...because the digestive
system is not ready to use the nutrients from solids even if the body is
able to tolerate them."
I just want to say that I couldn't agree with you more...that was exactly
what I told my pediatrician friend but I was given a reply that if all the
babies that he sees was to start solids at 6 mos of age, then his clinic
would have been full of malnourished and skinny kids...was that a joke or
what?!! Anyway, after showing him the article from the AAP Journal
guidelines of December 1997...he was speechless.
I guess there should be some balance in everything. When Kathy stated that 6
mos should not be the absolute rule for ALL babies, I was also agreeable to
that fact becuase we have to look at every infant individually as a whole
but I believe that 6 mos. should be the guideline for all the "normal"
infants.
I have mothers that come to me and say that they are going to start solids
at 31/2mos. just because their pediatrician tells them to start at 4 mos. so
to them, "it's just another 2 weeks before the 4 mos, so why not start 2
weeks earlier?" See the danger there?
Pam MazzellaDiBosco wrote:
Question: Re: The post about not offering other liquids besides breastmilk--
even with the introduction of solids--at what age is it appropriate to
offer water and juice. It was my understanding, that with 6 mos. being the
guide for solids, water was appropriate with meals as well as breastmilk.
Is it better to delay water as well as juice?
Well, I remember learning from my lactation course that breastmilk is
already 75% water in itself, so there is no need to give extra water as this
will load the immature kidneys which are not able to filter out the extra
water? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Infants on formula feeding need the
extra water because of the low water content in formula. I think that the
best time to start introducing water is when the infant starts on his
solids.
Kathy Dettwyler wrote:
The original post that got this started was the newcomer (whom we probably
scared off) who posted that she couldn't convince her pediatrician that all
babies were fine on exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age or longer.
Well, don't worry Kathy, I'm not going to be scared off that easily!!! I
actually learnt alot from the discissions, so once again, thank you all.
Yvonne Lyn BSN,RN
Penang, Malaysia
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