>Any suggestions or advice for this mother?  Does this seem like a lot of
>solids for a four month old?

Gosh, I'd say *any* solids were a lot of solids for a 4 month old!  And I'd
say 4 nursings a day were maybe 1/3 to 1/6 as many as I'd expect, assuming
mother and baby nurse not For Food but for fun, conversation, intimacy,
entertainment, soothing, and to keep the baby quiet while mom's on the
phone.

I'd suggest that she not cut any solids right away, but that she nurse for
all the above reasons, considering it a nursing even if it's only 30 seconds
long.  This couple strikes me as being in imminent danger of weaning - a
loss not only of nutrients and antibodies but of the normal mother-baby
relationship that should be developing.  And as the mom's milk supply
increases, she can start decreasing the amount of solids until she's
offering only those foods that the baby can pick up and eat for herself - no
spoons.

I'd urge mom to take baby into bed with her, to increase the likelihood of
night nursings, to wear her, and to take baths with her.  She can consider
her baby "safe", in that she's growing well, and just enjoy this process of
shifting the calorie load - and the pleasure source - from Gerber back to
Mom.

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY  USA
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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