Carol Ann said:Quoted message said:Carol Ann, when Morgan starts in on solid foods she'll soon let you
know what she likes and dislikes. You may find her 'eyeing off' your
dinner (I often did) and giving her a sample of something in an
appropriate texture may well open her horizons some more. You're
doing a great job of raising your beautiful little girl.
Aramanth
Thanks, Aramanth. I'm doing the best that I can. I am fortunate to be able
to keep her with me even when I go to work (though that may change soon).
Your best is obviously very good, judging by how wonderful she looks
in the photos.
Quoted message said:I do notice that Morgan watches me eat. I often wonder if she is ready.
Today I gave her a sippy cup with a bit of water in it to see if she would
know what to do and she did! I was shocked.
That's often one of the first signs. The baby might not actually WANT
the food yet, but she's watching to see what you do with it.
It's amazing how early on a baby can manage a cup. When I was working
with the Lac consultants trying to increase my supply, they suggested
I cup-feed Athena supplemental feeds to avoid nipple confusion. It
was just incredible to watch this TINY dot (she was only 4 lb when I
brought her home from hospital at 4 weeks old) manage to sip milk from
the cup (initially a sterilised medicine cup!) that I held for her.
Quoted message said:She skipped over bottles completely. She won't take a pacifier, either. I
never knew babies could actually be raised without a bottle.
Mine DID have bottles, mainly because it took too long to get a full
cup-feed into them and I simply had to accept after months of trying
everything I could think of, and everything that the doctors and lac
consultants could think of I just wasn't making enough milk. I had
the same problem with Ishtar and she was full term (on her due date,
even).
Neither of mine would use a pacifier. They'd spit it out and look at
me in horror! When Athena was about a week old and they were trying
her on the few dribbles of expressed colostrum I could get they would
run a narrow naso-gastric tube through her nose into her stomach, put
a few drops of warm milk on a tiny pacifier and pop that in her mouth
while they fed her via the tube. The idea was that it would get her
used to suckling and the taste of milk and associating this with a
full tummy. It didn't work (she HATED that pacifier) but she would
happily suckle my (empty) breast until it ached.
Quoted message said:I want to raise her to eat whole real foods and to live an active lifestyle.
I do not want her to have to deal with weight problems.
I've found that if *I* eat whole, real foods and my girls see me
eating them, they tend to do the same. Junk food like chips, candy
and the like are not forbidden but they just prefer not to make those
choices. Since they don't see me or their Daddy chowing down on lots
of junk while watching TV they don't see the point of it either.
They have not had to deal with weight problems - but I've noticed that
they are frequently more gentle with classmates who DO have weight
problems than some other kids. Maybe growing up with a Mum who
struggles daily has given them some compassion. Or maybe growing up
with a Mum who might be heavier than most but is also THE most active
helper in either of their classes is the key. They have learned that
to be fat but a nice person is better than being thin but unpleasant
to know.
Quoted message said:You never stop thinking when you are a mom. It's a fantastic experience for
me.
~Carol Ann
It just gets better, Carol Ann. Wait until Morgan starts telling you
about the world as she sees it. Wait until she wants to dance with
you. Wait until that magical day when she winds her arms around your
neck and says "Love you, Mommie" for the first time! I literally
sobbed with joy the first time I heard that one from the soft, warm
armful I was carrying.
My girls have taught me SO much about the world as they grow. I would
not have missed this experience of Motherhood for anything even if
some days they do drive me to distraction.
Aramanth
