Ever since Khairaldin started solids, he only have about 2 long sessions of bf. I was so worried because I didn't know if he was having enough milk. I started his solids with cerelac then rice porridge with potatoes, carrots, chicken/fish and some other random veges which I blend it all together. His portion of food was filled with almost all the vitamins and nutrients needed at his age. So, I think that's may be why he didn't need that much milk. I see no point of expressing any milk since he doesn't drink from bottle.
Three months later (at 9 months old), he retaliates when I feed him his 'normal' food. He will shut his mouth real tight or just scream his lungs out! It's very very depressing to see him acting that way. He was once the baby who would open his mouth to anything put on his lips. But not anymore. Before the food gets near his mouth, he was already shutting it real tight and dodging it!
So, I started reading and asking around (Facebook status) on how to feed him. Almost everyone recommended to let him feed himself. It worked well. He liked how he can touch and feel his own food. I gave him roast potatoes, carrots and some chicken. Although it's working well on him I became even more worried because I don't know if he's eating enough or not. I can feel that he's losing weight but I'm not sure whether that's from crawling or learning how to walk or the lack of food consumed.
Since he started eating on his own, he's been having more bf than usual. Say about 5-6 a day. He's also having smaller portions of food but more frequent. Before, it was just 3 meals a day now it's 5 meals a day. I don't mind him having more bf because I know that I still have milk. I can feel my breast 'filling up' when he bfs. I'm really glad, Alhamdulillah, to still have enough milk for him.
What gets to me is, he bites!!! He now has 2 bottom teeth. Since my letdown is slower than before, he decides to bite is so it'll come out faster hehehe. Am I complaining, no, not at all!! I just let him off my breast for a while if he bites, then let him back on. I'm still determined to carry on this breastfeeding journey regardless of what others think. My baby can drink from me until he decides he doesn't want anymore. After all, now I know he wants milk because he'd come crawling to my breast (surprisingly just the right breast) and try to lift my shirt up. Too cute!
My advise is, if any of you is going through such a stage, let the baby decide on their own. At 6 months old onwards, babies know what they want. They can think and tell you whether they want food/water/milk. Listen to the baby. Don't ever force food into their mouth if they don't want to. Try some other things. Once they know how to cry, trust me, they'll start crying for no reason at all. If possible, don't let the baby cry out. Ever. Ever. :)
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Ah yes, babies do get leaner as they become mobile. Once they hit the 1yr mark, growth slows down considerably too. So don't take weight gain as an indication of whether he's eating well or not - look at his behavior: does he seem contented and energetic? And look at his appearance also - shiny hair, glowing skin, are good indicators of a child's well-being :) Toddler's also find it hard to sit down for an entire meal because they are just so darn busy, which results in more small meals and snacks rather than three big meals. Sometimes I feel like I should just put a the couch in the kitchen, because I go there so frequently in a day!
When Aqil was going through a picky eater stage (he wouldn't eat anything but white rice!!! It was MADENNING!), I read somewhere that "you shouldn't measure what a toddler eats daily. Instead, monitor what he eats on a weekly basis. If he gets the right amount of nutrients in a week, then he is doing fine". So we made sure he ate lots of fruit, and snuck in some veges, and eventually he became less of a fussy eater (although he still takes the longest when we're ordering food at a restaurant).
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