PDA

View Full Version : Do you pump milk daily for baby's cereal?



cvharris
03-04-2004, 01:18 PM
I have been pumping every morning (or every other morning if I can get enough for two days) so I can mix Ben's baby cereal with breastmilk. Sometimes it can get tedious, but I don't want to give him formula. Does everyone do this? If not, what do you do? Also, do you give cereal once or twice a day?

TIA!

Carolee and Ben (6/14/03)

houseof3boys
03-04-2004, 02:11 PM
I was using the freezer stash for this but used it almost up when I got sick last month. I cannot figure out when to add a pumping session since he still nurses just as much as before (every 2.5 hours or more) but I would love to give him ebm. I have just been using water for cereal since he doesn't like to drink it anyway and I know he needs the flouride.

Ryan gets about 3 tbsp in the am and in the afternoon of cereal and 4 tbsp at dinner now. We just went to 3x a day for cereal last week and he seems like he could eat more! He is 50th percentile for weight and goes for his 9 months (I can't believe it already!!! :) on Friday.

missliss55
03-04-2004, 02:27 PM
We began cereal around 6 months and I used formula to mix up the cereal. Around 6 months old their iron stores run out and a book I read (Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter-great book...I recommend it) said it isn't a bad idea to mix the cereal with formula for the EBF baby to give them a little extra iron. We tried that and my dd had a reaction to the milk based formual. Our ped recommended not doing any dairy till she is at least a year old. I then used water and some EBM if I had it. My dd is 10 1/2 months old and we still have rice cereal as part of our breakfast and dinner. 3 tablespoons cereal to 3 tablespoons water. HTH.

Melissa and Emma (4/16/03)

gisele
03-04-2004, 02:53 PM
I used to mix it with bm, but sometimes DS doesn't want to eat, or won't eat all of it, and it's just breaks my heart to see the bm go to waste. I already pump 3x a day at work to get his milk for the next day, and there's not a lot of extra milk. So I just mix it with water. And instead of wasting the bm in uneaten rice cereal, he'll drink it all instead.

It also makes it a lot easier when you travel with baby, not having to worry about bringing a pump for rice cereal.

stillplayswithbarbies
03-04-2004, 03:30 PM
There is iron in breastmilk. there is no reason to give formula (or even cereal) just to get extra iron.

The best way to be sure that baby is getting enough iron is to exclusively breastfeed (no solids, no formula) for 7 months.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

RiaHannam
03-04-2004, 03:30 PM
Well I'd like to. That is the ONLY way Taggert (9 mo) will take cereal. He will not eat it if it is mixed with water, juice or formula. If it's mixed with my milk he's overjoyed and LOVES it. So if I have time I pump, if not, he just doesn't have cereal that day. I only give him oatmeal cereal once a day (more than that and he gets constipated)- and honestly he gets it probably more like once every 2-3 days... just depends if I pump or not.

stillplayswithbarbies
03-04-2004, 03:32 PM
I started out using pumped milk, but now I just mix the baby food fruit with the dry cereal until it is thick as I want it.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

missliss55
03-04-2004, 03:49 PM
There is definetly iron in breastmilk but you can also supplement with cereal mixed with formula too:

From Ellyn Satters book "Child of Mine":
"For the breastfed baby, using iron-fortified infant formula for mixing up cereal is a good addition at this time. It contains easily absorbed iron and will supplement your baby's iron nutrition."
(She is talking about when you first start solids around 6 months and she recommends starting with rice cereal)

Later she also says, "The 6-month-old breastfeed baby is near the end of his ron stores, so he must get a good source of iron in his diet."

Just wanted to clarify. HTH.

Melissa and Emma (4/16/03)

mharling
03-04-2004, 04:02 PM
I used to, but honestly, it got to be a 'chore' that I didn't enjoy. He doesn't have cereal as much anymore, but when he does, I mix it with formula made with tap water. Like the above poster said, I figure this is an easy way to get some fluoride in him.

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

stillplayswithbarbies
03-04-2004, 05:21 PM
Ellyn Satter is not exactly breastfeeding friendly. :) Following her suggestions to the letter will have you weaning to formula.

edited to add link to article about iron in breastmilk:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

sntm
03-04-2004, 05:42 PM
I agree with Karen. Satters' book is excellent, but she is inaccurate regarding breastfeeding. The iron in breastmilk is more easily absorbed than from other sources and is appropriate to the needs of the baby. Read Palmer's Baby Matters for more details. Excessive iron is as bad if not worse than not enough iron. It's one of the (many) theories behind why women are less likely to die of heart attacks than men prior to menopause, but then catch up (loss of iron through the menstrual cycle.)

Anemia from low-iron cannot be defined purely as a lab test, which is where a lot of the arguments for iron supplementation come from. I can tell you that in otherwise healthy adult patients who are anemic after surgery, you don't transfuse them until they reach levels that are nearly half of the "norm" unless they have clearly defined symptoms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

missliss55
03-04-2004, 05:53 PM
I feel that Ellyn Satter is pro BF. I have several friends that are RD's and have heard her speak. She also has terrific ideas about food introduction. My 10 1/2 month DD is EBF and I don't get the feeling at all that Ellyn Satter promotoes weaning to a formula bottle. My DD never even took a bottle. BM is perfect and I plan to BF as long as possible (my DD has showed absolutely no sign of weaning). My DD eats a variety of foods and has not eaten baby food (pureed food) for a while.

I also wanted to add, that some may do things differently than others and that is OK. :)

Melissa and Emma (4/16/03)

toomanystrollers
03-04-2004, 07:50 PM
When Neve first started cereal, I just use warm tap water. Now I just mix the cereal in with her pureed fruits and veggies to thicken them up - at least 2x if not 3x a day.

ethansmom
03-04-2004, 10:20 PM
I added a pumping session at night right before bed and use that milk for his cereal. I then just pop the bottles and pump in the dishwasher and turn it on.

We started with one meal (cereal) at 6 months and added a second around 8 months. He now has three, but only one or two are cereal.

I use EBM for the cereal because I want him to have as much BM as possible. I also make his food and use EBM to puree it.

ohiomom
03-04-2004, 11:18 PM
I use bm. I'm pumping anywhere from 5-10 oz a day at work and DD will only take about 5 oz during the day by bottle now plus lunch. Guess she is reverse cycling and getting it all at her many evening and nighttime feeds. I'm glad to be able to get an extra oz. or 2 in her by mixing with the cereal. I tried mixing cereal with Good Start about a week after introducing cereal and she refused to eat the cereal... so I'm glad I have the extra pumped milk available.

Have to voice my opinion and concur with Melissa that Satter is pro bfing. Her book was considered a gold standard 12 yrs ago when I was in grad school (MS in Nutrition) and I'm thrilled she has an updated version available (2000) now that I have a chance to use her recommendations IRL.

Nicole's Mom
7/30/03

stillplayswithbarbies
03-05-2004, 03:37 PM
Ellyn Satter starts out mentioning breastmilk, but the further you read in the book, the more she talks about formula and the less she talks about breastmilk. The idea I got from it is that babies should be on formula as they get older.

Some of her ideas are not up to date as far as breastfeeding goes. She talks about mixing formula with the cereal and putting formula in the sippy cup. She seems to assume that people will wean to formula by about 6 or 7 months.

These are some of the reasons I find that the book is not breastfeeding friendly. I absolutely love her concept of the adult being responsible for making the food available and the child being responsible for eating it, and she has a lot of great information. I just don't think it is geared well towards women who want to breastfeed, especially women who want to follow the World Health Organization's suggestion to breastfeed until age 2, or even the AAP suggestion of breastfeeding at least to age 12 months.

Perhaps she will come out with a new edition that is more up to date. I wonder if she breastfed her kids and if so for how long?

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

christic
03-06-2004, 03:12 AM
I used formula to mix cereal. My first choice would have been ebm, but I shared the previous poster's grief in having to throw any out if my daughter didn't want all of the cereal. It didn't seem like a good idea to add all that stress to her first eating experiences. I considered just using water or fruit or juice, but formula seemed to me a more nutritious option because I wanted to keep her fat and protein intake as high as possible.

Also wanted to add that I personally found Satter's book to be extremely helpful in understanding how to keep bf going strong during the introduction of solids--the distinction she makes between cuddling/holding nipple feeding and spoon feeding/cup drinking expecially. About the time we started solids I started getting discouraged with pumping on the days I work, and feeling like I had to also pump for my daugter's cereal or the time when she practiced cup drinking would have overwhelmed me. After reading Satter I became re-committed to bf and determined that anything my daughter took from a nipple (my own or a bottle!) would be breastmilk. I used formula as part of her solids diet, both for mixing up her food and for cup practice, and I really fail to see how that encourages weaning faster than eating cereal mixed with water or drinking juice from a cup already do.

Bottom line is that Satter's advice helped me breastfeed beyond a year, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is trying to combine bf and learning to eat solid food--which I had SO many questions about.

Sorry for the sidetrack, and good luck Carolee!

Chris