Feeding frenzy

While I was pregnant one of the last things I worried about was feeding my baby.  Surely keeping her healthy/comfortable/clean/breathing/alive would be more difficult, right?  Wrong.  While feeding hasn’t been the most difficult thing we’ve encountered (sleeping has been FAR more troublesome, but that’s a different post entirely), it’s been something that has proved to be challenging.

First off, nursing did not go as planned.  I read everything I could about it, met with the lactation consultant, and tried, tried, and tried again.  But alas, my little baby was not interested in learning to latch properly and I endured weeks of toe-curling pain.  Add to that the fact that I discovered my body hardly produced any milk at all and it was a recipe for disaster.  So after two months the nursing/pumping ended entirely and we turned to formula which made for smooth sailing for a while.

Then came the time to introduce solid foods, and I realized I was completely clueless.  What solid foods are best to try first?  How much should she eat?  How many bottles should she still drink?  Do I need to worry about creating a “balanced meal” each time with something from fruits, veggies, protein, dairy, and grains?  Or is a jar of strained peas ok for a small meal?  And now that she eats mainly solid food, how much should she be eating a day?  She is a small thing, on the low end of the weight chart, so I worry about the fact that she really can’t afford to miss out on any calories lest she waste away before my eyes.  In short, I had no idea what I was doing.

Luckily, I read some articles on good finger foods for baby and that seemed to help for a while.  There are plenty of foods she seems to enjoy: avocado, tomatoes, buttered toast, Goldfish crackers, watermelon, green beans, corn, cheese, sweet potatoes, etc.

One thing I’ve noticed she’s not fond of though is meat.  I’ve determined that it could be because she’s a) aiming for a healthy lifestyle by limiting her red meat intake b) a future member of PETA c) purposefully aggravating her father who thought in his bachelor days that every meal should consist of steak in some form, or d) just doesn’t like it.  It’s hard to say.  Most meat we try to give her ends up on the floor, much to the delight of the waiting dog.  Being the worrier that I am, this concerns me that she isn’t getting enough protein.  How do I get this kid to eat meat?  I suppose I could feed her tofu, but…ehhh….

At this point Claire has graduated past having a few noodles or pieces of avocado to eat and would like an actual meal that will fill her up for some period of time.  See, there are so many things to do an explore that she really doesn’t have time to stop and eat, so we need to make the most of the few moments I can confine her to a high chair.  I don’t think she can subsist on a diet of Goldfish crackers for much longer, and I’d like to have something to give her that she won’t choke on and she can feed herself as she seems to enjoy that more.  An added plus would be if it didn’t make a massive mess each time either.  Mama doesn’t have time to draw a bath three times a day, ya know?

So, this will be the topic of study over the next little while.  As evidenced, I don’t quite know how to approach this problem, so I’m hoping to find some people that do.  Expect to see a  “review” of sorts soon on a book about feeding your baby.  We’ll see what sort of chaos may ensue.  Fun!

Tags: clueless, feeding

Hi, Internet!

So.  I have a blog now.  What fun!  We’ll see what comes of this whole thing.  I figured hey, everyone else is doing it, why don’t I own a piece of the Internet?  Because if everyone else is doing it, surely I must as well, right?  Right.  So here I am.  Can’t wait to start documenting the merry-go-round that is life as a clueless mother.

Tags: clueless, new in town