New baby questions:)?

Question

I'm due in May and I have SO many questions. This is number two, but baby number one is four now and well, I've forgotten alot about the infant months! When can you introduce juice to a baby (about how many months)? What about solid foods (Bottled baby food and rice)? I remember my son had some trouble with getting full with my breast milk and I started to mix a little rice with breast milk in a bottle- But I don't remember at what point I did this. Also, when do babies typically start to sleep pretty well at night (at least a good 5 hours straight) I'll be returning to work after two months and I wonder if I'll be able to function at my job! lol Also, I'm planning on breast feeding- Did anyone pump while at work and store the bottles in the fridge nurse while at home with baby but use the stored bottles for while baby was at daycare? I'm curious as to how this will work. Once I started back to work after my first, I couldn't pump and my milk stopped.

Answer 1

First off, congrats on number 2 :-)

You can introduce juice around 4 1/2 months. Make sure to dilute it with water and give them only 2-3 ounces a day.

Solid foods are usually introduced around 5 1/2 - 6 months. You can add rice to their bottle around 4 1/2 months, sometimes even earlier because in some circumstances the doctor will recommend it.

They start sleeping pretty well through the night at around 10 weeks, maybe even as early as 8 or 9 weeks.

As for breastfeeeding while you work, you can always freeze the breastmilk and have whoever is caring for the baby thaw a bottle and feed it to them. Just make sure you keep pumping so your supply doesn't go down.

Answer 2

When can you introduce juice to a baby (about how many months)? 4 months diluted with water...less then 2 oz a day.

What about solid foods (Bottled baby food and rice)? Also 4 months. RICE cereal only. Not in the bottle Feed it with a spoon. You can use juice to make the rice cereal, water, formula, or breastmilk. Introduce vegitables first and once baby likes those then you can offer fruits...but not fruit first or else baby will not take veg because they arent as sweet. When giving baby food the first 2 months baaby should only get less then one SMALL Step 1 gerber Glass jar a day.

I strictly breastfed the first 4 months. it seemed like i was feeding him ALL day long but i suck with it he grew quick from 5lb 2 oz to 17lb 6oz @ 4 months and now a big 18 lb 11oz. Now he's 5 months I offer him cereal less then 1/4 cup in the afternoon and the same at night. Along with introducing vegitables and fruits.

In the first months Pumping Milk for storage is KEY!!!!! PUMP EVERY CHANCE YOU GET! The more you pump the more SUPPLY you can make! After everytime baby eats PUMP and FREEZE THE MILK!!! I havent pumped in 2 months so I have no reserve milk for emergancies but in the first months I could pump up to 8oz sometimes...but its not unusual to only pump 1 -2 oz once in a while. I might pump tonight to see how much I get.
When family was over I would let them feed baby the reserve milk. Im stay at home but I sometimes would have oz's and oz's of milk in Freeze.

My 5 month old Slept his first 5 hour night the night before LAST! it was GREAT!!! He went to sleep at 9:30 woke up at 2:30 but daddy put him back to sleep for an hour so really he slept 6 hours!!!! Getting into the routine is what I'm still working on! lol

In the first 2 months baby shouldnt sleep more then 4 hours without eating because their blood sugar level will DROP and it can be dangerous! ESSPEICALLY FOR A NEW BORN!

Answer 3

My daughter is 7 months, and I still haven't given her juice because I feel it is too sweet - empty calories. Maybe once she is more than half weaned to solids. I'm told it's okay from about 5-6 months, though. I'd give prune or apple juice. Solids start about 4 months, is the recommendation nowadays - latest thing is not to add cereal to the bottle but to just feed it when baby is ready for solids. Some say cereal is not an ideal starter food because carbohydrate digestion is marginal at first and because rice is binding. I started with pureed veggies and fruits (squash, sweet potatoes, greenbeans, apples, pears), and used oatmeal as the first cereal. I haven't weaned her yet though - it's just SO much easier to keep giving breastmilk, because you don't have to worry about nutrition, or about her getting enough calories. Besides, she still nurses to sleep (agh).

Our daughter had a pretty regular sleep schedule by 10-12 weeks (what I'd call sleep through the night), but got 4-5 straight hours a night by 8 weeks. It varies though, and depends a lot on the kid, I think. Definitely do not get in the habit of nursing to sleep for naps like I have - since you are going back to work; try to establish the same routine that will continue after you return to work! Much less difficult for baby that way.

Try to get an extra month leave of absence if you can afford it! You'd be fine, but I think the extra month is worth it if you can get it. I never pumped much so can't say much on that, but I know people do it very successfully. I'd suggest "practice pumping" at least once a day after your milk is in, so it will be much easier to pump enough at work. Pumping was hard for me at first, especially when the baby wasn't there for me to look at.