Breastfeeding exclusively?

Question

My friend's cousin has a little baby girl who just turned 1 year. She exclusively breast feeds her daughter (no table food at all) because she doesn't want a fat baby. Her doctor has advised her that the child is underweight. Now does anyone else besides me think this is absolute child abuse???

"My friend's cousin has a little baby girl who just turned 1 year. She exclusively breast feeds her daughter (no table food at all) because she doesn't want a fat baby. Her doctor has advised her that the child is underweight. Now does anyone else besides me think this is absolute child abuse??? " OBVIOUSLY SOME OF YOU DON'T TOTALLY READ THE QUESTION. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH EXCLUSIVELY BREAST FEEDING...HOWEVER, I DO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A MOTHER NOT GIVING HER CHILD WHAT SHE NEEDS NUTRITIONALLY BECAUSE OF HER OWN INSECURITIES! READ THE WHOLE QUESTION NEXT TIME!!!

Answer 1

That is utterly ridiculous. Does she have weight issues herself? A fat baby is a healthy baby. What is the matter with that woman?? It's one thing if the baby doesn't like solid food and is not interested, it's another thing to deprive the child of experiencing the textures, smells, colors, and tastes of all the food he is missing. Plus starting at one year old a baby NEEDS more nutrition than is in breastmilk alone. They need protein, and all the iron and extra vitamins in regular food. She needs to talk to someone about her issues.

Answer 2

Do your research before you start criticizing the parenting skills of other people -- particularly people who clearly are not any of your business (your friend's cousin?!).

There is nothing wrong with exclusively breastfeeding a child for 12 months, although it is not very common in the United States. It is even recommended for many children who are at an increased risk of developing allergies. Breastmilk is the ultimate food for a baby, and exclusive breastfeeding for a year is not likely to cause a baby to be underweight. If the baby is underweight, there is likely some other underlying problem (such as timed or limited feedings or low milk supply, or maybe it isn't a problem at all, maybe the child is just small and meant to be that way). Breastmilk is more nutritious and filling than baby foods and it is also higher in fat. Babies who start solids too early are more likely to be underweight in the short run and obese in the long run.

While I agree with you that she should not delay solids for the purposes of preventing her baby from becoming "fat" (perhaps she has unrealistic expectations for her baby), she is not doing anything wrong, much less abusive, and I think it's downright reckless and judgemental for you to be accusing someone else of such a heinous crime without at least first doing your own research about the issue.

I think it's time you got yourself a hobby -- maybe pursuing an education? How about studying up on infant nutrition?

Answer 3

Yes, I think this could be abuse. If the child wasn't underweight, then I wouldn't be quite as concerned. However, this sounds like a parent that has some major issues. One........she enjoys breastfeeding and uses it for selfish reasons.......the need to be needed, etc. Two......she is way too concerned about body image. I could see this mother "creating" an eating disorder in her child. I'm not sure what action should be taken, but something should be done. Is there a father involved? How close is your cousin to this person? Maybe your cousin needs to have a talk with her friend and tell her this is wrong and potentially damaging to her child. Maybe she can give her links to websites with information about feeding children. I was an exclusive breastfeeder up to one year and I fully support breastfeeding. In some cases, exclusive breastfeeding (no table food) is even advised. I had a nurse that advised me to stick to breastfeeding (not tablefood) until my son was a year old because "babies really only need breastmilk until they are a year old". I ignored her advice as that just sounded crazy to me and I wanted to teach my son to eat solid foods. The nurse advised me of this because my son had trouble digesting a lot of foods (gassy, etc). Anyway, my point is there could be medical reasons for limiting solid foods until one year, but that does not sound like the case here. This sounds like a mother that has problems and needs to be set straight somehow. It just makes me ill really that a mother would be more concerned about not having a fat baby than about having a healthy baby. Another possibility is that your cousin speak to the father of the baby. It just depends on the relationship here and she could risk losing a friend. But personally I don't think I would want to be friends with someone like this anyway. I hope this mom comes to her senses soon because she could do serious damage to her child. It just makes me sick.

Answer 4

How sad that she's imposing her own body insecurity on her daughter. Babies are supposed to be fat. They need a little padding for all the stumbling around they do. Get her some parenting books, encourage her to keep breastfeeding and introduce foods. At this age she should be eating what the rest of the family does.

Answer 5

I'm not sure about abuse, but it could be seen as neglect. At the very least she is retarding the child's development. Breastfeeding does NOT insure your child will not be overweight. My son was heavier when I breastfed than after he started eating food. Is it possible there is some other reason she is breastfeeding that she doesn't want to tell? Example, they don't have much money and she is breastfeeding to cover it up?
Personally, if you are concerned, I would just report it anonymously to Children's Services and make sure they follow up and investigate.

Answer 6

if the mothers only reason for doing this is not to have a fat baby thats foolishness....babies are suposed to be on the chubby side its healthy.....the childs weight may have nothing to do with breastfeeding the child just may naturally skinner then most u never know, also weight charts are based on mostly fromula fed infants and they tend to be heavier then breastfed witch is nothing to be alarmed by and is prefectly normal......if the child is content, happy, active, and healthy i wouldn't be concerned as breastmilk is extreamly rich in protien fat and nutrients....now if the child is sickly and starving and the mother is truly neglecting the child needs well then she should be informed thats action needs to be taken.

Answer 7

this is definitely if not abuse neglect
she needs to be told that breastfeeding alone at that age can starve a child to death and she needs to eat real food
if she's worried about her getting fat just feed her healthy food

have her see a nutritionist about her daughter they can help her find a proper diet that will still allow her to keep her child from getting fat

Answer 8

I think you friend is crazy! If she continues to be underweight the doctor will label the child failure to thrive and she will be force fed through a tube in her nose or her stomach which ever the doctor chooses. Tell your friend that and see how she feels.

Answer 9

If the baby is underweight - then yes, it is child abuse. Once the kid gets teeth top and bottom - no more nursing!!!!!!!!
It appears she's still doing this because she's too lazy to feed the child properly.

Answer 10

Breastmilk is ABSOLTELY all a child needs until at least age 1. Many families with a history of serious allergies are told not to introduce solids until aftera a year.

If the baby is in fact underweight it is because of either poor breastfeeding management or that is the size she is meant to be.

"Some doctors may recommend delaying solids for the first year if there is a family history of allergies. I'm not going into the many health benefits of delaying solids here; see Why Delay Solids? for more information."
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

"My eight-month-old still does not seem interested in solids. I am breastfeeding, and he is gaining weight well. I am worried that my breast milk is not enough for him. Does he need the solid foods for complete nutrition at this age?"
I encounter this situation frequently in my office. Many parents have the misconception that all infants will be ready for foods between 4 and 6 months of age. The truth is that very few infants are developmentally ready at 4 months. In addition, it is now recommended to delay foods until 6 months in order to decrease the chance of allergies. I also have found that some infants are not developmentally ready for solids until 8 or 9 months. You can click here to read about what signs to watch for to determine when your infant is ready for foods. Breast milk is nutritionally complete for at least the first year of life. This means that infants can go for at least a year on breast milk alone, without eating any foods, and be nutritionally complete. Offering foods between 6 and 12 months of age is simply for social development and to get infants used to eating.
http://askdrsears.com/faq/bf4.asp