Ask Judy: What Type Of Solids Should I Be Giving My Baby?

Hey Judy! Since I last emailed, my daughter and I have tried some solids and she’s cut two teeth. Solids were tentative at first, but she’s in love with them now — particularly peas and peaches. She’s SO enthusiastic that she’s started to realize what restaurants are. She plays quietly until food arrives, then once it hits the table, no matter what it is, it better be in her mouth in 10 seconds or she shrieks. And it has to be from our plates — she doesn’t want the homemade purees I bring along with us. Eats them at home, not at restaurants. She’s a handful!

Which brings me to my question: Since I’ve read that solids up to 12 months are more for experimenting than nutrition, I’ve been keeping her to just one meal of solids a day so as not to overfill her or replace BF sessions and push her into early weaning.

But she just LOVES eating solids. She’s really wanting to do it herself, too — definitely could handle finger foods.
She seems so HUNGRY when I give her solids. Am I feeding her enough? Or is she just enthusiastic about exploring? Our BF sessions really haven’t changed much — they last about the same amount of time — but I have noticed a decrease in what I can pump. — Krista B.

Hi Krista,

I would definitely recommend following your daughter’s cues. She will let you know when she is ready for more solids. It is good to always offer breastfeeding before offering solids, but there is no need to limit her consumption of them. It is great for her to explore and great that she is so enthusiastic about them! I believe she is about 9 months old now, correct? I would say start giving her finger foods that she can pick up herself and let her explore – you can give her soft meats, any kind of fruit or vege and easy to dissolve cereals. I’m not surprised that you are pumping less now – as she eats more and more solids, she will start to decrease the amount of breastmilk that she takes in. Just keep nursing her first and then let her explore whatever you think is appropriate. It sounds like this phase of her life is going to be a lot of fun for both of you!!

When did you start your baby on solids? What were some favorite foods? Please leave a comment on this post to share your thoughts or suggestions for Krista

Ask Judy: How Do I Know If I Am Using The Correct Sized Breast-Flanges For My Breast Pump?

Dear Judy, I was reading your articles and wanted to ask you a question that you might know about: how do I know what size flange came with my breastpump? Also, how do I know what size I need? I’m not having discomfort and I get plenty of milk, but I noticed that some of the tissue at the very beginning of my breast, where the nipple and breast meet, gets pulled into the pump. I think I have small nipples and wasn’t sure how to figure out this stuff about the flange fit. — Amy

Hi Amy,

If you have a Medela pump, it came with 24 mm flanges. If you have an Ameda pump, it came with 25 mm flanges. Most moms need somewhere between 21 and 28 mm. If your nipple is touching the sides at all, you probably want to go up a size. Be sure it is your nipple touching and not your breast tissue. If your breast tissue is touching, then you may want to go down a size (may be too large).

Your nipples will typically swell when you have a let down, so even if they are small to start, they may get larger when expressing milk. Look at how they fit during let down. You want to make sure that your nipple is not hitting the sides of the flanges while you are expressing milk. This can cause discomfort and low milk output. You also want to make sure that your breast tissue (beyond just your nipple) is not getting pulled into the flange as this might mean that your flanges are too large.

For more information on getting the correct fitting flange, please download this article.

Ask Judy: Is It Me Or My Pump?

Dear Judy, I am having trouble getting a let down with my pump. Even when I am all alone. Is it me or could it be my pump?

Lots of mothers have difficulty responding to a breastpump vs. nursing their baby. If you have normally been able to pump efficiently in the past, and are experiencing difficulties now, then it is most likely a problem with your pump. The first thing you should do is to make sure you are getting a good suction with your pump. Make sure there isn’t any condensation in your tubing and make sure your parts are in good working order. Most breastpump manufacturers recommend replacing your breastpump parts (tubing, diaphrams, valves, connectors) every 3 months. Just like you change your oil on your car on a regular basis, you also need to change the parts on your pump for optimal performance.

I remember one time not getting a good let down with my pump and it turned out that my tubing was loose on one side, so I wasn’t getting a good enough suction to stimulate my letdown. Once I figured out the problem and replaced the tubing, everything worked great!

Take a look around at your situation as well. Has anything changed? Are you undergoing more stress than is typical? Are you in a different environment? All of these things can effect your milk output.

If you have replaced all of your parts and evaluated your environment and you are still having difficulties, then it is time to call the manufacturer of your pump and see if they have any trouble shooting exercises to walk you through. There may be something wrong that requires more than just replacing spare parts.

Did you ever have a problem with your pump? How did you solve it? Do you have any tips for a mom who is having difficulties letting down with her pump? Please leave a comment to share your advice.

Ask Judy: Is It Too Early To Start My Baby On Solids?

Dear Judy, My baby is four months old and my pediatrician is recommending that I start my baby on solids. I just don’t think he is ready? He isn’t even sitting up yet. What would you suggest? My gut tells me that I shouldn’t be doing it yet. Do you think I am doing any harm by waiting?

As a mother, you should always trust your instinct. No one knows your baby as well as you do! If your gut says wait, then it is best to wait.

In this case, it is also good to look at what pediatricians and lactation consultants recommend. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends waiting until a baby is at least 6 months of age before starting any type of solids. They used to recommend starting solids between 4 and 6 months, but last year changed their recommendation to be 6 months. So it sounds like your pediatrician is operating under the old guidelines. The reason that they changed their recommendation is that your baby’s digestive system isn’t ready to digest the complex proteins found in foods when your baby is so young. So your gut is correct – your baby is too young at only 4 months of age to start solids.

In addition, a breastfed baby doesn’t actually “need” anything other than your breastmilk for the first 12 months of his/her life. The only reason to start solids during the first year of life is for the experience of different tastes and textures – not for the nutritional value.

Nutritionally, your breastmilk provides 100% of what your baby needs.

There is no rush to start solids. As a mother, you will know when your baby is ready. Until then, relax and enjoy this time with your little one. It goes so quickly. Before you know it they will be talking and walking! Know that you are doing what is right and feel confident about your decisions.

When did you start your baby on solids? Please leave a comment and share your story with our readers.

Ask Judy: Should I Pump?

My son is still nursing at least twice a day at 20 months: long one at wakeup time and variably at bedtime (20 min to 1 hour depending on his mood). I work part time, so we also nurse for naptime on the days I am with him.

Next week, I need to work at night (very odd for me) during his bedtime. I will be able to be home with him for naptime nursing and will try to offer a “last” nursing 90 min before our typical bedtime nursing before leaving him with my husband.

I suspect he will be fine, but wonder if my supply might be affected. Also, I haven’t pumped since he was 14 months, do you think I should plan for a nighttime pump when I get home late. (I won’t wake him, as it would probably just bug him and disrupt his overall sleep hours that night).

Any advice would be most welcome!

Hi Nicole,
Thanks for writing in to Mommy News & Views with your breastfeeding question. There are a lot of different opinions on this subject, so I will give you mine, and hopefully some of the readers of this blog will chime in with their thoughts as well.

At 20 months, your milk supply is very well established. Since it is an on-demand system, you supply will adjust based on the demand. So if you are going to miss your night time nursing session for a week, then you may see a dip in your supply during that time. But since you have a well-established milk supply, my first inclination is to tell you not to worry about it. When you start nursing again at night, your supply will come back. You may see a slight dip, but it should rebound once you go back to your regular schedule. If your baby were younger, I would encourage you to pump, but since you have been nursing for a long time and you have a well-established supply, then I don’t think it will be necessary for you to pump.

The first night or two that you are away, you may want to bring your pump with you, or plan to pump when you get home, just in case you are engorged. You wouldn’t want to get mastitis by getting overly engorged and you wouldn’t want to be uncomfortable by being overly engorged either. If you don’t experience any discomfort, then there is no need to pump. If you do, then you can pump to relieve the pressure.

When you start nursing again, drink lots of extra fluids to help your body to start making milk again. Your son may be a little frustrated the first time he nurses at night again if your milk is slow to let down, but it should come right back to where it was in a few days.

To our readers: Have you ever had to go a period of time without nursing? Did you pump? Are you able to offer any additional advice to Nicole?

Ask Judy: How Can I Prevent Mastitis?

Dear Judy, I have a breastfeeding question. Every time we drive in the car for long spells, my daughter doesn’t nurse as often. I have been getting these crazy bouts of mastitis. It’s not just a surface plugged duct, its a sudden, deep plug that hurts worse than you can imagine. I don’t know if this is normal, but basically this happens, my body cranks up a crazy fever, chills, etc. I just let it burn (I’m a naturalist!) and in about 6-8 hrs, its over. For the next 24 hrs its still “plugged” or whatever, but I make sure she still nurses that side even though of course she doesn’t want to. And within a day or so its gone. I have been getting them more and more frequently. Can I prevent them? This happened two times in the past month – both times from a long car ride. My daughter is currently 18 months old but nurses very frequently and still does not eat very many solids. She snacks, but I don’t think gets a lot of calories from food. I doubt this will stop me from breastfeeding, but man, in the car with a fever, I have to say it crossed my mind!

I’m so sorry to hear about the mastitis. Some women are more prone to it than others. For those long car rides, you might want to try either hand-expressing or pumping if your daughter isn’t nursing enough. You should also make sure you are wearing a loose fitting bra. One of the ones you purchased from me had an underwire – you probably want to avoid wearing the underwire when you go on a trip and wear the non underwire one instead. That way your milk ducts won’t be getting compressed. Not nursing as much during trips is pretty common – my son did the same thing. The car ride probably lulls her to sleep a little more and then you are out and about doing things once you arrive, so there are too many things to see and do.

I did a series on my blog about mastitis – some of these articles may help you as well – take a look:
Childbirth Followed By Mastitis
Experiences Of Mastitis
Mastitis: One Mom’s Journey And Advice

I hope some of these articles will help!

Have you ever had mastitis? Do you have any advice for this mom? Please leave a comment and share your experiences and recommendations.

Ask Judy: My Nipples Are Blanched After Breastfeeding

Dear Judy, We had my son’s tongue tie clipped and he is eating better now, but now I have blanching on my nipples? Do you think this might be from shallow latch? Or a forceful letdown? Do you have any advice?

I am so happy to hear that your son is nursing better now that his tongue-tie has been clipped. This will make a huge difference. Blanching on your nipples is actually pretty normal. The only time you have to worry is if you are having pain with it. Your nipples will often looked blanched or slightly deformed right after nursing. They should go back to normal within a few minutes. This is normally caused by compression of the nipple during nursing. As long as you aren’t having any pain, you are fine. Just keep up the great work.

If you are experiencing pain with the blanching, then you will want to discover what is causing it and work on correcting it. There are a few things that can be causing it, but the most common is shallow latch. If your baby isn’t latched on well enough or if he bottom lip is curled in instead of being flanged, you may get too much compression on your nipple which will cause nipple pain in addition to the whitening of the nipple. Make sure you open your baby’s mouth wide and push on his chin as he latches to pull his bottom lip out into a flanged position. This will help. If you can’t get a good latch, release him and try again. It would be extremely helpful if you are able to have a lactation consultant come and help you to get a good latch.

Another thing that can cause blanching of the nipples is the baby is clamping down. There are a variety of things that can cause your baby to clamp down, including a forceful let down. If this is the case, you will want to nurse your baby laying back in a reclined position with your baby on top – this will force your milk to travel up-hill and will help with a forceful letdown. You can also hand-express until your let-down happens to release some of the pressure prior to latching your baby on.

There is also a medical condition where your nipples will blanche because of vasospasms, or constricting of the blood vessels that are going to your nipple. This is a much more serious condition and is quite painful. You can read more about vasospasms on KellyMom and the links provided there.

Have you ever had blanching of your nipples during or after nursing? What did you do, if anything, to correct the problem? Please share your experiences to help this mom with her baby!

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