Not of general interest (consider yourself warned)

(Some may argue that could describe any post I write.)

I've debated for a while whether or not to write this post. On the one hand, people have said, "Explain..." and yet I am aware of how very weird I already seem to the average Joe without adding fuel to that bizarre fire. But I am just going to throw this out there, not so that more of you can say, "Wow, she is much more freakish than I ever thought possible" but for the purpose of sharing information with perhaps one interested person.

So, class, my topic for today is: Exclusive Nursing or Delaying Solid Food. (Why do I feel like Gideon? Oh, because most of you just left...)

Let me establish a few things: I do not feel so strongly that this is the only way (or the only right way) of feeding your baby. This should be obvious, but it needs to be said. I am not out to proselytize anyone and this isn't my new cause. I cringe when I read the websites that talk about how if you *really* want to nurture your baby you will _________ . That is the joy of walking in the freedom we have in the Lord to do whatever we think is best for our children, and do it with confidence. We know the Holy Spirit will lead us and somehow, it will be just what our children need. It's really a miracle! Praise the Lord for the grace He gives in spite of feeble parents like those my children have.

So now that I have qualified away this post, here's why I think it's important to write this: I never knew it was even a possibility to nurse my baby exclusively for an extended period of time until a friend mentioned she was doing it. Never crossed my mind. I've made some pretty major "natural choices" (e.g., had all three babies at home) and yet I never thought twice about just doing exactly whatever the average pediatrician might recommend. I have nursed my babies for about 6 months, give or take, introduced solids slowly, made all my own baby food, weaned by 12 months (got pregnant again...oh wait, I don't think that's in the literature). Is there another way?

But Sweet A was sensitive to most foods until she outgrew those sensitivities at around 16 months. She couldn't eat wheat, soy, corn, (corn is in almost EVERY processed food), bananas, most fruits, or any green or orange veggie without getting a huge blistering rash that looked like she had been burned on her bum. It was awful...she was irritable, and she was a really sweet baby up until about 8 months; I have wondered if her stomach was just killing her. We'll never know. I don't have any family history of food allergies, so I was kind of surprised to go through this with her, but we did our best, made rice pasta, couldn't eat out anywhere with her, and she just ate a lot of chicken, apples, and rice. When I weaned her around a year she still had no teeth.

So when Baby T came along and we discovered he was extremely sensitive to cow's milk- rash on the face whenever I had any dairy products, projectile vomiting, irritability- I cut out all dairy. I started thinking toward the future when we would introduce foods, and I dreaded it. I also started researching what doctors across the board were saying about delaying solid food and what the standards and customs are in other countries. Why do we do things the way we do here in America? Nursing is much more acceptable today than it was 20 (or 40!) years ago, but I've been surprised by how many people have questioned this choice. I think it is just a sign of how steeped we are in the "norm" and we don't even know why the norm is the way it is or how we got here.

So after talking with a few mothers who were very encouraging, and reading a ton of information, some from *real* doctors who were saying that if there is any history of allergies the suggestion is to wait until 9-12 months before introducing solids, we decided to try to commit to exclusive nursing until Baby T was a year old. This was, of course, presuming he continued to gain weight well and hit all the standard developmental milestones. Baby T is 10 months old today and he's 21 lbs. so I think we're fine on that front. And apart from a really bad haircut I gave him last night, he looks normal to me. Here he is on Coop's birthday last month:


I have found that continuing to nurse has been easier, not more difficult. I nurse him every three hours and six times a day. He goes to bed around 6:30pm and wakes up about 12 hours later, with the exception of the one time I wake him up for a feeding right before we go to bed. Most of the time, we've really enjoyed having some one-on-one time with him at that later hour (sometimes I do wish I could go straight to bed...true confessions).

I will say that nursing exclusively has been more than just a lifestyle change: it's changed the way I look at my mothering. I've had to give up my expectations for always following a strict schedule (although we still have it and do our best!) and view of being able to control my days- of having to have a set expectation of what my baby will do (and my response). Since I really don't know if he's extra hungry on any particular day, I can't say, "Sorry but you will have to wait until your next meal" like I would probably do if I knew he'd had a huge lunch and I'd nursed him. So I've had to learn to be more flexible and not get uptight about adjusting to his needs. My husband has been VERY supportive and thankfully, we are slowly mellowing out as parents so what would have bothered us with Baby #1 is a non-issue now. :)

I think we are on track to wait until Baby T turns one to introduce solids. (What will he have to eat on his first birthday? Hmmm, haven't thought that far ahead.) I was aiming for at least 9 months, and every day past that is just a plus. If he seems like he needs to eat we'll be flexible on that end as well.

So there you have it. A few of you asked. Most of you would rather not know (but to you I say, If you've read this far, you have no one to blame but yourself). :)