exclusively breastfeeding up to 1 year

weetiepie

Apologies first off if this thread is in the wrong place! Was just wondering if any breastfeeding moms out there have ever breastfed exclusively beyond the 6 month mark. Have been reading quite a bit about it and it seems that it is possible to do. Would love to hear any feedback you would have on this. My lg is 6 and 1/2 months..she is thriving and doesn't appear to need solids.

My reasons for holding back on solid food is simply that their are lots of allergies in my husbands side of the family. It is said that delaying the introduction of solid food can help prevent sensitivities to certain foods.

Thanks in advance

How Strange

weetiepie you should post on the breastfeeding support thread. There's lots of mums posting there who are feeding babies of all ages.

I fed my son to a year and started solids at 6.5 months.

Are you intending to exclusively breastfeed with the support of a pediatric nutritionalist?

Personally I'd suggest you let your baby lead the way. If she's showing signs of being interested in food then go with it.

If there are serious allergies in your family then it's probably a good idea to consult a pediatric nutritionalist.

There's evidence to suggest that wheat should be introduced between 6-8 months to prevent gluten allergies.

Also their gag reflex moves further back in their throat as they approach one year so with holding solids could make her very sensitive to gagging on any food with texture. That has happened to babies whose parents continued to purée all foods well past 6 months.

missis aggie

Hi, I'm breastfeeding for 9 months now and will continue for minimum 1 year and hoping for longer
I think How Strange sums up everything and I totaly agree. My daughter is more less exclusively breastfeed as she is just learning how to eat (blw - baby lead weaning). She only swallow tiny bits of food but learning how to chew. I was reassured by my GP that she is perfectly fine ( afer checking her weight, milestones etc) on breast milk alone.
Good luck

2xj3hplqgsbkym

It is recommended to start solids after 6 months because babies are only born with enough iron to last 6 months. After this they need to get iron (and vitamin c) from food ad milk has neither. Iron deficiency in babies can delay learning as it is important for brain development.

Also feeding (baby led weaning in particular) helps to develop motor & oral skills.

I have never read up on it and could be completely wrong but would imagine that delaying feeding them would case developmental delays.

2xj3hplqgsbkym

Sorry meant to add if you are worried about allergies just introduce one food at a time.

LegacyUser

Laylah Scruffy Pin wrote: »

It is recommended to start solids after 6 months because babies are only born with enough iron to last 6 months. After this they need to get iron (and vitamin c) from food ad milk has neither. Iron deficiency in babies can delay learning as it is important for brain development.

Also feeding (baby led weaning in particular) helps to develop motor & oral skills.

I have never read up on it and could be completely wrong but would imagine that delaying feeding them would case developmental delays.

You are completely wrong, breastmilk contains enough vitamin c and iron for a child's daily intake.

In fact breastmilk is 100% enough for 12 months at least without any solid food at all.

Amazing how much myths and lies the formula companies push are believed.

pwurple

Maybe chat with GP or PHN and ask for appointment to see the allergy specialists in the hospital? I am pregnant at the moment. our first child had some allergies, both food and non-food. The allergy team in CUH have been great. They came up with a plan for us for weaning our second baby, even though he/she is not even born yet, based on the family history.

Depends where you are based, but there can be waiting lists in some centers is the only thing.

Not sure how serious your husbands reactions are, but if they are severe, you might want to get advice on how to deal with reactions, get prescriptions in advance, etc.

liliq

Laylah Scruffy Pin wrote: »

It is recommended to start solids after 6 months because babies are only born with enough iron to last 6 months. After this they need to get iron (and vitamin c) from food ad milk has neither. Iron deficiency in babies can delay learning as it is important for brain development.

Also feeding (baby led weaning in particular) helps to develop motor & oral skills.

I have never read up on it and could be completely wrong but would imagine that delaying feeding them would case developmental delays.

There is iron in breast milk.
A lot of babies don't become interested in much food until well after 6 months.
We started offering solids at 5.5 months and he ate little pieces but didn't start eating a whole lot until 9 or 10 months.
What how strange says about gluten is worth taking into consideration. Allergens shouldn't be introduced too early, but not too late either!
It's also worry noting that breast milk is far more calorie and nutrient dense than most foods, and certainly more than the stuff known as baby rice, so it is generally best for a child's main food to be bread milk until they are 1, with complementary foods being more about learning about taste, texture of food.
Baby led weaning us great, there's a good book by Gillian rapely that your library might have.
Another good read is 'my child won't eat'. By Carlos Gonzales (even if your child DOES eat I think this book is great) as it outlines how solid food compares to breast milk over time, and why babies prefer certain foods over others...

weetiepie

Thank you all for your replies! I think baby led weaning is the way to go..I might start with some organic fruit and veg, as I did with my son.
Thankfully he has not inherited any allergies so far ( suppose to wait until he is 3 to introduce nuts, to see if he is allergic, and I'm not sure when he can have a blood test to see if he is coeliac,).

I would fully agree with you liliq, that breast milk is far superior than baby rice, etc..this is also another of my reasons for delaying solids, why give them solid food at this stage when they can get everything they nutritionally need from breast milk?

What I am curious about is a point rosebush has made, would there be a developmental delay in not giving solids until 12 months? It would be interesting to know what effect if any, there might be. I think this would be my biggest issue in delaying solids..

I have read up on iron absorbsion after 6 months, and like liliq says, there is iron in breastmilk, although not as much as there is from other sources.However, the iron from breast milk is absorbed far better than iron from other sources.


In relation to the introduction of gluten in the diet, it has been suggested in some studies that, because of exposure to gluten in breastmilk, there may be a chance that babies could develop a normal immune response to gluten.


Thanks for the advice on the books liliq am definitely going to check them out!