Baby Leads the Way

Emily was always a very hungry baby. She loved her milk and drank it - lots of it - with gusto. Then one day, overnight, she seemed to lose interest. When this went on for another week, I became worried. Then another week. We tried, well, everything... Different milk, different bottles, different teats, warm milk, cold milk, holding her upright, lying her down, resting her on a pillow. We tried distracting her, singing to her, talking to her, ignoring her as she fed. Some things worked for a day. Others made no difference at all.

The health visitors kept telling me not to worry. Her weight was fine, she had put on just as much as her graph recommended, and yet she was drinking two thirds of the amount she'd normally have in a day. Sometimes less.

My good friend Nataliya suggested that it might just be her appetite. Perhaps Emily didn't need as much milk any longer. But I couldn't understand why she'd cry at feedtimes. Surely something was wrong?

After about 3 weeks of this, I decided to quit the worrying (which was getting me nowhere fast) and just feed her when she really demanded it. Some days I waited half a day before she decided she was hungry, and then she'd drink 3oz and lose interest (and I'd secretly get worried all over again).

A few more weeks and I got used to her game. One day she'd have almost nothing at all, the next day she'd slightly make up for it. And so on. My concern diminished. She's a very expressive baby - she'd have no qualms letting me know if she were still hungry. So slowly, it became the norm (and somewhat easier thanks to some cranial osteopathy).

I took her to be weighed again yesterday (about 6 weeks now since her feeding habits first changed), and she's still following her graph. She's coasting along the 75th centile line perfectly, currently at 15lb 11oz (7.12kg).

My point is this: Nataliya was obviously right (I should've known she would be too). A baby is capable of telling you what they need if only we listen. Why was she crying when I tried to feed her? It's simple really - I was trying to give her milk she did NOT want or need. This all has made me all the more certain that I'll be going down the Baby-Led Weaning route. But that's another post for another day.