By Liz Leiman
The Little Guy is rapidly approaching six months old and I am proud to report he’s been a breastfed baby the whole time. My main goal is to nurse for a year and I have created quarterly “mini-goals” to keep morale up. Almost making the halfway mark feels like a real accomplishment, but on the other hand I’m dreading it because of the next step - solid foods. At his last pediatrician visit, the doctor gave the go ahead for solid foods. He said I could have started back when the Little Guy turned four months old, but I mumbled lamely how I was waiting until six months for allergy reasons. Truth be told, I would like to just keep nursing and forget the whole solid food business. Now, I’m not one of those overzealous women that nurses her kid until he’s in kindergarten, but I will admit that I really like to breastfeed. It’s the only part of my day where I don’t have to do the laundry, or run errands, or rush to an appointment - it’s just me and my Little Guy. Sometimes we have quiet time by gazing into each other’s eyes, but more often he dozes while I catch up on the New York Times on my iPhone. Either way it’s nice break. Also, you can’t beat the convenience of always having his food right there and ready to go - no pureeing, heating, or utensils necessary. And from what I hear, the diapers are pretty innocuous compared the solid food ones.
I realize those aren’t valid arguments for nursing forever, but at the moment, the thought of preparing a healthy meal for him is a bit daunting. For example, this has been a rough week with the Little Guy suffering his first cold in addition to teething. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep last night. When I finally got up I had a cup of coffee and a cupcake for breakfast. The oatmeal was right there on the counter ready to be cooked, but the cupcake was front and center and in the end won. I was too tired to even boil water.
In my pre-baby life I was a pretty healthy eater with the occasional burger or pizza splurge. I had a regular 8-5 job and would have oatmeal and egg whites religiously for breakfast. I would pack green salads with grilled chicken for my lunch and would hit the gym during my lunch hour. I thought these habits would carry over into my new life as a stay at home mom and envisioned myself having wholesome dinners prepared for my husband when he got off work and making all sorts of nutritious goodies on my fancy Beaba Cook for the Little Guy (I was also in an apron and high heels and my hair was perfect in this daydream). However, I have to be honest with myself, I am completely unorganized and whatever “schedule” I think I have the Little Guy on is a total farce. In reality he runs the show and there are days when a load of laundry feels like a triumph. I’m pretty sure cupcakes should not be put in the Beaba Cook.
Maybe no longer being in the workforce has left a little bit of a void. Being at home full time leaves few ways to measure successes. There are no big projects to be turned in or presentations to give, changing twelve diapers a day doesn’t have the same feeling of satisfaction as meeting a deadline. However, when I see my Little Guy’s sweet “Buddha belly” or his chunky thighs I beam with pride and think to myself, “I did that!” My body has created nourishment for his little body. All that sweet baby fat is from me.
I think the biggest hesitation to start solids is the fear of the unknown - What if he hates it? What if he loves it and doesn’t return to the breast? What if he’s allergic to everything? I could go on all day. I guess that’s motherhood - worries and what if’s. A year and a half ago I was living a completely carefree life, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Now all sorts of crazy worries turn up. I will, of course, succumb to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation and feed him the solids, but at least I have a few more weeks to mull over the idea.
