My Experience with Baby Led Weaning

When it came for the time to introduce Olivia to solids I was a little overwhelmed. At 5 months we had just gotten her reflux under control so she was just beginning to nurse well and I felt confident she was getting good nutrition and growing every day.  Adding solids into the mix just confused me. I didn’t want to do anything to hinder the wonderful nursing relationship I had FINALLY started having, but I also did not want to delay this next step because I knew she was ready to eat. I mean seriously, the girl stared down my morning banana like it was nobody’s business.

 

All along I had thought that Baby Led Weaning (BLW), sounded like a great idea. For those of you that don’t know, BLW is basically skipping puree and letting baby feed themselves. (Read more here.) It seemed so intuitive and so progressive. I read a lot of blogs about it and most of the moms seemed to be really happy they chose that route. After some more research I was pretty convinced we would do it too.

At Olivia’s 6 month check up we discussed solids with her pediatrician. She recommended the traditional route (rice cereal, rice cereal, rice cereal) and basically laughed when I told her about BLW. After her response I felt conflicted. We decided to try spoon feeding first.

Olivia seemed okay with the cereal but after a few times she started fighting me for the spoon. I felt like I had to "trick" her by distracting her so I could get the food in her mouth. It felt so wrong. I hated it. Meal after meal I tried to feed her and avoid her hands grabbing and pushing away the spoon. In the back of my mind I couldn’t help but think that I should just let her feed herself.

 

Soon after I steamed up some carrots and offered her some other BLW first foods. Avocado slices, softened apple, pear, ripe nectarines and plums, etc. She really seemed to enjoy it and I loved watching her taste new things. Yet, after a few licks and squishes, she began biting off chunks. And then it was BIG chunks. Soon after followed some major gagging and it was horrifying. I had nightmares about choking and mealtimes became more stressful for me.

Joe and I took an infant CPR class but I still worried. I stuck to the foods I felt were safe and I found comfort in the fact that her gag reflex worked so well. Soon enough she had learned to chew and was managing foods really well. At around 8 months she had a great pincer grasp so I started offering small pieces of food instead of large chunks. And that’s where we are now. Basically at this point she is eating like many other 9 month olds who are onto finger foods I think.

I must say that I never really fully embraced BLW and their suggestions to feed baby whatever you are eating because it didn’t always seem acceptable to me to give her what we were having. Not that it wasn’t healthy but often our meals included foods that had foods that were not soft enough, not organic, included something she had not yet, or contained too much salt. I’m just not laid back enough to go full steam ahead so in the end I still cooked her separate foods. We also followed the spacing rule (about 1-2 days in between new foods). I’m thankful we did this because we believe Olivia may have an egg intolerance.

 

Because of this, BLW is often more work for me than purees sometimes. I can’t just grab some pre-frozen homemade puree or the occasional jarred puree. Sometimes she will eat a pouch on the go, but she just doesn’t seem to like them all that much.

So basically what I’m saying is that my experience with BLW wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. But mostly it’s because the BLW method is probably best for more relaxed parents. I think if I had stuck to feeding her purees and then just introduced finger foods a little bit after that we would be in the same place.  And maybe there would have been less panicking for me in the beginning. I don’t think I would go this route for a second child. But who knows, maybe I’ll be an old pro by then.

 

Moms- did you do BLW or traditional purees? How do you feel about the route you chose?

At what age did your baby eat mostly finger foods?

Baby Gates and Baby Cakes

Did you guys know that used baby gates are a secret underground black market? Yeah, I didn’t know either.

 

The other morning I headed to a church sale of second hand baby items. I was in the market for some gates for our house since I need three and they are rather expensive. I was thrilled to find one right away and was going to buy it until a lady ran up to me and stole it out of my hand.

 

"That’s MY gate!" she said. I told her that there was no sign on it, or any indication that it was taken but she blabbered on and was standing with one of the organizers from the church so I let it go. I was furious!

I felt better though when I saw a fresh posting for three gates at a good price near me on Craigslist. I quickly emailed the posted who told me they were all gone.

Then I checked ebay. I didn’t put in a bid because I noticed that almost all of the postings I liked had at least 10 "watchers". Ugh.

 

Good thing she’s not crawling. YET.

 

In other news, I wanted to share a good recipe for baby pancakes. It’s baby friendly in that it doesn’t include eggs, milk (in pure form), sugar or salt.

 

Pumpkin Yogurt Baby Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (optional)
• pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon (or both)
• a bit of water to thin out the mixture

Combine everything together and then add some water to thin it a little bit. Melt a little butter in the pan and cook ‘em up!

I made a large batch and put them in the freezer as well. I read that you just need to stack them with wax paper in between to prevent sticking.

I also then wrapped the stack in tin foil and put them in a freezer bag.

We ate them together last weekend and loved them!

Hope you do too

Losing the Weight

Oh baby weight. Such a fun topic, isn’t it?

 

All I can say is that it was more fun gaining it than it was losing it, but overall it wasn’t so bad. During my pregnancy I gained about 50 pounds. It is a lot of weight but I would not have changed a thing.

(40 weeks pregnant)

I honestly maintained a pretty healthy diet during pregnancy but I also had a good time with it. Especially towards the end, I enjoyed fun meals out like eating super spicy Szechuan food to induce labor, or squeezing my belly into the booth at the Vietnamese restaurant for a bowl full of Pho (which I craved constantly). Joe and I would make cinnamon rolls at home and I enjoyed every bite. We had so much fun together and those are some of the moments I really remember and cherish from my pregnancy.

 

During the first few months after delivery, things were pretty rough. I initially lost 21 pounds without doing anything, but after that it was up to me. I had about 30 lbs to lose (plus about 5 that I gained before I got pregnant). I had a large appetite due to breastfeeding, and wasn’t cooking much because things were just too crazy. I would turn to Luna Bars and Balance Bars and other quick snacks throughout the day to keep up my energy. I didn’t grocery shop often enough to stock the house with enough produce. I ate bananas, but that was about it.

Eating with Olivia in the Moby

After getting the green light at my 6 week checkup, I also started exercising more. It was slow going though because I had some bad pelvic pains afterwards. I was still healing, exhausted, and exercising with an additional 30 pounds on me was not easy on my joints. I admit that sometimes I tried to do  too much. I just wanted to bounce back so fast, but my body wasn’t ready yet.

 

About a month postpartum

After 8 weeks, I joined Weight Watchers. I heard great things about their plan for nursing moms and I was excited about attending the meetings. I would bring Olivia in the stroller and sit in the back and wheel her back and forth. It felt good to get out of the house and to have a plan to motivate me but also help me protect my milk supply.

 

I must admit though that during this time I felt a bit uncomfortable in my own skin. It was summer time so I couldn’t hide. And none of my clothes fit. Maternity clothes did not fit right, but my old clothes were a ways away from fitting again. I mean…realllllly far away. I would see myself in pictures and be surprised at what I looked like. I have never been skinny, but I’ve never carried my weight in my stomach (mostly in my lower half), so it was strange to see this body. I didn’t know how to dress it (and also dress in nursing friendly clothing)which wrecked havoc on my confidence. I felt unfashionable and unhappy.

 
But I’ve never given up. Never thrown in the towel. I kept on with my consistent small weekly losses (and sometimes gains), and slowly started cooking more and moving more.

 

When Olivia turned 6 months, my body started to change. I saw some bigger losses and I started to get narrower all over. I think it may have to do with breastfeeding as that starts to change now that she is eating solids. Who knows. I can say that I am in the camp that feels that breastfeeding helps with weight loss. I have had very consistent losses even when my eating was not good, so I attribute that to the extra burn it gives me.

 

So how am I doing now? (if you’re still reading) Since starting Weight Watchers in the beginning of April I’ve lost 28 lbs. Which brings my total loss to 49 lbs. I have 6 more to go until I’m at my goal. My goal is a healthy weight for my height and one that I’ve maintained before. I feel healthier, more energetic, and really really proud of myself.

Volunteering last weekend- Keep in mind I’m wearing 3 shirts

 

Throughout this journey I’ve had times where I was hard on myself but mostly I’ve been kind to my body. It’s done amazing things. And it continues to do amazing things.  I never expected to be one of those women that walked out of the hospital in her skinny jeans, but when you walk out with a beautiful, healthy baby, nothing else matters.

Circling Back

Today during naptime I actually had some "me" time and got my computer to read up on some blogs. I read the usual mom blogs and then some of the pregnant soon-to-be mom blogs and I felt reminiscent about my old blog and somehow ended up here. I looked through my pregnancy updates and I can’t believe how long it’s been since that time. So much has changed since then. It’s so amazing.

Let’s just say that I haven’t had much time to blog. Even when I’ve had time,  I’ve devoted it to other things.

 

Cooking meals for my family

Making cleaning products and cleaning my house

Writing to do lists out the wazoo

 

I felt like even if I did start blogging again I would have so much to catch up on that it wouldn’t even make sense. I didn’t know where to begin.

 

But I’ve allowed myself to let that go and just stop in to clear my head. I really miss writing and I miss connecting with others.

In the next few weeks I hope to update you on some interesting things.

-How I am doing with shedding the baby weight/Current health and fitness goals

-How I am dealing with post partum anxiety and why I think a lot of new moms don’t talk about it

-Some easy recipes that I’ve been making

 

Hopefully that will entice you to circle back, too.

Leaving Survival Mode

I was cruising the baby center forums the other day and came across a "What Do you Do All Day?" post from another mom. After reading through many of the responses about what these women (with more than one child) were accomplishing throughout the day I decided to give my day a long hard look.

 

Was I doing enough? Am I an adequate stay at home mom? Am I getting out of the house often enough?

 

I figured that at this point I could probably be taking on a little more and not letting fear of a mid project wake up or a mid errand meltdown get me down. I realized that it’s time for me to get out of survival mode and really start living again. I also wanted to step up my game in taking care of my home and cooking more exciting meals. I don’t need to make the same 5 things over and over again just because they can be made quickly.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Noodle Bowl (not the best recipe, but I will work on it and get back to you)

Part of the reason that things have bit a little hard is the fact that Olivia has silent reflux which has made feeding her very difficult. This has been very emotionally exhausting and really upsetting for both of us. She is now on medicine much to my dismay, but it is working and she is eating better. She is still a nightmare to feed in public, but that’s just life with a distractible 5 month old I guess.

 

I think I was in survival mode a bit too long, but I guess there really aren’t any technicalities on that. I have a great and happy baby but I often let nerves get the best of me. I am glad that I have been able to acknowledge my state of mind and move away from it. I realized that if I don’t start enjoying these moments that they will soon be gone. Fear will always be here. These days with my first baby girl are fleeting.

 

An Easy Everyday Dessert

Thank you COOL WHIP for sponsoring this post. Join us on Facebook for inspiration and recipes for everyday treats. What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms

Lately I’ve been thinking I should change the name of my blog to “New Mom in Real Life” because there hasn’t been much on the blog about food in a while! The truth is that while I’m still cooking, everything I make is much more simple than ever, and I rarely have the time or energy to snap photos of everything.

I’m hoping that this will change soon because I do enjoy sharing what we eat around here with you. With this in mind, I wanted to show you one of the most simple every day desserts that I have been enjoying.

At night I often find that I am looking for something to break up the boredom of of the usual ice cream bar or cookie. I also have been trying to watch the caloric intake of my night time treats. And even though the temperatures have been rising outside, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m always in the mood for something warm and comforting (and chocolately).

Almost every night I enjoy a big mug of vanilla almond milk hot cocoa, and lately I’ve been making it even more delicious with a big blob of COOL WHIP Whipped Topping. The COOL WHIP actually starts to melt into the cocoa which makes it extra sweet and creamy.

Here are the quick and easy steps to making this simple everyday dessert!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 packets of no calorie sweetener (you can skip this if you want)
• 2-3 heaping tablespoons of dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder
• enough COOL WHIP to cover the entire top of the mug
• dash of cinnamon (optional)

How To:

• Pour the almond milk into a mug and add the sweetener
• Microwave for 2 minutes and 25 seconds (yes, I’ve perfected this timing)

(The milk will be nice and foamy on top)

• Take out the milk and  in 2 rapidly stir in 2 tablespoons of the cocoa.

(I then add another spoonful on the spoon I use to drink the cocoa because I like to eat the extra melty powder off the spoon later.)

• Top with COOL WHIP (and sprinkle with cinnamon if you want)

(don’t forget to leave chocolate tracks in the COOL WHIP container)

Enjoy with your favorite sidekick

I think you’ll find that this is a really easy dessert that hits the spot and satisfies a chocolate craving without too destroying your calorie budget.

Enjoy and I promise to be back with more easy recipes soon!

Do you have a special dessert you’d like to share? Enter COOL WHIP’s Fan Dessert of the Month Contest for a chance to win $500! Simply make a COOL WHIP dessert, take a photo, and upload it here. Enter now!

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.

Facing my Fears

Motherhood is many things, but one of the most valuable things it has been teaching me lately is to face my fears head on.

 

I’m a nervous nelly by nature, so it wasn’t surprising to me that I fall into the category of "moms that worry about everything". Although I’d love to be a completely chill and relaxed mom, it’s just not me.

 

Each day I pretty much have to overcome my worries though- because life is moving ahead and I need to move and adapt with it. Some of my recent worries have involved traveling with the baby.

Since our family is all out of town, I knew we’d be on the road a lot with Olivia. Seems fine in theory but once it was time to actually do it, I worried about whether or not she’d be comfortable in the car, would she poop the minute we got on the highway? If we leave in between feedings will she be screaming to eat when we are stuck in traffic? What if we are on a bridge and she’s hungry? How will she be when in a new place? Will she sleep? Will she nap well? (and so on and so forth).

 

But we’re not going to stay home all of the time- it’s so important that Olivia knows her grandparents and extended family. Joe and I made a choice to be together and as a result away from family, so this is the life we will live. We need to embrace it. And we have.

 

Visiting my Dad and stepmom in NJ

Visiting my mom,sister and nephew in CT

Visiting Joe’s family in Pittsburgh

Then there are the everyday fears. These may seem ridiculous to you, but they are real to me!

 

I worry sometimes that I will dress Olivia wrong and then she will be too hot or too cold. I did this the other day when it looked grey and cloudy and cold but was really humid. She ended up being very hot and I had to strip her down to her onesie. But the next day the weather changed again, and we suited up and headed out.  This time I remembered to step outside first.

 

Both times I ventured to the new Wegman’s in town, Olivia has been in rare form. The first time we made it in, but she was very cranky and upset the whole time. Then earlier this week we went back and she was so hysterical that I had to put my groceries back and leave. For whatever reason, it wasn’t working. I realized later that I was going to the store during her nap time. It was over stimulating and she was getting upset. This time, I fed her, she napped and we went out when she was rested. Additionally, I wore her this time (another fear that I faced because I never put her in a carrier outside the house before).

 

I haven’t had much luck with babywearing although I really want it to work for us. I can’t get the Ergo quite right (I think it will be easier when she can spread her legs across my body instead of froggy), and she hated the sling, mei tai, and moby. I have a Bjorn Air, that was my sisters but I wasn’t sure about using it because there are articles about it affecting baby hips. However, Olivia seemed to like the Bjorn and it is easy to use. I see a ton of people using them and figured that 30 minutes once a week is not going to do anything to hurt her. So yesterday we went for it.

 

And she loved it. And we got the shopping done.

 

Being a mom is so rewarding for so many reasons and I love it. But one of the more unexpected upsides is seeing what I am capable of. From labor to the initial pain of breastfeeding, to the every day ups and downs I am getting stronger each day. And it feels really, really, good.