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Dear Naomi,
I apologize for the delay in responding to your question. I was unable to access a computer for the last ten days.
At eight months, one would expect your daughter to be gaining some expertise with eating solid foods. Infants start with solids as early as four months, for the ravenous eater, and as late as 7-8 months for the uninterested eater. However, it is important that she start with the solids now. It is also important to remember that she needs to drink breastmilk and/or formula for the first year; solid foods are practice calories at first until she masters chewing and swallowing.
Consistency is essential in your situation. Are you certain you want to wean your daughter prior to one year? If you are certain, the "prescription" for weaning is to systematically eliminate one breastfeeding/pumping for 3-5 days. Once one feeding is eliminated, go to choose another feeding to eliminate. Since you are in school, perhaps it would be best for you to eliminate the noon feeding (for 3-5 days) and then the 9am feeding (for 3-5 days) and then the 3pm feeding (for 3-5 days). Your daughter needs to be offered your expressed breastmilk or formula every 3-4 hours. If you do not pump at the specified "weaning time" for 3-5 days, your production of breastmilk will diminish.
I have just re-read your question. I am not certain if you are using a breastpump to express your milk. If you are not, you can rent or buy a good quality breastpump. With the proper pump, you can be very successful in pumping your milk when your daughter needs to be feed, storing the milk in a cooler device, and then bringing the milk to the day care provider in the morning. In this way you can continue to breastfeed when you are with your infant and avoid "going back and forth to the day care" during the day. Go to www.medela.com to locate a pump rental station nearby.
The childcare provider should gently and lovingly introduce the first foods to your daughter. With repeated exposure, I imagine she will take the food into her mouth pretty quickly; it may be a major mess, yet this is the "process"! Your baby still needs the majority of her calories from your breastmilk or formula; remember, foods at 8 months are still "practice calories". If she refuses the food to no avail, I suggest you bring the refusal/adversion to your primary care providers attention. Also ask your care provider for a plan for the introduction of first foods. It is important that your infant eat solid foods as this is a major milestone in her development.
I hope the above discussion has answered your questions and addressed your concerns. If not, please contact me through this website or directly at stephanie@becomingmothers.com. I would be pleased to schedule a telephone consultation should you think that to be helpful.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Moore, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Owner
Becoming Mothers
www.becomingmothers.com
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