Things That Make You Go Hmmmm....

As a parent you are constantly getting comments and advice.... wanted and not wanted. But mostly not wanted:

- "He's almost 6 months old and you haven't given him solid food yet?!"
- "Let me guess, you are strictly breastfeeding because it makes you skinny, right?"
- "When I was raising my kids in the 1950's we were told to give solids at 3 months old, so what are you waiting for?!"
- "We were always told to give our babies bottles of water, where's the water??? You're going to dehydrate that poor boy!"
- "In my Mexican culture we always give our babies chicken noodle soup as an introduction to solids. Try that!"
- "My friend has a baby the same age and her Pediatrician already has her giving bottles of juice and baby food! Why aren't you doing that?"

And on and on and on....... Ugh!

I appreciate that loving place that all those comments came from, but I really hate the fact that everybody thinks they know more than we do! Yes, this is our first baby.... but come on people, back off!

Anyways, now that I've ranted a bit, I'll continue my story.

Josh and I agreed that we wouldn't introduce solid foods to Austin until he was six months old and when we did that, it would only be rice cereal because rice poses the smallest risk of developing a food allergy. There was one time that Austin kept trying to steal the pickle I was eating so I gave it to him and his face was hilarious. He didn't like it, but he couldn't stop sucking on it! And then there was another time when I was eating ice cream in bed (surprise, surprise) and Austin wanted a bite too! So I gave him the tiniest taste and he was definitely not a fan. But besides that, we stuck to our guns. Then came the constant comments and the stress set in. What if we really are starving him? What if they actually do know what they're talking about because they are seasoned parents? So we did it, we broke down and gave Austin his first solid meal at 5 1/2 months.

His face says it all! The poor boy hated it. And after only swallowing two or three bites, he was over it.

So then came more advice.

- "Mix it with applesauce or mashed fruit to make it taste better!"
- "Put the rice in his bottle with the milk to get him used to it."

We did all those things and sadly it was still like a baby torture session. He literally gags and starts dry heaving the second the spoon touches his lips. He was even shivering and dry heaving long after we stopped trying!

Then, suddenly Austin stopped sleeping at night. He acted totally happy and content during the day and then as soon as it was bedtime, he would only sleep an hour at a time and then be awake crying. Either he was getting payback for us giving him something other than milk, or there was something wrong. So yesterday I took him to the pediatrician and it turns out that he has a double ear infection. I was always told that babies who have ear infections are not fun to be around and are constantly crying and pulling at their ears. So this came as a surprise! But we were relieved to find the reason for his sudden sleep pattern change. The doctor prescribed Amoxicillin and children's Tylenol for the next ten days and since Austin has always taken his Tylenol and Vitamin D drops like a champ, I didn't think there would be any problems.

Boy was I wrong!

He is now traumatized and refuses to open his mouth for anything but breast milk. I felt like a horrible villain trying to pry his mouth open so I could give him the medicine and then wanted to cry as he choked it down. We tried putting it in a bottle with breast milk and he caught on right away... little smarty pants.

Why did we listen to people? Why did we let those snide little comments linger in our minds and cause us to second guess our previous convictions? Now we have a sick baby who refuses to take his medicine. I talked to the doctor about it and she said "He must not be ready for solids yet so don't give him any more until he starts reaching for the food you are eating and acting like he is hungry for more than milk." She then proceeded to lecture me on giving babies solids before they are six months old which is all stuff I already knew.... so frustrating!

So I have some advice myself for all you new parents out there:

Do your research and go with your gut. Don't let other people sway your decisions because, believe me, they will try! You and only you know your baby better than anyone else and don't let your lack of experience make you feel inferior.

Okay, I am done now. Sorry if this hurt anyone's feelings.