As far as eating habits while pregnant, I had two pregnancies that were night and day. I was not very educated with regard to healthful eating with my first child. With my subsequent pregnancy, I did try and consume more vegetables and healthy fats such as coconut oil and eggs. (pastured, antibiotic free) And much like with nursing, water, water, water! This was also after the fourth or fifth month once the nausea passed. A great article on what to eat during pregnancy is here.
http://wellnessmama.com/2462/
I also belong to the online group on Babycenter.com It is an online community of moms, both expecting and current. There are lots of specific groups one can join as well. There are specific birth month and year groups which are helpful as all the children in question are in the same age groups. There are also “crunchy” groups for moms who cloth diaper or are vegan, vegetarian or primal paleo lifestyles.
Wellness Mama has a vast amount of information on her site. I use a lot of her recipes as well. wellnessmama.com
With my first child, I pumped breastmilk. He was born at 33 weeks and was not able to come home until he was 35 weeks old. (hospital policy) He also would not latch. I pumped exclusively for 6 weeks and he finally latched when he was 6 weeks old. It was a very frustrating time for both he and I, but we kept pushing. I was determined to not allow my child to have formula and it perseverance paid off. While nursing it is so important to drink lots of water and eat healthy. You have to remember that what you are eating, so is that little life. If you are eating foods devoid of nutrients, so is your baby. Eggs, healthy oils, leafy green veggies and sweet potatoes are so good for our bodies. Fill up on them!
As far as when to introduce solids to your baby, there is no specific age. It is when your child shows an interest in foods, can hold their head up and sit unassisted. A big push for first foods is cereal. I say, NO WAY! First off, where is the nutritional value?? Cereals are empty calories. Just filling up the tummy without providing any nourishment. Great first foods are
avocado, mashed banana, mashed sweet potato and coconut oil.
Good Websites:
https://www.llli.org/faq/
The Weston A. Price website: http://www.westonaprice.org/
There is a TON of info on the website above.
Good book to reference- Super Nutrition For Babies-http://amzn.to/150CJDR
~Rebecca
