1 Year Appointment and thoughts on breastmilk vs. cow's milk
We had our 1 year checkup today at the pediatrician. After Lily was weighed and measured, we waited for our pediatrician to come visit with us for a while. The first thing she stated when she came into the room was that she couldn't believe how tall Lily was, and that she was still off the charts for height. She then stated that Lily was only in the 25th percentile for weight and she'd like to see her gain some weight. I looked at her and calmly asked, "Are you basing her weight percentile on the 2006 WHO chart for breastfed babies or the CDC chart which is outdated and was based on a lot of formula fed babies?" She did not even know that a WHO chart existed, but humored me to go and look it up. Sure enough, 50th percentile, exactly where Lily has been all along. Most of you know I don't care about percentiles at all as they're just numbers but it's important for pediatricians to know this information so they can see the growth curve is steady as it should be. Needless to say, she took back her statement about Lily needing to gain weight. ::rolls eyes:: She asked if Lily was getting milk and I informed her the only milk Lily was consuming was breastmilk, and that it would stay that way for a while.
A lot of people have asked if we've started giving Lily milk. I always stare at them blankly and eventually inform them she's been getting milk since the day she was born. "No, no, I mean 'real' milk." REAL MILK!? Are you serious?! Let's just call it what it is: cow's milk. For the record, I think cow's milk is delicious when dipped in Oreos. I like it on my cereal. I also love a big glass with Hershey's syrup mixed in it. I have no problem with cow's milk... for humans who aren't breastfeeding. There is absolutely zero nutritional reason to give a baby cow's milk if they are still nursing at least 3 times per day. People are always getting themselves worked up about how babies need fat for brain development, so we MUST introduce it at the age of one. Well....I have news for those people. Breastmilk has MORE fat than cow's milk, and the calcium in it is absorbed much more efficiently because it's biospecific. So...why would I replace Lily's nursing with cow's milk when it's clearly not superior to breastmilk as far as nutritional value goes at all? That makes no sense to me. Additionally, I enjoy breastfeeding and am in no rush to wean her in the slightest. Since I'm able to be at home with her, it's no big deal. We'll keep on nursing, and when she's finished nursing, then we'll talk about cow's milk for her. As a disclaimer and further proof that I don't think cow milk is evil: Lily has had bites of ice cream, tastes of cow's milk when taking a bite of our cereal, and LOVES Stonyfield whole milk yogurt.
The rest of our appointment went well: Lily surpassed all of what 12 month olds should be doing on the development list which was no surprise to me. We finished up the visit with a polio vaccination...our nurse is really good at injecting babies swiftly, and Lily didn't even flinch or cry. All in all, a successful visit! Next trip there will be at 15 months for another polio shot.
A lot of people have asked if we've started giving Lily milk. I always stare at them blankly and eventually inform them she's been getting milk since the day she was born. "No, no, I mean 'real' milk." REAL MILK!? Are you serious?! Let's just call it what it is: cow's milk. For the record, I think cow's milk is delicious when dipped in Oreos. I like it on my cereal. I also love a big glass with Hershey's syrup mixed in it. I have no problem with cow's milk... for humans who aren't breastfeeding. There is absolutely zero nutritional reason to give a baby cow's milk if they are still nursing at least 3 times per day. People are always getting themselves worked up about how babies need fat for brain development, so we MUST introduce it at the age of one. Well....I have news for those people. Breastmilk has MORE fat than cow's milk, and the calcium in it is absorbed much more efficiently because it's biospecific. So...why would I replace Lily's nursing with cow's milk when it's clearly not superior to breastmilk as far as nutritional value goes at all? That makes no sense to me. Additionally, I enjoy breastfeeding and am in no rush to wean her in the slightest. Since I'm able to be at home with her, it's no big deal. We'll keep on nursing, and when she's finished nursing, then we'll talk about cow's milk for her. As a disclaimer and further proof that I don't think cow milk is evil: Lily has had bites of ice cream, tastes of cow's milk when taking a bite of our cereal, and LOVES Stonyfield whole milk yogurt.
The rest of our appointment went well: Lily surpassed all of what 12 month olds should be doing on the development list which was no surprise to me. We finished up the visit with a polio vaccination...our nurse is really good at injecting babies swiftly, and Lily didn't even flinch or cry. All in all, a successful visit! Next trip there will be at 15 months for another polio shot.
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