Baby-Led Weaning Gagging Vs. Choking

When I started solids with my baby I panicked a lot. Though I was well informed theoretically I was afraid of how would it go? So I pushed it to 7 months to say. I made up my mind to go with baby-led weaning so I knew the reaction that I will get from people around. I was even called a hard mom. According to them, I was torturing my daughter but the truth is I am allowing my daughter to lead a life of her choice. When we were in a trial phase we had to encounter gagging episodes which panicked the people around me. Since I knew the difference between choking and gagging I was able to overcome this scenario. These are the main concerns why people are against the baby -led weaning. I just wanted to give confidence to my fellow readers by making them understand the importance of gagging and choking and how to survive in these conditions.

It’s said by our ancestors and elders that while eating our concentration should be on food and it shouldn’t be carried away in haste. It’s the same mantra applied for baby too. Patience is the key factor and a pleasant environment is to be made such that baby has a good relationship with the food. Whenever food is taken one should understand the key concept of safe eating. Only this knowledge helped me to understand the principle behind eating comfortably.

When my baby was eating once, she happened to gag and my neighbour started to panic and she judged me as she didn’t find me as a panicked mom. I was calm because I knew the difference between gagging, choking and coughing. In shaa allah planning to cover that here so many new-moms will be able to take the finger food from the start without fear.

Gagging is often accompanied by coughing

Gagging is quite noisy and it’s going to be dramatic. The way your child deals with it will make anyone judge you. But it’s very safe. Each and every individual will face this in their life. The babies gag often when you start the solids. It’s because the gag reflex is in the front for babies and as they grow older it shifts to back when they are 12 months. That’s the reason why it is requested to start solids when they are ready.
Though it seems to be scary it’s a learning process for a baby. They get to learn the problem-solving skills. They are able to analyse the size, shape, and texture of the food to be allowed by them. It’s like they are the boss and they know how much to eat.

Choking

Choking is a silent killer. It’s a process of blocking the airway. With informative baby-led weaning, choking isn’t possible as the caregivers will know about the perfect size, shape, and texture. They won’t go wrong if they are knowledgeable in this area. Everything is with almighty’s wishes too.

Vomiting

Vomiting happens when they are learning to eat. If a child gags heavily the next stage they will land is vomiting. Vomiting doesn’t happen with all kids. It’s not like the adult technique. We associate everything with adult stage and forget the key point. Al hamdulilah they don’t become fatigue with this process just like adults.At one point they might puke and the next moment they will enjoy their meal just like nothing happened.

Tips to make it safe
While eating they should sit straight in a chair and been given their time and pace. If at all they gag it’s suggested not to put in your fingers to push the food out. It might panic them. It might even push the food in. Instead, let the gagging reflux bring the food out. To avoid choking please do go with the flow but being well learned on this topic.

Why didn’t I prefer chunky puree?
Purees are usually associated with the baby. I didn’t like the concept. Being a breastfed mom I felt my baby gets nutrition required and the food we give is an addition to the regular process so why to make them food aversion. I myself isn’t a fan of soups and purees so why to train them for it and then transition them to a family food! So our journey was straight with the finger food. To know what was our first food click here.

It’s a developmental milestone and I didn’t want to break that. I can see how the kids at the age of 7 still struggle to chew Whereas baby-led weaning kids chew like a pro. Maa shaa allah almighty has created each and everything for a purpose and we confuse with the modern life. When we go back to learn basics we can lead a healthy life. Al hamdulilah  happy to know this process and I am working on it to lead a simple easy life. LIFE is SIMPLE and Enjoy the life without complications. I enjoy the mess babyA does and follow the baby-led. Please do share this piece of message if you liked it.

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Baby Led Weaning- Our Tips

When babyA was inside me getting nurtured, I did a complete plan of how I should work on, with the growth of babyA. I was mocked, teased a lot for being called an Internet mom but they all forget that this technique which I am practising was followed centuries back before the finding of the mixer, mashers, diapers, etc. I am happy for being called so as I wanted my baby to be given a space to explore and come up with a solution for this. One such practical plan was to do baby led weaning and I am very happy that I achieved this for sure with the support from my hubby and my parents.
With too much of mocking around I took a privilege of exclusive breastfeeding till 6+ months and then when I felt she was able to sit unassisted planned for solids. Her first baby led weaning meal was long slices of banana. Easy to chew for a toothless baby and full of healthy fats. I didn’t want to give her pureed food at all. And now in the 14 months mark we eat everything and anything the family eats with almighty’s grace. In this blog, I will be answering all the questions based on my findings in shaa Allah!!

What can be given as a first food when we plan for solids??

I chose banana as I felt it’s easy to chew and full of healthy fat. Apples and pears can be given either in a grated form or steamed form. I preferred grated as I felt it’s easy for her as well as me. We also had chicken, fish, scrambled eggs. Strawberries, grapes all to be sliced and given as these all have choking hazards. Raw banana fry, plantains, banana flowers, curd, dosas, idlis, chappathis, pancakes, paniyarams what not but everything cut into small pieces.

When you offer the food the babies won’t accept on day 1. They will play and enjoy with the food. It took 8 good days for alizeh to eat the food on her own, without anyone helping her. I usually give her space and time to explore with the food and once she skips I make sure I breastfeed her. Before you introduce the solid it is suggested to  nurse them 30 minutes to 45 minutes before giving solids as the babies won’t try new food if they are hungry.

We have been cooking special for babies till they are 3! Should we cook special??
       When they see babyA eat the family food which we eat I get judged easily by peer moms. Babies should be given special food till a certain age. And it’s an art to cook special food for the babies. You don’t have patience to up bring your child. You are making the baby starve by not cooking special food.
No I don’t make my baby starve by following the baby led weaning. I don’t stress myself for making her to eat. I have given her the freedom to explore and eat the way she likes. Usually babies know what to eat and how to eat and how much to eat. Till 1 year it’s advisable not to add salt and sugar. I followed the minus sugar concept but didn’t follow the minus salt concept as babyA knew the difference between the salt version and non-salt version of the food and also 40 mg of sodium intake can be given on a whole so made sure we used less salt in our diet. Everything was taken in moderation except the sugar. I didn’t stress myself to give pureed food as there wasn’t necessary in my case. Thanks to almighty.
She knows to chew the food which is main thing and with almighty’s grace we have succeeded the art of eating. Al hamdulilah

Is it messy always??

       The answer is Yes in my case. Baby A in the age of 14 months I can expect only a messy eater. I cannot expect a disciplined one in this 14 months and expecting that is too much as she is a baby still. They are bound to be messy one. Only when we go out I feel embarrassed at times but we enjoy that too! What we do is keep a paper below her chair so it’s easy to clean up the mess. But luckily the hotel management has supported us to clean the mess on own but my hubby helps me in cleaning it up.

How to know if my baby is ready for solids?
      Food before 1 is for Fun. This is the theory which I followed. Whatever she eats I supplement with the breastmilk after her solid intake. Now let us look into the answer for the question

• WAIT till the baby sists unassisted.
• Wait till baby reaches 6 months of age.
• Check if baby has lost the tonge-thrust reflex.
• Baby should have developed the longer grasp.

If the above stuffs have been achieved then your baby is ready for the solid introduction in shaa Allah

How to know if your baby has completed their meal?
     As said earlier babies know how much to eat. Forcing them to complete the meal makes the kid to hate the food and create an aversion towards it. Allow them to eat how much ever they want to eat. Once they complete their meal they will get ready to play with the food. Just make sure a balanced meal is been offered for the baby.

Don’t ever compare your baby with the peer baby which in turn gives you as well as the baby pressure. Give adequate amount of water as per the suggestions from the WHO.

If you have any suggestions or any questions please do leave a comment here or mail us at salma.mehajabeen@gmail.com
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20th Century Vs 21st Century Moms

These are my views on the topic “20th Century Vs 21st Century Moms” and I am writing this as a part of the Blogging Marathon – http://supermommitali.com/category/bloggers-marathon

A mom is a mom whether you are from the 20^th Century or the 21^st Century! As a mother we seem to be over responsible in raising a healthy, happy and well-adjusted kid. This is definitely overwhelming for a parent for sure. Being a 21^st Century mom I really have too much of Information filled in my social networking but I really miss out on the informal support which my parents had in the 20^th Century. It’s not because I don’t trust them it is just because I think a lot, analyse and want to give the best to my kid.

                The technology has a huge impact on mommy’s behaviour and their lifestyle. One of the live examples is blogging and social networking. Before the boon of the Internet the networking was live and direct only with the neighbours, family and the first hand information was got only from the family but now its all over the internet. The 21^st Century is completely evolving around the “OUT-Come” based whereas the 20^th Century was “Time-based”. Everything is   Research-driven and we are open to learn anything from anyone. Everything starting from the conception till the end is digitalised I can say. A baby born in the 21^st Century is digitalised.

                With the technology we have today, mothers literally do a lot for their babies, they go insane thinking too much and still they feel they are missing out something and fall into the guilt trap. There is an expectation set “My intuition is Right and I know and I will go by this parenting theory”.

Let’s have a look at how things worked on the 20^th Century and 21^st Century according to my perspective on various aspects.

Maternity Fitness:

                Earlier in the 20^th Century the maternity fitness wasn’t that noticed. Since India is a land of joint family and bonding the pregnant ladies would do lot of household work and would be fit and perfect but many of the mommies wouldn’t be aware of taking care of themselves. Those 9 months would go either by doing household chores and thereby gaining the needed strength to deliver the babies normally or at times remain idle and gain lot of fat leading to difficulties.

                Now in the 21^st Century, Once they know they are pregnant they willingly join maternity classes where the doctors and doulas themselves teach yoga and few fitness regime. New aged mommies are fully aware and educated about pregnancy and maternity phases and are better groomed with the necessary information. With the abundant  resources online many spread the word about workouts/ fitness stuffs to take care of themselves as well their babies with care and concern.

Maternity Fashion:

                Earlier the pregnancy fashion was considered to be conservative. The dress style was to conceal their bump. They would either wear saree to be in their comfort zone or wear a salwar khameez and hide their bump with the dupatta/shawl. Even at all they wear a jean they would wear a tunic top which would conceal the bump. Main goal is to conceal themselves in a billowy clothes.

                Now in the 21^st Century the main goal is to accentuate and feature their baby bump, look stylish and give all detailing of the bump they have. Even the top designers have come up with stuffs where the moms-to-be can wear and enjoy the 9 months as a fashion diva in these special months.

Parenting Resources:

                Earlier they would be in the form of books and not every mom-to-be would like to engage themselves in reading books. If I were a mom of the 20^th Century, I wouldn’t engage myself in reading books as I become tired of holding a book continuously. For the Resources either one has to own a copy of the book or go to a library to gain the resources. To access regarding the birth stories we had to depend on the elders of the home, neighbours who would have by then forgotten the crisp and minute details of their experience.

                Now we have everything on the internet, right from the birth stories, to the after care of delivering. Many bloggers write about their birth story and what all they do to induce natural labour which is scientifically proven.

Ultrasonogram / Scans:

With the advancement of technology we are in a position to find out the gender of babies and are even able to get highly defined 5D images of the babies in the womb. It definitely serves as an anti-anxiety therapy to the overwhelmed to- be-moms who could quench their thirsts about all the unanswered questions they go through because of  those stressful hormone surges. A Mom-to-be definitely do feel happy when her baby kicks, move around inside the womb but it takes her to a whole new excitatory stage when she can literally listen to the first heart beat and when she looks her baby moving legs/hands the joy is unimaginable. With the recent advancements if at all there is an issue in the baby’s growth or health doctors help to treat the babies intrauterine itself or can also plan an immediate surgery or needed interventions the next moment the baby jumps out onto our hands without much wasting the golden hours. Thanks to the Almighty and the technology for giving this happiness.

Precious Moments After giving birth:

                Earlier there was a condition only during normal delivery the mom was allowed to cuddle the baby as soon as the baby is born. Enjoy the baby crawl moments, golden hour, etc., even without knowing about it. This all happened only if the doctor had best knowledge about it and only if his school had taught about it.

                With the technology in hand a mom-to-be knows about the importance of baby-crawling, the relation between baby-crawling and latching, delayed cord clamping, golden hour, saying a big NO to formula feed unless the situation mandates the need, giving a birth plan to a doctor, latching, even at all there is a tongue tie, if at all there is a latching issue seek an advice of the medical practitioner, enjoy the same benefits with the C-Sec. Gentle C-Sec by getting partial anaesthesia where she can sense the baby coming out of her. With the resources in her hand she is able make herself ready to the environment.

Breastfeeding

                With the exploitation of formula milk and its undue marketing strategies in the late 20^th Century parents were forced to give formula thinking their milk supply was not sufficient. It would either be completely on formula feed or would be on a top feed. When the baby reached 3 months external solids like cerelac, oats porridges, juices were given to babies not thinking on the maturity of the guts. But now in this century moms know the importance of breastmilk, when to start solids, when to introduce water, why not to start solids before 6 months, etc. In the olden era mothers used to breastfeed atleast for 3 years and in the scriptures at least in Quran its written that its mandatory for a mom to breastfeed the baby till 2 years and it also has given benefits of breastfeeding which is now being researched by the scientists. ONLY because of breastfeeding antibodies are formed naturally and babies are able to fight. This concept is understood by all. Normalising of breastfeeding is understood and people are supporting to nurse their babies in public when situation arises in their comfort zone. Earlier in the 20^th Centuries moms used to run to the restrooms to nurse their babies but now NONE runs to the restrooms as they know Feeding is not a shame. Nursing in Public doesn’t mean we show the skin, it can also be done by being modest and being in the comfortable zone. We have techniques such as 2Tee-method, by using a cover, etc.

Babywearing

               

Use of infant carriers wasn’t welcomed by many in the 20th Century though the concept evolved in Asia and it was associated to poverty or transience attached for choice/necessity to attach the babies to their bodies. They felt how safe is the baby going to be in a cloth compared to the hand? But now in this century mommies feel comfy carrying their babies in a sling, wrap, meh-dai, soft structured carriers, what not? With the babywearing concept they nurse the baby in it, rock to sleep, smile, cuddle, relax, eat, sleep without fear of dropping the kid down. During the teething phase, sleep regression colic phase, babywearing is a boon!! With the babywearing a new mom can now enjoy almost all the exciting entertainments and outings. Even hiking is possible too.

Diapering

                Once the baby was born, cloth nappies were used those days on the bums but then due to the widespread marketing of the disposable diapers, it became a boon to the over-exhausted mommies who had to keep washing the soiled nappies several times a day to reuse them. But it was not only less safer than the cloth nappies to the gentle baby bums but also a curse to the environment. Mommies in the early 20^th century used to make cloth nappies where it would hold a pee and poop but doesn’t damage their clothing. After the disposable diaper entered the scene  the usage of homemade cloth diapers moved out of our homes slowly. In the 21^st century there are moms who use disposables 24/7 . There are night time diapers, daytime diapers with absorbent technology, criss-cross technology and a unique design for a gender and a different concept for gender. Gender inequality doesn’t play over here. The design is based on the anatomy of the sex. With the care and concern shown towards the environment as well as towards the babies modern cloth diapers are slowly drifting into the market and gaining positive popularity. Potty training is also done with proper research and at the right age.

Raising Healthy Kids:

                Making the kids eat is a tedious task when we force feed them. Concept of force feeding was practised and is still practised by the 20^th Century moms. The main concept then was a chubby baby believed  to be a healthy baby. But now with the resources the 21^st Century is able to analyse and find out that being chubby is not the essential factor for being healthy. Being active, sleeping properly, self-feeding and nursed when the kid demands it is healthy now. There is a concept of baby-led weaning where the baby decides when to eat and what to eat. By this method, kids eat a good variety of food compared to the force-fed babies and special care taken babies. My sister who is a doctor by profession used to say, when I was a mom-to-be  that when the baby nears his/her 1^st birthday the baby must be able eat his/her cultural food themselves. Even now only those who follow the research oriented concept believe in it rest follow the same old school of thoughts.

                Celebrating the First Birthday party is a business in this era they spend lavishly these days by planning theme parties. Earlier it was inviting close friends family members and the party was done within home but now with the advancement in the lifestyle and technology they seek help from event planners and make it like a marriage. But few do DIY stuff for their babies joy.

                Earlier or now whichever century it is, people followed one Rule, Make the child happy!! They followed moreover or less the same concept but practised without knowing the name of it. Now with the researches happening everyday, this century moms have a whole bunch of resourced information with them where they are able to know the name of the process and make it happen with full heart and clear mind.

                I am happy that I am a 21^st Century mom where I had an opportunity to research on these facts and keep myself updated and give my best in parenting. As I am a mommy of 1 year Old I am stopping with these concepts in which I have personal experience and confidence. Happy motherhood to all the new moms out there and I thank all the old aged moms without whom the now healthy and self educated Moms/moms-to-be society wouldn’t have been into existence !!