Mother of two Ms Violet Teo has a way to nip sibling rivalry in the bud.
The 33-year-old administrative executive breastfeeds both her children at the same time on occasion.
She said: 'When my elder boy sees how close his little sister is to me when I breastfeed her, he'll feel I love him as much as her when I breastfeed him too. It teaches him the concept of sharing.'
Ms Teo's son Davin is two years old and her daughter, Jeslyn, is five months old.
Even when Ms Teo was pregnant with Jeslyn, she continued to breastfeed Davin.
Asked if she experienced any difficulties breastfeeding Davin while pregnant, she said: 'My nipples and breasts were more sensitive then. My milk supply also dipped towards the end of my pregnancy as it changed to prepare for the new baby.'
Jeslyn was born premature at 33 weeks. As the newborn was too small to be breastfed, Ms Teo expressed her breast milk into bottles and bottle-fed her.
After one month, when Jeslyn had grown bigger, Ms Teo began breastfeeding her directly once a day to encourage her to learn how to coordinate suckling and breathing.
Ms Teo said: 'By her second month, she could latch on strongly and she could better coordinate her breathing and swallowing.'
Asked why she felt strongly about breastfeeding her children, Ms Teo replied: 'It's the best gift you can give your kids. Women can only breastfeed after delivering a baby.
'And looking back, you do save a lot of money.'
Ms Teo plans to nurse her children until they lose interest in breastfeeding.
That is still some way off for Jeslyn. On weekdays, she is bottle-fed breast milk eight times a day. On weekends and on weekday nights, MsTeo - freed from the needs of work - breastfeeds Jeslyn directly as and when she demands it.
She admits that returning to work while still breastfeeding was tough.
'Even if I have a lot of work to do, I still have to squeeze some time out to pump breast milk. It's like an extra item
in my work routine."
STEP-BY-STEP WEANING
At some point, milk just isn't enough.
After the first six months, a baby will need more than breast or formula milk to grow. The process of introducing solid foods is called weaning.
Ms Catherine Koh, senior dietitian at the National University Hospital's Dietetics Department, said: 'Weaning will provide the additional nutrients that is lacking in breast milk.
'It also allows the child to learn how to manipulate the different textures of food in the mouth.'
By six months of age, a baby will start to want other kinds of food and will likely indicate this desire by opening his mouth and leaning forward during meal-times.
Ms Koh suggests that a baby being weaned be introduced to foods low in allergens, like plain rice cereal, oatmeal, mashed sweet potato, apple puree and bananas.
Ms Christine Ong, chief dietitian at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, said: 'Commercial iron-fortified rice cereal is usually the first food to try as it's fortified with iron and can be mixed with milk to a smooth consistency.'
New food items should be given to the baby one at a time every four to seven days.
Ms Koh said: 'This will allow time for carers to watch for signs of food allergy or intolerance.'
Food textures can be gradually increased from roughly mashed, then finely chopped and finally to adult foods by the time the baby is one.
Ms Ong added: 'For families with a history of food allergies, it is advisable to avoid cow's milk until after the baby turns one and eggs until after the baby is two.'
Commercial baby foods can also be given to babies as long as the age-appropriate ones are given.
Ms Ong said: 'Nutrition-wise, there is no significant difference between home-prepared and commercially prepared baby food.
She noted that home-prepared food may be culturally unique, while allowing for variety and flexibility.
Ms Koh added: 'Bottled baby foods are convenient and useful for those going on holidays overseas.'
An important factor to keep in mind is whether the family has any food allergies, when the mother decides to stop breastfeeding or to feed the baby infant formula.
Ms Koh said: 'If cow's milk allergy runs in the family, the parent may want to consider soy formula.'
Ms Ong said: 'All infant formula in Singapore meet strict guidelines on nutritional content and ingredients so they are appropriate as supplements or alternatives to breast milk should mothers choose not to, or are unable to, breastfeed.'
This article was published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on August 21, 2008.
