Let me begin with an apology. This might be long.
My son is an active, intelligent, all-around wonderful 19 month old who loves solids and still nurses 2 times per day. But we had a rough start to breastfeeding. For the first 4 months of his life, he was a sleepy nurser. He was born into the 5th percentile, and despite frequent feedings and co-sleeping, he always gained a little less than he should have. I resisted supplementing with anything but breastmilk and refused to give rice cereal or 6 oz bottles at 4 months like the pediatrician suggested. I found a better pediatrician who was ok with his size, even though he fell off the weight charts by 6 months. By 12 months, he was happily nursing 7 or 8 times per day and loving solids. He'd also made it back up the 5th percentile. Fast forward to his 18 month check where he actually made it up to the 15th percentile!! (I'm totally done with worrying about his weight, but I was excited to hear this.) I'm sure it's because of all the solids he eats. He eats healthy food, but he can put it away!
So, my concern is that I was starving him in the beginning. I'm probably over-thinking things. I worry too much about stuff. But I can't help but wonder if I did the right thing. Was I starving him prior to a year by not giving solids early or formula ever? He always had plenty of wet and BM diapers. He's always met milestones. The current pediatrician believes he's just meant to be small...but since he jumped "all the way" up to the 15th percentile after he switched to mostly solids, I can't help but worry that he really wasn't getting enough calories from me. I might have another child in the future, and I'd love some feedback on whether I did the right thing, incase I have another sleepy nurser/slow gainer in the future
For anyone who is still with me after this not-so-short post...any thoughts?