There are currently 7 responses to “Baby Wise”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

1. 1 On December 16th, 2007, Pat said:

   Just a gentle suggestion, but do you think that by NOT demand feeding you might have contributed to your child’s 10 % weight loss? Is feeding by your routine….which now includes the added extra tasks of pumping and supplementing really so much easier?

   Despite what you quote, that a world of pediatricians support the concepts found in “On becoming babywise”, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that “The best feeding schedules are the ones babies design themselves. Scheduled feedings designed by parents may put babies at risk for poor weight gain and dehydration.”

   The one size fits all advice recommended by Ezzo doesn’t take into account that mothers differ in their breastmilk capacity and storage, their rate of milk storage, and that babies differ in their metabolic rate and stomach capacity.

   Good luck to you as you try to find a solution that works well for you and your family.

2. 2 On December 16th, 2007, TulipGirl said:

   My son lost weight, too–and I struggled with milk supply. For us, it was actually related to Babywise. This isn’t uncommon. If you do want to breastfeed and use Babywise with future little ones, there are ways to modify it to make the liklihood of breastfeeding more successful.

   I trust your little one’s growth has picked up. . . it’s scary, isn’t it, when they lose weight when they are so young. . .

   Grace and peace,

3. 3 On December 16th, 2007, Christina said:

   Hi Julia,
   I just came across your site because I have an 11 week old who isn’t so great with sleeping (and he has colic), and my husband and I recently purchased Babywise because we’d heard that it worked for some of our friends. I have to tell you, as one new mother to another, that it is not a good thing. Not only did it make my baby more upset than he already was, but I came to find out that it is the only baby care book that the American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against in an official statement. It’s methods have been associated with failure to thrive, decreased milk production, and attachment disorders. My father-in-law is a pediatrician and told us that the practices endorsed by Ezzo and his co-author are completely age inappropriate for newborns. I really don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all; I am all-too-familiar with how hard it is to demand feed, as well as getting up ever hour of the night. But I just saw this and I saw how little your baby is on your ticker and I just wanted to share my own experience and what I learned. I’m not into attachment parenting or the family bed or anything like that, I’m just a new mother who wanted my baby to sleep better at night.
   Sources that I’ve found:
   http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1998/08/cov_06feature.html
   http://www.suite101.com/discussion.cfm/pregnancy_childbirth/58454

4. 4 On December 26th, 2007, PhotoJulia said:

   Thank your for your gentle suggestion. In my instance, my breast milk came in late and I wasn’t producing much milk. I found that out because my son’s weight from the Friday to Monday he had lost an additional 3 oz when I solely breastfed once my milk came in. After that appointment I started pumping 15 minutes after most feedings (average 8 feedings a day) to help increase my supply, but not much was expressed. The doctor recommended I breastfeed my son every 2-3 hours on one side until he started getting bored and then give him formula. I was extremely surprised to see how well he took to the bottle and how quickly he ate compared to when he solely breastfed. So far he also hasn’t had a problem going from the nipple to the bottle. My son has since surpassed his birth weight and is doing extremely well. As for my milk supply, I am still producing the same or less even after all the supplements and pumping, but I would never let my son go hungry. I am doing my best to feed my son and who knows…maybe I’ll have to go to formula, but for now he is getting some breastmilk and that’s what matters.

   As for Baby Wise, I started reading the book after my son was born. I have also been to a few Le Leche meetings as well. Right now I’m not passionate about one way of doing things over another, but my son does really well on a 2 1/2 or 3 hour routine feeding. Being a new parent is overwhelming and when I find information that helps me feel a little less chaotic I’m not going to pass it up. I may not take everything it says as gold, but it’s something to think about. No one knows everything about parenting because all children are different, so no matter what I read I will ultimately have to trust my instincts and use my better judgment.

   Thank you for your comment

5. 5 On December 28th, 2007, Hopeth said:

   Babywise is a lot more middle of the road on scheduled feeding than many people think. If you use the principles with common sense it can be a huge blessing to your children, parents, and babysitters alike.

6. 6 On February 4th, 2008, Desperate Granny said:

   My daughter-in-law used the Baby Wise method with her first child, a now-3 year old girl, and did ok.
   Now my son and daughter-in-law have had a little boy, born January 31, now 12 days old.
   We’re all American, but live in France.
   She only feeds him 6 times a day because he sleeps so much and he’s hard to wake up and she says its ok because he nurses longer than her daughter did (40 minutes as compared to 20).
   I came for the birth to help out and I can see the baby getting thinner and thinner, his chin has become pointy and he’s less and less alert. I know its normal for them to lose weight the first week, and they kept them in the hospital until he started to gain a bit of weight, but he seems to be thinner and thinner every day and she says that it’s because he’s growing longer.
   She doesn’t weigh him anywhere, considers French doctors to be idiots, and says that the Baby Wise method does not stress the importance of weight gain.
   I haven’t read the book, but have had 3 children and believed then, as now, that weight gain is important, no matter what this Baby Wise book says.
   I am here to help out and have snuck to the computer at 3am to research current US pediatric policy on neonate weight gain.
   I don’t want to be the wicked mother-in-law and have been careful not to say anything about this to my daughter-in-law as she is breastfeeding and doing what she feels is best for her baby, but I am becoming desperately worried about my grandson and his health.
   I feel like I’m watching a mushroom dry up on a plate and need to decide how to get her to have him weighed tomorrow.
   Proper nutrition is crucial to the cerebral development going on during these first few weeks of life, aside from everything else.
   I am happy to have found this website and the very helpful comments and links on this page.
   Best to all.
   Granny Jo

7. 7 On October 7th, 2008, Spam Blog and other stuff | archshrk said:

   [...] about a brand of reusable diapers and the owner offered me and my readers a discount code. My wife posted about a controversial baby book and got a lot of feedback within minutes. It’s called Google [...]

Leave a Reply