Helpful Tips for Feeding Your Surrogate-Born Miracle

Hello, Intended Parents. If you are reading this article then you are probably thinking about using a surrogate, you might already be having a baby through surrogacy, or maybe just doing your research.

Physician’s surrogacy is located in San Diego, CA, and has been helping couples and individuals to build their perfect family for more than 20 years. We assist couples through successful surrogacy journeys.

Bringing your baby home for the first time will feel like crossing the finishing line of a marathon. But your journey doesn’t end there. Throughout the entire surrogacy process, it’s important to prepare for the next chapter: Parenthood.

Now that you are going to be a new parent or just adding another child to your family, you will need help on what to do with your new loved one – how to feed them, what to feed them, and when to feed them.

Today we’re going to discuss transitioning your child from breast milk or formula to regular food and when will be the best time to make that transition. We’ll also discuss how it will increase your baby’s ability to function during the day.

Here are a few helpful tips for making the transition to regular food easy:

Encourage your surrogate to eat a well-balanced diet

This may not seem important, but we have found that if a surrogate follows a healthier diet, the baby will be more interested in healthier and more nutritious food. Encourage your surrogate mother to eat more veggies, cook their food and choose organic options whenever possible.

Some Intended Parents offer a monthly allowance to their surrogates to make sure that they eat organic foods. Even though this may seem a bit excessive, you might want to consider this for your surrogacy journey. Paying a little extra attention to make sure that your surrogate feels encouraged to eat and prepare healthy foods, will go a long way towards the food interests that your baby has.

An Important thing to note is, if you have decided to feed your baby with your surrogate’s breast milk during the first few months of life (until 6 months) then it will be necessary for your surrogate to maintain a healthy diet during the time she is pumping. That’s because babies soak up every nutrient from breast milk, which comes from the rich foods that are eaten during the production of that milk.

Make your own baby food

Being a parent is a full-time job, so it can be hard to find time to cook your own meals let alone a meal for your baby. We’ll there’s some good news, making your baby’s food fresh will help eliminate many of your issues later down the line when you want your child to eat their vegetables.

So, the question is “How do you do this?” Try blending your baby’s food! There are many online resources for various recipes depending on the age of the child, and they break it down into what types of foods should be made for them and at what times to do so.

Speaking of homemade baby food, it will help develop your child’s palate. Make sure to blend carrots, apples, greens, and the like to prepare their food.

Look for signs that your baby might be interested in your food

At 5 -6 months of age, your baby may start taking an interest in what you are eating. It is important to actively listen to and watch your baby. This can tell you a lot about them.  Much like you, they also show interest in a variety of things or have reactions to things. One day your baby might see you eating a pastry or a tasty pork roast that you just made and will start eyeing your food. If they start making noises, waving at you, or pointing those little fingers at your food, then it’s a hard sign that it is now a good time to start introducing solid food to your little one.

Finalizing the transition

The transition to solid food for an infant is a discovery period. You will still need to feed them their breast milk or formula throughout the day to supplement until your child decides they are done with milk.

You’ll know when this happens, it’s usually around the 1-year mark. At the one-year mark, the baby has enough calorie intake through their solid foods. Some parents get tired of nursing their children and wean them off nursing earlier just because they are tired of the process. This is not frowned upon. However, make sure to give your child breast milk for at least 6 months. Studies show great benefits to their health.

Make it fun

Transitioning to solid food is a great time in your baby’s life. Make it fun for them by providing awesome and kid-inspired utensils! Although you might not be able to take them away even when they grow a bit older!

If you still have questions on how to start your surrogacy journey, we’re here to help! You can visit us or call us at (858) 345-3273 to schedule a free consultation.