For this week’s discussion, you will practice doing a case study on the discussion board. This is the case study offered by the author in Chapter 2. Please read the entire case study. For your initial post, discuss 2 decisions/actions that Caleb’s mother makes and decide whether they are appropriate or not based on your readings this week. Once everyone has added their selected decisions/actions, you are free to comment on anything else in the case study or any post from a peer.

Caleb was born by standard vaginal delivery to a healthy 30 year old mother. Caleb’s mother decided while she was pregnant to exclusively breastfeed him for the first six months of life because she was familiar with the advantages associated with exclusive breastfeeding, such as reduction of illness and allergies, enhanced intelligence, convenience of feedings and cost savings. Caleb weighed 7 lbs at birth (25%ile), and gained weight appropriately for the first six months of life. At his six month check-up he weighed 18 lbs and was at the 50 – 75 percentile for weight.

Caleb’s mother chose to introduce pureed foods she prepared herself when Caleb was six months old. At this time he exhibited an interest in what his parents were eating, and had developed good head and neck control. She prepared sweet potatoes, carrots, squash and peas and pureed them in a food processor until they were a smooth consistency. She froze them in single serving portions in an ice cube tray. She introduced one food at a time, and waited three to five days between foods while observing Caleb for signs of food allergy. Gradually she added more foods to his diet, including chicken, turkey, beef, cereal, pears, peaches, and bananas. When Caleb was seven months old, he was offered a sippy cup with water at meals.

Caleb was developing fine motor control and was able to grasp foods and attempt self-feeding. His mother offered him small pieces of toast, Cheerios, cut up fresh melon, soft cooked carrots, French toast and pieces of cheese and turkey. He also began to eat cottage cheese and yogurt and a greater variety of foods from the family meal. Caleb continued to breastfeed but the number of feedings per day began to decrease as he increased his intake of complementary foods.

Caleb was breastfed without any supplemental formula until he was 13 months old, when he was offered whole cow’s milk by cup. By one year of age, he had gradually transitioned from an all milk diet in the first six months to a mixed diet of breast milk and pureed foods and finally to a diet of family foods including a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains, meats and dairy.

What did Caleb’s mother do correctly?

When answering this discussion question, you should support your opinion with credible references/resources that assist you in stating your point of view. The links in the RESOURCES folder can be a great starting point for additional references. Be sure to cite your sources.