----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Shvartsman"

> I am expecting a son in less than 1 week!

Congratulations!   I can tell it's panic time.  Just kidding......sort of.
<g>  First babies are a real learning experience of what to do and what not
to do.

> we plan to breast feed for as long as possible (of course)

The breast is best!  The first hurdle for your wife is going to be
sore/tender/painful breasts when her milk comes in.  It can be pretty acute
with a first born and can interfere with the nursing process.  But it will
pass.  I hope she's read up a lot about breastfeeding, how to do it, what to
expect.  To minimize sore nipples and to facilitate the nursing process for
the baby, have her make sure the baby gets a good "latch" on the nipple
*and* areola.  Feed on demand, not by schedule.  Breastfed babies nurse more
often than bottle babies.  A typical newborn will nurse every 1 1/2 to 2
hours.  This will vary some (and the time between feedings will lengthen as
the baby grows).  *Don't* use a pacifier!  That can interfere with milk
production.  The more the baby nurses, the more milk that's produced.  Every
so often, usually several weeks apart, your baby will have a day where it
seems like all he will want to do is nurse.  Let him.  What he is doing is
naturally increasing the amount of his milk supply to keep up with his
growth needs.

And, yes, do breastfeed as long as possible.  I nursed my second-born for
almost 24 full months.  The third-born for right at 22 months.  Their
preference for nursing had dwindled down to short sessions a couple of times
a day, so the time seemed right to wean them.  Email me if you have
questions/problems.  Will try to help.

> When should real food be introduced?

You've got months to go before this happens.  No need to sweat it now.  Just
my opinion but Mother Nature doesn't intend for babies to eat solid food
until they get teeth!  Not necessarily just the first two in front for
biting but maybe the first molar for grinding.

Following the dr's advice with my first-born, I was giving cereal at 6
weeks.  Unbelievable, isn't it?!!  Frustrated baby w/ a frustrated young
mother.  That nursing experience was doomed from the start.  My 2nd got his
first taste of table food at 7 months.  My 3rd about the same age.

> What type of food? When should meat be introduced? Should different types
of
> meat (beef, poultry, fish) be introduced at different times?

No need to rush a lot of foods on the baby at once.  Introduce one at a time
and give each at least a couple of weeks before introducing another.  This
way you can monitor if there's a problem with a food.  Breast milk should be
the primary food, everything else supplemental.  Eggs are potential
allergens.  Wait until the baby is older before introducing them.  IIRC, my
last two were about 9, maybe 10, months old before I gave them meat and
about a year old before they got their first soft-poached, mashed-up egg.

> I would especially appreciate any tips on baby food preparation and advise
> from your own experience rasing a child on a Paleo-style approach.

My children weren't raised paleo as we call it, but the second two never had
a jar or box of baby food in their lives.  They did have rice cereal from
brown organic rice that I ground myself in a blender and then cooked.  And I
made homemade yogurt for them.  I know you won't be doing either of these,
but baby food of every sort is very easy to make.  Generally, cook as you
would for yourself (steamed or in a small amount of water), minus any
additives such as salt and spices (also, I did not add any oils/fats--the
only fat they got was from my milk).  A blender or food processor works
well.  I also had a small food mill/grinder that could be used at the table
to puree/grind food.  Look in the baby dept. of a store and see if you can
find one.  Tom and Alex are right that mothers used to pre-chew food for
their babies.  My mother told me this with my first-born.  Grossed me out at
the time, but there's no need to be squeamish about it or avoid doing it.  I
did it a few times when my babies got a little older and started reaching
for things on the table that needed a little toddlerizing to help them
manage it.  My thinking now is that there's probably a lot of benefit to it
since digestion starts in the mouth.

Personally, I would not recommend feeding raw meat to a baby.  Too many
potential pathogens.  Even grass-fed/range meat is commercially prepared and
could present a problem.  Raw honey is another no-no.  But, really, your
baby doesn't need any sweets at all other than what is naturally present in
the whole foods you give him.  Don't go overboard on fruits (more veggies,
less fruit), and juice is plain junk food, just concentrated sugar and
overload acid that can tear up a baby's tummy and cause a sore bottom.

--Would be extra nice for your baby's first meals of colostrum and then
first milk if mom has a natural childbirth w/o pain meds/anesthesia.  Hard
labor pains should never last more than a minute each (thank gawd!) which
makes them endurable with the right frame of mind and good breathing
techniques.

I had my first one in the traditional allopathic--the dr's in control
here--method and wound up hospitalized for a week with severe endometritis
contracted because somebody or many examined me with dirty hands.  I went
home from the hospital still too sick to care for my baby.  Would have died
in the old days.  I had my second au naturel 10 years later in the hospital
and checked myself out a few hours after the birth.  My last one I had at
home 3 years later with the help of a mid-wife and a veterinarian!!!  No
kidding.

Again, the best to you, your wife, and baby!  Let me know if I can help.

HTH,
Theola