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For those who demand feed... How did you go with milk feeds once your baby was eating solids? Did you drop some BFs? Or did you still feed frequently throughout the day?
I still BF Cooper approx every 3 hours (about 5 feeds per day) but he's not eating solids that well yet. My MCHN suggested offering solids before BFs now. And I'm wondering if I should be dropping down to 4 hourly feeds now?
I'm a bit confused. I don't want to be filling him up too much on milk do I???
Hi,
You need to do what feels best. Just know that babies get their main nourishment from milk (breast or formula) until they are 1yo, so solids aren't the most important thing for them to be eating so to speak.
If its a hot day, he'll want more boobie, so might not be so interested in solids. This is OK.
Go with the flow, and with what feels right.
But can BFs every interfere with solids? I mean he needs to learn how to eat?
I never know quite what to do. I feel like I'm often stuck between demand and routine!!!
So people who demand feed, they may still be feeding up to 5 times per day even beyond 12 months old?
Fee - As Fi has pointed out at this age babies main nourishment still comes from your breastmilk, hence why we still have to offer a milk feed to our babies before solids as you don`t want them to fill up on solids and then take very little milk or none at all because they are too full. Give Cooper time he will learn to eat but before 12 months his breastfeeds are still very important, give him time and he will learn his new skill of eating, at the moment it`s more trial and error with solids, it can take up ot 10 times off offering the same food before they decide they like it.
I demand fed my boys, Matthew was demand fed till 14 months and yes there would be days that I`d feed him more then 5 times a day, with Adrian - he doesn`t sleep well at night and can be up 8 times, he has a breastfeed each time he`s up and during the day he`d have at least 6 breastfeeds, at the moment he`s only on 1 solid feed - he`ll often have a BF at 11.30am then I leave him for 30 - 60 minutes then offer him his solids.
Breastfeeds didn't drop a great deal here (we still have 5 or 6 main feeds, and even some comfort snacks!). Majority of the time he was b/f first, then solids. I think he was enjoying solids as something new to do, and as an imitation thing coz we do it. Not so much coz he was hungry (in the beginning anyway)
I think the general guidelines are to offer solids before b/f after 9 months or so?
Hi Fee, after introducing solids, some days they bf more, some days they bf less, I have never bother counting, just like i would never count how many times I had a drink or ate something myself.
I always offered a taste of something new off my plate each meal, a new veggie one day, a new fruit the next, if she liked it I gave her more, if she didn't I tried something else. Before or after a breastfeed really doesn't matter at this age, what is more important is that your baby gets as much bm as he needs so he grow a strong healthy body and mind. You can never give too much bm, it is so perfect for your baby and so important for them as they get older and start exploring the world.
With my first baby I prepared special meals, careful to introduce a new food only every third day, I almost went down the same way with my most recent baby. But after having a good think about food, babies and families I realised that in the past, women wouldn't have made or bought special foods for babies, they would have just given a bit of whatever they were eating. Some babies eat large amounts of solids soon after 6 months, others just like to get a taste for a food.
Every baby is different, follow your heart, don't worry about rules.
fee i have fed all of mine on demand, i always offered breastfeed first as others have said breastmilk is their main source of nourishment until 12 months. i still feed on demand actually, whenever oscar asks he gets a bf. it never effected his eating and eats really well now and lots of different things. don't worry about how many feeds just keep offering and then offer a bit of solids after. he and you will get the hang of it.
good luck, beckles
You girls are right. I don't know why I'm worrying so much. I'm one who oftens tells other that BM is the main source of nutrition!
I'm going to keep offering BFs first. At least up until 10-12 months and then I might think about swapping them around.
Am I hoping to drop a few BFs later down the track though. But I'd like to keep BFing past 12 months.
I'm just coming back to this thread. How do people demand feed when they have to go back to work?
I'm going back 3 days per week in June (Cooper will be 11 months). So I've been thinking I need to cut back the BFs a little? I hope to express while I'm at work but I was thinking he may just need 3 BFs per day at that age? I can then express the lunch time one.
Then on days I'm not working I can still BF him as much as I won't? This won't confuse him at all? So he will only get 3 BFs some days but other days as many as he wants?
Thats a great question Fee cause I've wondered the same thing, I'm not going back to work til July 30th, Ashleigh will be 10.5 months then and I'll be doing 5 shifts/ fornight But I've been wondering how it'll work just like you mentioned. Ash is still having 7-8 feeds/ day at the moment. I don't know what she'll be doing by the time I'm due back but I want to still demand feed on days off and hope I can work something out for days I am at work.
Fee, I dealt with the same thing (going back to work and infant-led feeding). I first was able to fit in work hours around her (two afternoons a week from about 7-9 months of age). Since Jan she's been going to my gf for a day a week and was at that stage having 4 bfs a day (first thing, b4 morning nap, b4 afternoon nap and b4 bed). I would bf her when I dropped her off and try to get back straight after her afternoon nap if I wasn't able to leave b4 then. She would then have a much-wanted bf to make up for the missed one. But I don't think it wasn't infant-led, since she didn't have any trouble going down for a nap and didn't seem to miss me at all. Now she's dropped the morning nap one (and almost the nap as well) and will sometimes want one when I pick her up, sometimes not. I'm able to leave her until about 4:30pm without hassle. Some days at home she has missed the afternoon feed as well.
Personally, my approach was to try to get her to bf around my times, so that I wouldn't need to express (plus, I had multiple bouts of mastitis when she was little and didn't want to take a chance on that one...). I was a bit concerned at first, in case she got desperate for me, but it didn't eventuate. She's happy to eat and drink other stuff while I'm not around and is so busy playing with the kids she barely notices I'm gone.
I went back to work 3 days a week in Feb when Riley was 8 1/2 months old. I send water to FDC with him and feed him just before he goes (8am) then when we get home (3.30) and then as he wants through the night etc and on my non working days. This has worked well for us and my supply has been great (prob. due to the fact he wakes every 2-3 hours for a feed during the night)
The clinic sister wants me to go to Tresillian about the sleeping and to get him to 3 feeds a day, will this affect my supply?
Christine - I would think it would affect your supply, in that it would just drop down to supplying the 3 feeds a day iykwim. 3 feeds a day doesn't seem to me to be enough when it's meant to be their main source of nutrition until 12 month?? (but that's just me). Personally, I reckon if the waking in the night isn't bothering you, I'd just let things ride out. Sounds like what you're doing now works just fine :)
Thanks Liz, I think sometimes I just need support/ back up that I am doing the right thing. Since my mum died and i don't have any sisters I feel like I lack female backup sometimes.
Sorry to hear about your mum :( I would be the same if I lost my mum... no other female rellies (inlaws - but by NO means the same). Remember there's plenty of female backup right here on BB :)
Well I followed Cooper's lead yesterday and he only had 3 BFs ... 6am, 12pm and 6pm. He seemed pretty happy.
And last night I tried expressing for the first time and found it pretty easy. So I guess when June rocks around it should be easy for me to express the lunch time feed and send the EBM to childcare with Cooper.
I had to sit back and really think how many feeds Nate has in a day.He's 10 months tomorrow (sniff sniff) and is well and truely into solids but is demand feed booby.
Our routine is really dependent on what time we get up, how long a sleep he has during the day and if we go anywhere, sometimes he's up around 4am other days closer to 6am.
For a 6 am stay at home day
He will:
6am BF
7.30am Breaky (2 Weetbix) sippy cup water
9.30 BF sleep
11-12 quick sip, lunch (sandwich, yogurt and/or fruit) sippy cup water
1.30 sleep
2.30-3.30 BF, yogurt or fruit and/or biccy
5-6pm dinner (what ever I have cooked)
7-8pm bath boob and bed
So about 4.5 feeds a day on average at 10 months. I have four weeks of prac coming up and it will be interesting to see if my supply drops as I will be out of the house and away from my babies from 7 ish till 4 ish I was thiunking since it will be highly likely that I will be up still around 11-12 I should express then so he has my milk for the middle of the day. DH is no help there he wants his booby's back and reckons I should just give it away as he will nearly be 12months anyway. More fool him because I have no intentions to stop at 12 months.
Well I'm still doing 3 BFs a day now and Cooper seems happy. So I guess I'm really "routine feeding" now.
Oh well...
Wish I didn't have to go back to work and then I wouldn't care and would just BF him whenever.