DD has 3 meals a day. Breakfast at 7 or 8am, lunch at around 12, and then dinner around 5pm. Should I be giving her snacks too now? It seems a long time between meals. I tend to treat breastfeeds like snacks, she is still having a lot of feeds a day. But does BM still fill her up at this age, or is it more just like a drink??
Also, when will she start to drop BF's? She hasn't dropped any, probably because I'm always offering. But I'm so used to making sure she's having enough BF that it's weird to feel ok about her not having as much iykwim? If there's a day when she doesn't seem to drink much it still stresses me out and I try to get her to have more, lol.
ETA- don't know why my ticker isn't working but DD is 9 months old.
Last edited by Heaven; December 1st, 2009 at 10:01 AM.
I think individual babies eat more. DS2 has 3 solids meals per day and 4 bf's I very occasionally offer him some snacks, its one of those things u can take it or leave it I think. Even Noah who is 2.5yrs sometimes has a morning tea snack and other times doesn't he pretty much always has afternoon tea though.
I know what you feel about making sure she gets enough milk, I get worried too sometimes, I was offering these extra feeds that was me trying to fight Spence to take but he didn't want to have (I spoken to some friends and they were saying at this age he would probably be fine with 4feeds at this stage) and thats actually what Spence was trying to tell me himself. He was having an early morning say 5.30 six feed and then back to sleep and when he woke for breakfast instead of just trying to give him solids and he didn't want it also he has a bf at abour 5.30 and the dinner at 6pm and I was trying to top him up again at 7.00 for a last feed before bed..he didn't want that either. So I dropped those 2 feeds (which weren't really feeds because ds wasn't feeding haha) and all of a sudden I have 4feeds a day. I really like this because as much as I am loving breastfeeding I personally liek to know approximately when I'm feedidng and not having my boobs out all day long (I hope that isn't offensive I have NOTHING against lots and lots of smaller feeds all through the day)
It sounds like you are demand feeding so go with that if it works best for you, with ds2 he doesn't really demand feed because I think he is in a routine and he gets the food he needs when he needs it so I am kinda feeding him before he is demanding it. If he even does seem like he wants a feed I give it to him don't care what time it is etc.
My point is that do what works for you and what your dd is letting you know she needs, if she is telling you she doesn't need so many breastfeeds then feel secure not to give them to her, after all a baby who knows how to breastfeed, isn't sick etc isn't going to refuse a breastfeed if she's hungry. I know I was finding those 2feeds quite stressful because I was thinking what is wrong is ther no milk there? Why doesn't he want the milk and I know it seems simple now...I already filled him up, at the time you mind just races that bit.
You can offer snacks if you want but I wouldn't be concerned if she isn't asking for one and you miss a day or a week of snacks etc.
Heaven, as long as your DD is happy, healthy (and it sounds like she's thriving), I wouldn't worry. If it's working for you, there's no need to change what you're doing! My DD was still having about 5 bfs a day after she turned one, and you're three months shy of that yet.
Heaven, my DS is still having heaps of breastfeeds a day/night - probably still 8 in a 24 hour period (some are little snack-feeds, others are proper feeds)! I offer him breakfast and tea every day, but lunch is still a bit hit and miss because of his sleeps. I usually offer a snack too. On a good day he'll have three meals and two snacks... but that's pretty rare. I worry that he's not getting enough food - but he still has so many breastfeeds that I think that keeps him going.
Thanks guys!! I was worried bc I don't actually offer her snacks, just BFs in between meals. I think I'll just make sure in between meals if I'm having a snack I offer her some. I did that yesterday but she wasn't interested so maybe 3 meals is fine for her.
It's hard to get my head around the idea of her dropping feeds too. She's the same as your DS Sterla, at least 8 feeds a day still! More depending on how bad the night is, LOL. But I think it's the hot weather too. Sometimes she just has a drink for a minute and then she's off again.
I know - DS will have more sometimes too! I can't even imagine DS dropping feeds any time soon - if anything he is becoming increasingly interested in boobie and less interested in food!
pmsl, DD is getting more and more interested in booby too. I think bc now she knows where it comes from and can tell me she wants it. She thinks it's so funny she can just have it whenever she wants, LOL.
Lol Heaven! DS is exactly the same - and I'm convinced he is trying to say 'boobie' - cause he'll crawl over to me saying "ba ba" and then pat my boobs, lol!
I used to look forward to her dropping feeds and now I dread it because it is such a quick easy way to keep her hydrated, full, happy and occupied!
We are still having ~8 feeds in a 24hr period and 3 meals. Don't usually do snacks unless we are out and she is offered something (fruit, bread, rusk).
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Am I feeding her enough??
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