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Behaviour/development

Sleep solids and milk

6 replies

LadyBear · 20/08/2009 11:15

Oh yes another sleep thread- I did check archives.but couldn't find one with exactly this question. DS is just over 7 months and a big chap at 23lbs. He's never slept through really until he started solids (at 25 weeks) and then only a couple of times. I wanted to wean him off breast in day as am having to return to work. Hv advised dropping milk feed mid morning which we've done. He now just has a bottle of formula in the afternoon, plus evening bf and early morning bf- plus now it seems late evening, 1 am, 4 am etc. He seemed to be awake for a coupe of hours last night gurgling and playing before escalating to crying. Is this just another phase or does anyone think he's not getting enough milk in the day? He's eating 3 times a day, healthy stuff, but also getting a bit constipated so don't want to up the solids too much.. thoughts appreciated!

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MrsBadger · 20/08/2009 11:33

sorry to tell you this, but babies whose bfs are cut down in the day often make up for it at night - solids or formula notwithstanding.
It's called 'reverse cycling' - dd did it when I went back to work. Although she was getting solids and EBM she wanted all the other elements of bfing too.
More info here.

You can ride it out, or try and up his milk intake during the day. I wouldn't try and push more solids at this stage.

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LadyBear · 20/08/2009 12:04

Ah cheeky buggers. He does love to bf thats for sure. I'm afraid I've never got on with expressing.Maybe I'll experiment with a bit of extra milk in the morning...
thanks though.

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MrsBadger · 20/08/2009 12:17

yeah, I'd put back that 11am feed even if it has to be formula.
IME HVs seem to be desperate to get them off milk far too early - it should be their main source of nutrition right up till 12m.

NB is there no chance of expressing at work? because you express instead of feeds it's a lot easier than trying to express as well, iyswim.

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LadyBear · 20/08/2009 12:35

Hmm yes I do swym, maybe I'll give it another go even if it only covers one feed. I am a bit bursting by the afternoon. And have developed lopsided boobs so look a freak. hurrah!

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oneopinionatedmother · 20/08/2009 23:20

the constipation may be caused by the formula - mine got shockingly bunged when i mixed her rice with SMA.

since then have weaned with veg puree & EBM...though isn't he old enough for boiled cows milk so long as his main drink is still BM? up the solids to increase the through-put, maybe? (mine gets three/four small veg meals a day now...) sure there's a weaning FAQ on here somewhere...

Expressing never worked for me with a pump, but by hand i found i could squirt with the best of them.

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LadyBear · 22/08/2009 21:54

hmm we've been using Hipp, but seeing as its only one feed and the rest is breast milk I thought it was more about the solids.. but maybe not. TBh actually I've been there with the whole pump/squirt thing and it just ain't really working for me. But am going to investigate if its the formula causing the bunging,thanks. Poor little fella is straining away to no avail.