how much milk does a 7mo really need?

[HazleNutt]

I have some issues with my 7mo - I work full time and therefore can only BF mornings, evenings and nights. He's feeding less and less, recently he's not interested most mornings.
He is a bottle refuser and it's very difficult to get any expressed milk in him, will take 2-3 oz maybe if I'm not there. Absolutely refuses formula. We have tried all the bottles out there, including sippy cups, normal cups - nothing.

So my question now is, should I worry if he's getting enough? He eats well, but you always hear that milk should be the main part of the diet until they are a year old.

[tidyupandeatyourgreens]

Hey HazleNutt - I think if you were giving a full feed morning, evening and during the night that should be enough (a minimum of 18 oz is recommended after 6 months I think, so that would be like three 6oz bottle feeds). But I guess your concern is the lack of interest in the morning.....My dd2 is 7 months old too and is getting fussier and less interested too and my milk supply has gone down dramatically the last few days (she won't even feed on left breast and I can't express anything). I think it might be the beginning of the end of us which I'm sad about. I've been wondering if my dd2 is eating too much in the way of solids (she's on 3 meals a day, spoon fed) and rejecting the milk? It's such a tough balance isn't it....I also give one bottle of formula at bedtime and she wolfs that down....

It sounds like he might be making up for the milk feeds in the evening and at night so I'm sure he's fine but it's probably really tough on you especially working full time? Does he have lots of wet and dirty nappies and do you go to get him weighed?

I don't have much advice to give on introducing a bottle (I did it from 2 weeks old at the late feed) but wondering whether he's genuinely hungry in the night and whether feeding lots at night may be putting him off the morning feed? I understand how stressful it is because you just don't know how much they are getting when being breastfed....

I'm sure someone will be along with some good advice and I will watch with interest. Good luck and hope things improve, I think I might post about my situation too. x

[laughingeyes2013]

My health visitor told me 21 ounces is more than enough after 6 months.

[laughingeyes2013]

For what it's worth mine is 8 months now and has been completely disinterested in the morning feed, taking about 3 minutes on each side. Someone suggested to me that they've become so efficient at drawing milk off quickly by 6 months that the timing of the feeds massively reduces.
He has reflux and when he vomits after just 3 minutes there is LOADS! So I'm thinking it could be true.

[HazleNutt]

thank you - yes that's the thing, it's difficult to judge how much he's actually taking from breast. Plenty of nappies and always been 50th percentile for weight, so should be fine from that perspective.

I wonder though if and what nutients he might be missing if he has more solid food and less milk than recommended?

[laughingeyes2013]

Funny, I am in the same dilemma. Sounds like we have similar babies, except I am combined feeding and mine will take formula. I think he accepts it because he still gets his preference in between as well!

I keep telling myself that he won't eat his food if he's had loads of milk, but that if he eats too much then he won't have room for the milk.

I think that's why the weaning guidelines say to still give milk as the main form of nutrition for the first year. And actually, I've been surprised at how many times mine will wolf a bottle of milk and then eat hungrily as though he has only had a thimble full of milk!

I think sometimes they use it to fill then up and other times as a drink like we'd have with a main meal.

[crazykat]

My first three DCs had pretty much stopped having milk during the day by 7/8 months. They'd only have it at bed time and once in the night. IIRC they had between 12-18oz depending on the day.

I tried to give them a varied diet and a vitamin supplement to make sure they were getting what they needed. It's not ideal but the alternative is forcing them to take the milk which is impossible.

[crazykat]

One of the main things is to ensure enough vitamin D. I was told by my GP that its now recommended to give babies vitamin D drops from six months unless they're having 18oz of formula per day due to the rise in rickets cases (formula has vitamin D whereas if the mother is vitamin D deficient the baby won't get enough).

I've always given vitamin drops when they started dropping milk during the day to make sure the get enough vitamins and minerals.

[HazleNutt]

thanks, he's getting vit D already. Or did you give multivitamins?

[TheScience]

The 17-20oz minimum guideline is just for formula fed babies - breastfed babies do tend to have less as breastmilk composition changes as they get older.

[QuietlyWingingIt]

I came on here to ask exactly the same question. I am going back to work for just two days a week in a fortnight's time and I've been procrastinating about whether to drop some feeds.
DS is bf and Blw. He has a really good appetite and has always been on 91st centile or above for weight.
He only feeds four times a day and once at night and the two middle of the day ones are usually very short. He has taken to biting me almost every feed which makes me think he doesn't really want it!
Am thinking about dropping the midday and 4pm feeds but I don't know which to drop first or if I should just go cold turkey on him!
I know that sounds harsh but a few weeks ago he was still feeding every 90 minutes over night and I decided that enough was enough. By the second night he only woke up once and we are all much happier!
Bizarrely by writing all this down I think I might have answered my own question...