help please with a daytime feeding routine for breastfeed baby

[chilli77]

Hi, my baby is 6 months old, she is having 3 solid meals a day. Please could any breastfeeding mummies give me examples of there feeding routine for the day as mine is forever changing, and over the last few days she has not wanted milk at lunch time and tea time. Im worried that she is not getting enough fluid as she won't drink alot of water. I have been feeding as follows:
7.00 breast and breakfast
10.00 breast
1.00 lunch and breast
4.00 - 5.00 tea and breast
7.30.8.00 breast
plus a feed at 10.30
Im a first time mum and worry about everything!!! any help would be lovley.
Thanks

[SoupDragon]

Um... long time ago but

7am - breast
10am breakfast and breast
1pm lunch and breas
4pm breast
7pm dinner and breast
9pm or 10pm breast and bed

I always offered a breast feed after a meal having also tried water with the meal but didn't worry if they didn't take too much. They usually had some, if not much.

[frannyf]

Hi there, it sounds like she is having a lot of solids and it's probably filling her up so she doesn't fancy her milk so much. Some babies this age are only just trying their first tastes so don't feel she has to have 3 square meals a day.

As for the feeding schedule, can you not just feed her when she asks for it? I know it is all so worrying the first time round, but you and your baby really do know what is best, just trust yourself and her and it will all settle down! Good luck, and don't forget to enjoy it in between the worrying (why did they never tell us how being a mother makes you so paranoid?)

[trinityrocks]

Hi chilli77, It sounds to me that the routine you have written down sounds fine. I have a 5 month old dd and she is doing about the same. A couple of days ago she didn't really want a boob after her dinner and I worried a little(she is my 2nd) but I just offered it later and didn't become too anxious about it. Day to day our little ones will do different things and as they get 6 months older they will need slightly less milk. My dd doesn't drink much water but I always offer after solids and she usually has a sip or two. I think if your baby is contented then try not to worry about it (I know that is easier said than done)
Do you think that your baby really doesn't want the breast or is she being distracted (seems to happen easily at about this age), if so then could you feed her in the bedroom or somewhere very calm and quiet. It seems to me that you are doing a great job, keep offering water after solids and if you want to you could cut down slightly on the solids for a day or two just to see if baby wants the milk more then.
Keep smilling and try not to worry

[Sassafrass]

Becky is now 7 months and has the following food routine

6.30 breast followed by porridge with fruit puree
11.00 lunch, solids and fingerfoods
14.00 fingerfoods and breast
18.00 dinner, solids, both a savoury dish and fruit puree.
18.50 breast just before bedtime.

She's gaining weight really well on this and sleeps through the night.

[pootlepod]

Long time ago, but I found that offering a breastfeed away from solids was better, dd took more. So you could offer lunch (solids) at 12-1pm and then a separate breastfeed at say 2-3pm?

Would also agree that the solids are beginning to fill her up more. She will have also become a very efficient feeder so will get what she needs in a very short time. She will let you know if she is thirsty. Keep offering water, maybe try a different beaker or cup. My LO took to water at about 8 months. Also, check her nappies if you are worried that she is thirsty, if you use cloth it is easy, if you use disposables then I guess you can tell from the weight.

[chilli77]

Thanks for your emails, Im much more happier now, Alot of people have been saying to me that im always feeding her (MIL and my mum are saying that she should only be having milk maybe 3 time a day, but they bottle fed and I know that breast feeding is different) so the fact that she is still wanting feeding every three hours is right for a breast fed 6 month old isn;t it??? sorry but people have been getting on my nerves recently, I don't know anyone who has breastfed so it is kinda hard trying to explain to them. Sorry about going on. Just wanted reassuance as I read in the Baby whisperer that she should be on a 4 hour routine now, I did try but she hated it. So im glad to read that other ladies are doing near enough the same as me. Thats it , thanks for listening xx

[Pob71]

I am taking it really slowly with introducing solids with my ds as I do not want him to be one of the babies who supposedly "wean themselves" and what has really happened is that they were getting too much solids too soon.
he gets:
6am bf
9am bf and fruit/cereal (small portion maybe 50-75g)
12.30 bf and veggies or whatever (only a small like above)
4pm bf
then just as many breastfeeds as he wants evening and overnight (probably about another 3-4 feeds)

This is in line with the advice on Kellymom (really good breastfeding advice site). I will increase the food to 3 small meals around 9 months and keep it like that until he is a year (aiming for food being no more than 25% of his intake). Oh and I'll let him have a bash at finger foods too (hes tried rice cake but wasnt all that keen so far).

So dont worry, breastmilk is still the best food he can have and solid food is more for learning about tastes and textures.

[Pob71]

www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html#frequency

link to kellymom for you.