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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Too much breastfeeding???

38 replies

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 19:22

Hello MN foodies !!!!

I have just got off the phone to my sister who is feeling rather deflated about her LO.

My neice is 8 and a half months old and very healthy. A real bonnie lass [proud emotion]!

My sister breastfeeds her when she asks for it which tends to be morning, lunchtime, afternoon and evening. My sister says she and baby like it.

Now the problem is little one will hardly eat any solids.

The health visitor and her friends keep getting on at my sis saying she needs to next to cut out milk altogether () but when she tried this little one has not eaten any more just cried and cried for milk and of course this made my sister feel depressed about the whole 'issue'.

I am interested - What do you think?

TIA

OP posts:

GiraffesMum · 27/07/2010 19:33

She is still really little! If it was me I would ignore the others and carry on bf as much as she wants and just see how it goes with food. All babies switch over from being milk to food "lovers" at their own rate and at the moment she wants more milk. This may change in another month, it may take another 3. As long as baby is putting on weight, healthy, etc IMO there is nothing to worry about. Is the HV worried about baby's health? Tell your sister not to compare her DD to others as they are all different. HTH x

Ps don't think you can over bf a baby. I've tried to make mine take more and failed!

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 19:54

HURRAY!!!!

That is what I said

I was like:

"Naaah, don't worry about it - she's alright and milk is sooooo sooooo good - peeerrrlease keep giving it to her as you are!" Then afterwards I worried that I was being a bit too bohemian in my outlook.

My dd is 4 and she has more portions of milk a day than the Health Visitor is recommending for my neice who is a baby !

I found it a bit worrying!

OP posts:

nightshade · 27/07/2010 19:56

quite common with breast fed babies. i know plenty of mums whose babies didn;t start eating until over one.

just keep offering food and look read up on baby led weaning as an alternative way of introducing solids.

MrsGravy · 27/07/2010 19:57

Doesn't sound like she's feeding excessively to me! My first child was formula fed by that age and had solids plus a bottle morning, afternoon and evening.

I was under the impression that a baby can do well on breastmilk alone for the first year. As long as she's happy, lots of wet/dirty nappies, gaining some weight etc then I wouldn't be concerned. And I'd just stop telling people about how much she is or isn't eating too...

I have a friend whose DS is still exclusively breastfed at 8 months and he's thriving. He's just not interested in solids yet. I don't think it's that uncommon at that age.

LeninGrad · 27/07/2010 19:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrspear · 27/07/2010 19:59

Oh I am so glad i am not the only one!
With me it is my mother, she disagrees with BLW and says he is not eating enough solids and should the feeding at mealtimes.

Very reassuring that i am not the one to dismiss this train of thought.

My DS is 9 months but early.

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 20:08

Thanks all!

Well she really likes her milk in the morning and then enjoys some mango for breakfast but the rest of the time she just throws food away from her. She hates it and my sister hates to see her like it (understandably so would I)!

I was wondering - Would you recommend keeping up the milk and mango and then just letting her play with finger food (not expecting her to eat it) for all other 'meals'?

OP posts:

UniS · 27/07/2010 20:22

food before one is just for fun.

If a baby is healthy and growing on what ever combo of milk and solids they are willing to eat then they are fine. we can put food in front of them but we can't force them to eat it.

That said- SOME babies will eat more solid food if they are given solid before milk, so start the day with toast THEN a BF, lunch being cucumber and cracker THEN a BF etc . Little by little increase the solid till you are happy they are eating enough to satisfy what criteria you have set for enough.

CMOTdibbler · 27/07/2010 20:31

I'd keep bfing on demand, and just offer her the same food that your sister is eating at any given time, and chill about it. As long as she isn't dropping massively off the growth charts, there's surely nothing to worry about.

At that age, DS was having a lot more milk than that - I can't remember exactly, but I know that he was still having 3 bottles of EBM at nursery, plus feeds morning, after nursery, bedtime and at least one in the night. As well as eating everything in sight

koeda · 27/07/2010 20:34

Maybe you could give your sister this book to read. I haven't started weaning my DS yet but it was a really interesting read and gave a lot of information on the concept of "food before 1 is just for fun". My main concerns were that my DS could be deficient in iron and/or vit D but I think that it's a gradual requirement that should be met by aged one, as opposed to something that is suddenly necessary at 6 months.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 27/07/2010 20:34

DS was 10lb 4 oz when born and barely touched solids until about 9 months, just nibbled a few bits. Eats like a horse now

Morloth · 27/07/2010 20:47

There isn't anything else she could give her that would be better.

DS1 only started trying things at around 8 months, he didn't really eat until way after a year.

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 20:51

This is really helping me organise my thoughts - thanks. I think I will e-mail this thread to my sister.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker - that is really reassuring.

koeda - That book looks very interesting indeed! Thanks a lot!

CMOT - My dd is still a (cows) milk monster and I don't think it is a bad thing. Milk has sooo much goodness in. I don't understand my sister's health visitor at all!

Unis - tee hee - I really can't say that to her because... EVERYONE keeps saying that to me about my dd. "She would eat better if she didn't drink so much milk in bed." But when you are laying in bed snuggling with a few books and listening to the radio a second glass of milk is such a lovely way of waking up in the morning with a cup of tea for Mum too of course!

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Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 20:53

"There isn't anything else she could give her that would be better."

Morloth - BRILLIANT!!!!

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Morloth · 27/07/2010 20:56

I often am, modest too.

ArthurPewty · 27/07/2010 21:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 21:02

OP posts:

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 21:08

LeonieDelt - That is sooooooo it!!! My neice is an excellent breastfeeder not a "terrible eater"!!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaxVwD-HvNU

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ArthurPewty · 27/07/2010 21:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

lovely74 · 27/07/2010 21:11

Def second the Baby Led Weaning book. I'm doing this with my DS and although he's been pretty enthusiastic about food the book has really helped me to not freak out over "whether he's getting enough".

TBH I prob offer breast feeds at the wrong times (ie too soon to meal times) as he is rubbish at taking water and I worry he'll get dehydrated. But, as long as they are being nourished and are allowed to experience food in all it's guises (ie lumpy, spicy, FOOD-Y tasting food) then in their own time they'll eat more and BF less.

thisisyesterday · 27/07/2010 21:12

what do i think?

i honestly think that 4 times a day is not much for a baby to be breastfeeding at 8 months!

milk SHOULD be the main source of nutrition for the first year at least, so your sister is doing absolutely fine and her baby is regulating her own appetite which is a good thing

look up a book called "my child won't eat" by carlos gonzales. it should set her mind at rest

slushy · 27/07/2010 21:16

Just to say my dd at 8month was feeding 10 times a day and had very little interest in food, now at 12 months she is much better tell her to ignore them. DD never dropped a centille and my HV said they are supposed to get 80% of their nutrients from milk and to compliment it with solids between 6 and 12months.

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 21:19

Thanks - I have just e-mailed this thread to her I hope it empowers her to really trust herself, carry on being a great Mum and ignore this non-issue!

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EightiesChick · 27/07/2010 21:21

Ignore this rubbish. My DS was exclusively bf till 6 months, and then I started solids but he really wasn't bothered for a good few months, then he got more into it. Funnily enough one of the foods he liked early on was mango. I would definitely carry on with the bf as it is and just offer some different finger foods and / or purees but not stress if they get rejected. It's not like your niece will go off to university still breastfeeding just because she still wanted it at 8 months! People get so weird about this.

Original poster

teafortwo · 27/07/2010 21:45

My dd breastfed until a year and a half. I was trying to remember exactly what her eating was like at 8 months. I think she basically ate fruit and drank milk for the first year of her life... The more I think about it the more of a none issue I find the whole thing! My neice is a healthy lovely girl and my sister is a fab Mum who is doing the right thing here!!!!

What is very sad is that it did knock her a bit and probably has knocked other women a lot.

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