Breastfeeding at 12mo +, how many feeds? - quick survey!

[Sl1nkyMalinki]

Hello

My 13mo DS is an absolute boob monster. He LOVES it. Currently he demands:

1. Pre breakfast around 7am
   
2. Pre nap (likes to feed to sleep - but who wouldn't?!) around 11am
   

1. Very short (5 mins on one side) pre bath feed around 6pm (probably to make up for missed afternoon feed).
   
2. Feed to sleep at bedtime 7pm
   
3. A night feed anytime between 2 and 5am.
   

He has also been known to demand bm between 11-12pm when teething/ill.

At this age my dd had been encouraged to drop the first thing in the morning feed, afternoon and pre bath feeds. We night weaned her at 14 mo and she self weaned at 18 months. We had absolutely no resistance to any of these dropped feeds but I'm struggling to convince DS that "mummy milk is for later" etc. I just don't think his understanding is at the same level as DD's was. Even my mum who is normally my greatest supporter is making noises about how much he feeds, feeding to sleep etc

Am I doing this all wrong? How much do your babies feed?

[Dozer]

Really glad to have found this thread! Dd2 turned one yesterday and am trying to completely stop breastfeeding (returning to work, mild pnd, exhausted after nearly 4 years of pregnancy, lack of sleep and feeding). Left to own devices she would feed at morning nap time, afternoon nap time, bedtime, 11pm-ish, 2 am ish then continuously after 5am. Wake up every day feeling hungover and dehydrated.

I co-sleep and would like to continue this. Have always fed her to sleep. Going to try the Jay Gordon, but like secondrow DH needs to get set to help! He's been spoiled by a whole year of me doing all the night work. Love the story about the DH giving a bath in the night, he should get brownie points for originality!

Yesterday eve, after a hectic day of hosting the in-laws for dds1st birthday, I downed 2 big glasses of red wine (I don't normally drink), and this and my reducing milk supply (have been pushing beaker in the day) seems to have made dd really cross all night, DH gave her a beaker and she gulped some cows milk down and settled, hurray!

Catdoctor - the jaygordon still emphasises cosleeping, or your partner could co-sleep and you move into another room for a couple of nights?

[catdoctor]

This is really interesting - anyone else co-sleeping?

DS 13mo now, I've gone for no feeding during the day as went back to work at 7mo - I used to go to nursery for lunch feed till around 10mo then no boob at all during day. so now...

7pm, 10pm (when we go to bed together), usually early hours, then around 6am

My problem for the future is that feeding and co-sleeping so linked, not sure how to convince him to take less at night. Also would like another one and I'm 43, no periods yet! Ideas gratefully received!

[butternut234]

so nice to see this thread, I've been wondering the same thing.

My 13 month old feeds

7am (depending on when he last fed in the night - if 40 mins prior then no feed now)

to sleep for morning nap

to sleep for afternoon nap; resettled with another feed if a short nap

will ask for some late afternoon (points to chest and goes 'that, that, that' :) ) but will only be on for about 3 seconds before a toy catches his eye usually - may have more if he didn't need resettling at a nap so has had fewer feeds up to this point

to sleep at night

approx 7 times overnight...

am going to embark on gentle nightweaning soon, so am wondering how he will go after that as he pretty much ONLY feeds to sleep, but does it rather a lot. Am also wondering how I will go - when will we have cuddles? He's on the go all the time except for when feeding to sleep!

[Sl1nkyMalinki]

This thread makes me feel so much more normal
Hope you get your 5 year long service medal Mitford, or at least a serious bra shopping spree!

[choceyes]

My DD is 12.5 months and feeds:

When I am around during the day I put her to the breast whenever she is upset or unsettled, so countless times I guess!

When I am at work she feeds morning, lunchtime, at about 4pm, 6pm, then I feed her to sleep, then at about 11pm and about once or sometimes twice between then and getting up for the morning.

[FutureNannyOgg]

DS is 12 months and feeds:
pre 7am, quite a lot
mid morning pre nap
mid afternoon pre nap
sometimes a little just before tea at half 5ish
Before bed at 7.30
a little bit at about 9-10
Some, sometime in the middle of the night, no idea how often, I usually just wake up and realise that at some point I have brought him into bed to feed.

[TheMitfordsMaid]

I'm hoping for a bloody medal. I've been breastfeeding since 2006, and if DS2 weans when DS1 did I've only got a few months left. I noticed today that he is starting to bite at my nipple and feed frequency has increased, which is what happened with DS1 just before he self-weaned. I really, really want to make it to October and my 5 year anniversary!

[Sl1nkyMalinki]

Here's to 2013!

I'm wondering if we get some sort of medal for long service?!

DS is poorly still today so I envisage being up all night again. Oh good...

[weasle]

My ds3 is 15m.

He feeds on waking about 7 am,
10ish
fed to sleep for nap 11.30ish
on waking 1ish
mid afternoon
fed to sleep at bedtime
fed on waking at night, 5-10 times/night

he eats reasonably well, is very active.
I've had enough of all the night feeds TBH, but with 2 oher ds I don't have time to fight it and be up all night with a distressed screaming baby. DH not much help. Oh well, it won't be forever. I see 2013 as a good year socially and sleepwise for me!

[WoTmania]

DD is 2.6, often starts the night in her own bed (often nursed to sleep_ then comes through 3ish, and nurses on-off til we get up. She nurses on demand (although I occasionally defer)y. If she sleeps in the day it usually is when she's nursed to sleep.
If she's ill or tired or upset (or bored) nursing cranks up again.
I would add, if it doesn't bother you ignore the comments - easier said than done -

[Sl1nkyMalinki]

DS has had a day in heaven - attached to the boob pretty much since 3am. If he wasn't obviously feeling so rotten I'm sure he'd be enjoying himself!

There goes the night weaning for a bit again

[SecondRow]

Oh yes Slinky, a cold was another one of my excuses reasons actually, DD had a stuffy/runny nose for a good couple of weeks which conveniently followed directly on the last lot of teething... so path of least resistance it was, again! Hope your little fella doesn't get too miserable with it.

[RitaMorgan]

I night weaned ds at 8 months - he's only had a feed in the night a handful of times since... and yet I still get up to him most nights! At least it's usually quite quick though.

[Sl1nkyMalinki]

Wow! I'm so...speechless actually that so many of us are still doing lots of feeds with older babies.

I'm also hanging on for the magic 3 feeds and no getting up in the night!

SecondRow, I think you will know in yourself if that first night goes badly whether or not to continue the night weaning. I've bottled it with ds for now but dd got it that first night.

Today I have gone back to doing the afternoon feed. I still offered a beaker of milk after lunch which he had a little of and then he had a lovely feed with me. Unfortunately he's gone to bed with all the signs of a cold coming on - typical!

Thanks so much for sharing :)

[SecondRow]

Also reassured by this thread. Especially by KD0706 and AngelDog - this is exactly what I would love to happen. Morning, afternoon and bedtime feeds, and no night wakings! We can dream...

Slinky, thanks. Roping DP in to do the night weaning training is what's held me back from seriously trying so far. I make excuses for all of us - DP is working, he needs his sleep, baby is teething/hungry/needs to feed for comfort, I am wrecked and groggy in the middle of the night and it's too difficult to be consistent... well some of them are genuine reasons not excuses. I showed DP the Dr Jay Gordon method and he was non-committal so we've left it for now, going on holiday tomorrow so all attempts at imposing routine are futile, but come September I'll be hoping for that magic 13 month turning point!

[Paschaelina]

Boy has 4 BFs per day and 1 bedtime bottle of EBM aged 11.5mths. I want to try phasing out the late morning feed, leaving early morning, late afternoon and last thing at night (I really love this one, in the dark, sleepy and sometimes a bit giggly, totally relaxed with no fidgeting - bliss )

[AngelDog]

DS was similar KD0706's DD in that he suddenly and without intervention dropped most night feeds at about 13 months (he went from 3-5 feeds/wakings a night to just one). His feeding frequency changed a lot at 16 months though as before then he didn't 'ask' for milk. Before then he fed quite a lot less!

[Whyriskit]

I like this thread, it's very reassuring!
DS2 has just been night weaned at 12 months - achieved this by DH going in to settle him rather than me automatically giving boob and it seems to have worked. I work two days a week and on those days he has:
6:30am, 6:00pm when I get back from work, and then another at 7pm when he goes to bed.
Otherwise, 6:30am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm, but really as and when he demands it!

[cairnterrier]

At 12 months DS was feeding the same as the OP. The middle of the night feed only stopped at 19 months when DH went in at night instead of me. Took 3 nights and that was it.

At 20 months he now has a feed first thing in the morning and sometimes an afternoon feed as well but only if we're at home and he's woken up in a state from his nap.

[debka]

When DD1 was 12mo she had one in the morning and one at bedtime. She night weaned at 6mo. At 12.5mo she dropped the morning feed (I didn't offer and she didn't notice). At 13mo she dropped the bedtime feed (replaced with a book). At 14mo I fell pg with DD2

DD2 is only 6mo but she's already dropped down to only 4 a day, and has dropped the bedtime feed already

[Zimm]

Wow I thought my DD had many more feed than average but I see this is not teh case:

12 months old - on a day I work it will be 6am, 5pm and 6.30pm. Sometimes a night feed, usually not.

Non work day - 6am, 9.30am, 2pm, 4.30pm and 6.30pm (ish). If teething/miserable then many, many ,more!

[Debs75]

DD 12 months
wakes 6-7 20 min feed back to sleep
wakes 9.30 has breakfast then another 20 min feed
naps 11-12.30 has dinner and water
2pm feeds
3-4pm feeds and naps
5.30pm has tea and another feed
7pm 30 min feed
8.30pm feeds and naps for about an hour
10pm tiny feed in bed if woken up, if still asleep from last feed put in cot asleep.
during the night may wake 2 times and has a feed back to sleep

[Woodlands]

DS (13 months) has feeds three times a day - when he wakes up, lunchtime and bed time. Occasionally he has extra feeds if ill/teething etc. We night weaned him at about 9 months on the second attempt - the first time he just wasn't ready so we waited a few weeks.

[BaronessBomburst]

My DS has just turned 18 months and feeds like AngelDog's DS! I have no idea how many times I feed him per day. I think he's had about 8 already and it's only just gone lunchtime. He also feeds 2 or 3 times a night. It is very dependent on what we're doing though. If we're out and about he may only feed once in the afternoon, or even take a beaker of water. If we're just at home he'll ask every hour.

[KD0706]

At 12mo DD was feeding four times in the day (first thing in morning, mid morning, mid afternoon, bedtime) and one or two times in the night

She's 16mo now and has three feeds, first thing, mid afternoon and bedtime.

She miraculously night weaned herself at about 13 mo, going from feeding at least once in the night but often twice, to sleeping through consistently very suddenly over the course of about a week. No idea why.

She dropped her mid morning feed soon after.

But she's been on the three feedsa day for about two months and although she occasionally drops her mid afternoon feed I think she's fairly stuck on having all three.