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Infant feeding

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

Breastfeeding past 6 months

35 replies

dearbagpuss · 29/12/2011 19:30

My dd is 5 months now and i always thought if i made it to 6 months breastfeeding I would be really pleased. If I'm honest I've found it hard and wonder if I'd feel more rested as partner could do some weekend night shifts. I would like to hear the pros and cons of continuing breastfeeding or switching to formula? Currently she is waking every 2 hours at night and part of me hopes that she would sleep more although i feel selfish for thinking this. I know that they need more vitamins/iron at 6 months anyway. I'm really asking for honest answers from both sides: the benefits and drawbacks of continuing/ switching please so i can make an informed decision. Are there really the same benefits for health post 6 months? She does love it and part of me would miss the long cuddles too. You can see I'm undecided! Thank you.

OP posts:
organiccarrotcake · 29/12/2011 19:47

Well done for getting to 5 months :)

Waking every 2 hours is really hard. Although she's really small and far two young to be night weaned there are ways to make this more manageable - just post if you want suggestions.

To try to answer your question.

It is recommended that babies are exclusively breast fed for the first 6 months because the baby's gut is open, like a tea bag, and bacteria, allergens etc can cross this open gut and make the baby ill, or trigger allergies. At around 6 months this starts to naturally close up, making it safer to introduce complimentary foods which should include foods containing iron and zinc (meat being the most obvious for that rather than fruit/veg purees). Your baby will therefore be less at risk from having an allergy triggered to the cow's milk that formula is made from. Breastmilk seals the open gut and formula (and anything else) strips off this protection, so even one bottle a day will make it more likely that a baby will suffer from something like gastroenteritis. This is less likely after around 6 months.

These are the main differences between BFing to 6 months and BFing on an ongoing basis.

Things which remain the same, are:

  • Your risk of ovarian and breast cancer reduces the longer you breastfeed for
  • Your baby's risk of infections continues to be dramatically reduced because despite the lesser effect of the closed gut, your milk is packed with antibodies made to specifically act on exactly what your baby - soon to be crawling and getting into everything - and toddler - who puts everything in their mouth - picks up.
  • Iron in breastmilk is in a form which is very highly accessible by the body and at the same time it contains another substance which counteracts the dangerous effects of too much "free" iron in the body. This bio-available form of iron, and the protective substance are not something we can currently manufacture, and introducing formula because of its iron content is potentially a risk because the form of iron is totally different. Babies do start to need more, though, because they are born with a stock of iron which starts to run down between 6-12 months (so no great hurry there unless the baby was born early, and if the cord was left to naturally stop pulsating there is even less concern). But it is good to bias complimentary foods to iron-rich ones.
  • Breastmilk contains fatty acids which can't be manufactured (formula companies sometimes put in fish oils which are totally different, have no proven benefit to babies and haven't been shown to be safe, either). These fatty acids are designed to grow our babies' brains to the size that has made us the most successful mammal on the planet (unlike cows which are large and not so bright!).
  • Breastfeeding can be a way to soothe your baby that you might be sad to lose, even as you find BFing hard now.

There are lots of other "benefits" to carrying on, but they do need to be balanced with your needs and that of your family. Especially when you've not enjoyed breastfeeding it can be hard to get a balance which works for you. There's no reason why you can't introduce formula as part of weaning to solids, for instance, and, if you want to, keep up either certain feeds, or allow breastfeeding at certain times. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. But, if moving away from breastfeeding is right for you now then be proud of what you have done which is an incredible thing, and look forward to a new chapter :)

MyThumbsHaveGoneWeird · 29/12/2011 19:48

My DS is one now and I've enjoyed the second six months of BF a lot more than the first six. It's felt a lot less relentless since he's been on solids (he was an every 2hr feeder too first 6 months), he's very appreciative and loving now and clearly really enjoys it, he no longer gets distracted all the time and it is very interactive now, he can climb around and get comfy and he looks up at me with a big grin. If it's not convenient he can wait or have a snack instead, and he is really quick and efficient at it anyway. I have also finally stopped needing breastpads and wear a lot more normal bras and clothes now.

I was planning to stop when he was one, but now it feels right to keep going. It's free, convenient, really good for him and he loves it. Oh and at 10 months I finally started to lose a bit of weight too!

The downside for me is that I would love to be able to leave him with DH for a night, but then this time is short and I know there will be lots of chances for more freedom in the future. I also wish some of my friends still breastfed, as I feel a bit of an oddo at times.

organiccarrotcake · 29/12/2011 19:50

See, I was looking at the health stuff :) but as thumbs says there's a lot of practical stuff. I have never, for instance, had to bother taking food with me anywhere for my DS as we did baby-led weaning and he either ate what I did, or boobs. Ditto carrying sippy cups. Not worried about being left without a snack. Boobs fulfill a lot of these options. (He's 18 months now but you certainly don't need to go that long just because you might carry on after 6 months!).

Debs75 · 29/12/2011 20:00

I have bfed dd2 and dd3 to at least 16m and I loved it just as much after they were on solids. Once feeding solids is established then bf's will reduce a little, this can take a few months though.

You mention Iron as areason to maybe stop and introduce formula. The Iron in formula is nothing like the Iron in breastmilk and it actually encourages bacteria. Formula has a lot of Iron as it is harder to absorb/digest whilst Iron in breastmilk is easily absorbed/digested so less is needed. see here for a full rundown on the differences between breast and formula

The night waking could be her nightly pattern, especially if you are sharing with her. My 3 year old shares with me and she still wakes up at least once, although she stopped night feeds when she was 18m old. The younger can sleep through but again is in my room and often wakes up.

Partner giving feeds sounds like heaven when you are shattered but I remember my partner wanting me to ff so he could feed ds. When I gave up bfing him he only gave him 1 bottle in a year.

And your milk is free and she is used to it and enjoys it. FF will cost you a few hundred pound in the next 6 months.

How about giving yourself week by week targets and see how you are by the end of each week. If you really want to give up and the +ve stories of bfing after 6 months don't sway you the do it slowly so you can have the option of going back to breast if you want

dearbagpuss · 29/12/2011 20:12

Thank you for your long and thoughtful responses. I think it's tiredness that is making me think i haven't enjoyed it. It has been easy for me (i know i am lucky here!) it's just the nights at the moment! She is a big girl (95th centile for height) and I do wonder if she'd be more satisfied with formula although I know the health benefits of bm far outweigh it. Also i know i would miss it. Friends and family seem surprised i am still going which makes me feel a bit weird although I wouldn't let that stop me. I suppose I just wanted to hear it gets easier after 6 months? I think it's feeling totally responsible for feeding that can be a bit overwhelming at times. I do express sometimes but still feel i can't be away for more than a few hours. Any night feeding tips gratefully received Organic! Thanks :)

OP posts:
OneLittleBabyGirl · 29/12/2011 20:42

You are really close to the big change in their feeding. At around 6mo you will be introducing solids. My DD is blw so it's slower on the uptake. But still just before she turned 9mo she can go a whole day at nursery (nearly 10 hr) without milk. If you go with purees, you should see a drop in bf much faster. So you can see there are a lot of changes that will happen in the next 6mo. I think if you don't mind bf, how about wait till your LO is well established on 3 meals and see again? (My 9mo have 3 meals and a snack a day. But she eats really often every 2-3 hours just like when she was ebf)! Your DH can share the feeding once you have solids in the picture even without formula. For example, DD is having her 9mo sleep regression atm. In the morning DH took over breakfast so I can get a lie in.

organiccarrotcake · 29/12/2011 20:54

It is overwhelming having all that responsibility. Maybe it will help to think that if you do carry on, in just a few months she'll probably be on enough solids to make things a bit less intense (although that somewhat depends on whether you go down the baby-led or puree route)?

I've never understood why people think that formula is more satisfying - honestly - I really don't :). It's harder to digest as it's made for a multi-stomached bovine so babies can sometimes go longer between feeds because their bodies struggle to digest it, but it actually has fewer calories than breastmilk (albeit that the difference is tiny). BUT that's a different matter, and you know all this, I'm not trying to make any points! :)

I love the fact that you've said that you won't let people's being surprised stop you. I fed DS1 to 15 months but at that point only at home. So for me it was hitting a year with DS2 that I needed support with as I was still feeding him quite frequently, including in public, and that was new to me. For someone else it might be 6 weeks, 2 years, 4 years... or a few points over the course of the BFing relationship - often it's when you stop knowing people who have done the same thing, at least in RL. I found that actually there are loads of people feeding for a long time that I know, but until it came up in conversation I'd no idea!

OK, night times. Firstly, if you are having to get up for night feeds then have you looked at bed sharing options? That in itself can make a massive difference. It's something we talk about a lot here and if it's not for you, that's fine, but it would be the first option to consider as your baby almost certainly needs the milk right now, and so getting it into her in the fastest and easiest way makes a lot of sense. It doesn't necessarily mean moving to full time bed sharing. Maybe a couple of times a week - if necessarily just you and your DD, might be enough to give you the extra sleep to make you feel better.

Would it be possible to get to bed really (stupidly) early a couple of nights a week? Say about 7ish? Even one night a week might be enough.

If you don't want to bed-share, what about bringing her into bed for the first couple of hours in the morning? If she's an early riser then she may snuggle up to your boobs and you can drift along - maybe get another hour that way.

Or, on a morning that your DH isn't working, maybe you give her the early morning feed and then he's responsible for her while you get a lie in? This can work really well when she starts having breakfast as he can give her brekkie while you get a well deserved extra hour or two.

There is a page by Dr Sears which covers night weaning although it's written for toddlers of a minimum of 1, preferably older. But it might give you ideas of things to try. www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/night-weaning-12-alternatives-all-night-nurser

While there is no doubt that trying to night wean a 5 month old who isn't naturally "sleeping through" is a risky business, there is also no reason why you can't try to get her to sleep longer than 2 hourly. It's not an easy task and for many it's just easier to go with the flow and feed her back to sleep, but if you're getting up for this it will be really tough. It might be worth getting your OH to try to re-settle her. It will be really obvious very quickly whether this is going to work, or whether it's just going to really upset her. if it's not working, just consider trying again in another month or so.

Does any of this seem useful? If not I will put my thinking cap on :)

fififrog · 29/12/2011 20:57

I second everything the other posters say about it getting easier when weaning. DD was a right PITA to feed til we started solids at 5 months. When she started on solids her breastfeeds actually got longer for a while, but rapidly eased off and she became less desperate for the milk to get into her belly and therefore less whingey and wriggly. Everyone told me it got easier after 3 months but while I was certainly less sore, I actually found it was harder after 3 months as she was hungrier and more distracted at the same time.

dearbagpuss · 29/12/2011 21:36

This is all great advice thank you! I think it's not knowing what is around the corner that makes it more difficult but given your opinions it sounds like keeping up the breastfeeding whilst introducing solids sounds the best option! I am currently co-sleeping in the early morning, good to know it's advised as i think other people make you feel bad (rod for back etc!) i know now to post here, go with instinct and your great advice! Thank you all again :)

OP posts:
organiccarrotcake · 29/12/2011 21:40

Babies are designed to sleep with their parents. It's a survival thing which is why so many of them detest sleeping alone. They'll grow out of it like they grow out of nappies. It's as likely that they'll still be in your bed/breastfeeding/etc when they go to uni as it is that they'll be in nappies still.

Each phase will pass in its own time :) The key is finding ways to survive each stage!!

You might find "Complimentary Feeding" by Gabrielle Palmer a useful book about introducing solids. Pros - it's brilliantly written, outstanding level of info and it's short!! Cons - it's a little bit pricey but well worth the money.

organiccarrotcake · 29/12/2011 21:41

PS I love our little back-rod :) In fact, my DH loves it even more. He's such a bloody softie and I catch him just snuggled up to our LO in bed, happy as anything. Or I wake up to find him staring at him in wonder.

Happy days :)

startail · 29/12/2011 21:49

As others say BF just becomes easier and more relaxed as DC takes more solid food.
They don't rely on breastmilk as much.
DD2 would never take a bottle and wouldn't drink formulae or cows milk (still won't), but she'd happily eat yoghurt and drink juice from a feeder cup. I could, therefore happily leave her with DH for a few hours. I never got the hang of expressing so I don't know if she'd have drunk breastmilk from a cup.
She carried on BF morning and evening for years.
Carrying on is great if they are tired, I'll or you just need them to calm down!

ArthurPewty · 29/12/2011 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

33goingon64 · 29/12/2011 22:17

You don't have to decide to switch completely. We started DS on a bottle of formula before bed at four months. This made a positive difference to his sleep and also meant DH was able to have a few minutes longer with him before bed time. By seven months he was also having a bottle as his (one) night feed. This meant DH could feed him in the night at weekends. Then at 8 months I turned his mid morning breast feed into a bottle and then by 9 months he was having a bottle in the afternoon too. Now he only has a breast feed first thing in morning. Last few days he seems to have gone off that too. Perhaps you could do something similar and reduce breast feeds gradually over time. I had a target date in mind (going back to work) and I just worked towards that.

Beveridge · 29/12/2011 22:39

The more labour intensive nature of life with a 6+ month old baby (washing and wiping down baby, high chair and floor as much as 5 times a day!) means that personally I would rather poke my own eye out with a weaning spoon than add to that workload by faffing around with bottles and formula.

Plus, bfing is not just about transfer of calories, it's a useful parenting tool. Hunger may not always be the problem but boobies are always the answer!

Beveridge · 29/12/2011 22:42

www.ibfan.org/art/IBFAN_CF_FINAL_document.pdf

OP and Organic, I think this is virtually the same as the published version of Gabrielle Palmer's book...

AdeleVBW · 29/12/2011 22:45

I breastfed my three well past 12 months. I think the oldest to self wean was #3 at 18 months. I have to admit that I never got a breastfeeding baby to sleep through (although many do!) but I did manage to space out the night feeds by following the ideas in Elizabeth Pantley's book The No Cry Sleep Solution. Highly recommended!

Pishtushette · 29/12/2011 22:57

I breastfed DD until she was about 12.5 months. The only drawback for me was the biting. She used to clamp her teeth down on my nipples and the pain was too much for me.

Annpan88 · 30/12/2011 10:52

organiccarrotcake just wanted to say you told me what I needed to hear! DS 9 months has started only settling at night in our bed and I was feeling really conflicted about it, but its lovely! Woukd highly reccomend it op woke up this morning with DS grabbing my nose and smiling.

He also sleeps much later, was 9:45 he woke up this morning, went to bed at 7:30.

I'm still breast feeding with no intention to stop. Don't let the negative comments stop you from doing the best for your child. I think a lot of money has been invested to make people think breast feeding is 'weird' (met up with some people I used to work with who were horrified, one even thought 2 months was the maximum you should feed for Confused )

SmileItsSeasonal · 30/12/2011 11:05

So if you start weaning off the breast before 12 months, do you have to.supplement with formula? Am bf' ing my 7 month DS and wondering about weaning like the OP.

Annpan88 · 30/12/2011 11:10

SmileItsSeasonal you can go straight to cows milk

OneLittleBabyGirl · 30/12/2011 11:13

You can only go to cows milk after 12mo. Before that you will have to use formula.

organiccarrotcake · 30/12/2011 11:27

annpan lovely :)

smile onelittle is absolutely right - it must be formula (preferably infant, not follow on) or breastmilk up to a year as the primary milk drink. You can use cow's milk in cooking though.

BertieBotts · 30/12/2011 11:30

I found it got a lot easier after 6 months. :)

Sleepstarved · 30/12/2011 13:52

I've found the longer I've gone on the easier it gets.
DD is 10mo now and I am expressing at work and she has three feeds from me a day (night, morning and bedtime).
She can go all night without a feed but still wakes up, so OP when they get a bit older it is not always hunger that wakes them up...