Adding a bottle of formula or a feed of baby rice?

[vallinnapod]

Any help gratefully received!

DS is just over 4 months. He has been EBF since birth. Both of us have really enjoyed it - well, can't speak for him but we have had no real issues until a just before Christmas when I had mild mastitis (no ABs) and then a week ago I got it again (took ABs this time). Over the past couple of days DS has been getting very frustrated during day feeds, is very grumpy (placid happy baby normally) and is waking 2 or 3 times more at night. I always feed him back to sleep (path of least resistance and fastest sleep for all concerned!) but DH said he was rooting around on him when he tried to settle at one of these moments.

Do I need to supplement him? Baby rice says you can start at 4 months. This way he would not have any dried cows milk just yet but would a bottle of formula suit his needs better?

It's all very confusing

Should have added he is undoubtedly teething also which doesn't help!

Sounds like he's at the four month growth spurt. Just keep him on the boob- he needs more milk and for your body to produce it, he needs to suckle.

Classic 4 month growth spurt. Just keep feeding. Babies don't need solids til at least 6 months.

i would just keep on feeding him tbh

4 months is the time when they hqve a BIG growth spurt, and the more he feeds the quicker your supply will adjust to meet his demands.

your milk is better for him than formula and far more calorific than baby rice

Thanks ladies!

Hard isn't it? DS is 18 weeks old. He can roll, is working on crawling, has mastered picking things up and putting them in his mouth, is starting to sit unaided, scoots round the room on his back, makes new noises every day and is growing like a weed. Massive, massive developmental and growth spurts happening at the same time as becoming distractable and frustrated by their own limitations. I'm not surprised at all that it requires extra milk and some grumpiness.

Milk, milk and milk and know that it passes soon.

There is a real problem with baby food labelling.

They label it as "from 4 months" despite the understanding that it is really, really best to wait until around 6 months to begin solids, and then to avoid blasted baby rice altogether (it's foul, overprocessed, pointless and disgusting, frankly).

The law needs to catch up with the science but there's too much money involved in the baby food industry for that to happen quickly .

Everything you've said sounds completely normal for a 4 month old. Growth spurt, teething, and on top of that at this age they're quite interested in what's going on so don't settle to daytime feeds as well as they used to. If you're happy to continue to breastfeed then it is absolutely the safest and healthiest option for your bub. It's very, very unlikely that he actually needs anything else at this stage - it's more that the relationship is changing slightly as he is developing.

If you continue to breastfeed you will find that these changes happen from time to time. Just when you think you're on track, something comes up and surprises you. Just look how many questions pop up on here from people BFing 2 year olds who suddenly are changing their nursing patterns :)

Well done for doing what you're doing and keep the faith :).

My DC3 was FF and still had the 4 month growth spurt - in my experience, formula won't make any difference. I held off, it passed and we waited until six months to do BLW.

You have my sympathies though

Thanks, and thank you to my chemist for closing at 7pm or I would have had him on a bottle of formula tonight.

'Thankfully' have to be in all day for a delivery so think we will sit on the sofa with lots of trashy TV and a nipple in our mouth...well, DS will. I think I have some Christmas Quality Street left...

Very, very useful anecdote, petitdonkey. Makes the point perfectly :)

Hope things improve soon, vallin. It is tough, but it will pass :)

sounds like a plan for a pretty perfect day to me! enjoy the chocs