So, who has managed to exclusively breastfeed for 26 weeks and how did you manage it?

[beatie]

When dd1 was born, the advice was to wean from 17 weeks. IIRC dd1 was 20 weeks when we started her on purees.

Now the advice is 26 weeks and I really want to follow that advice. DD2 doesn't sleep very well. For the past 4 weeks she has been waking more frequently in the night and I just know that when I mention this to other people, friends, acquaintances and family, they are going to say she is hungry and suggest I start her on solids.

I feed my dd2 very frequently during the day and suspect she only really requires one hunger-induced feed throughout the night. I fluctuate between despair (that she's not a great sleeper) and a sense of apathy (she's too young to train to sleep - in my personal view)

Does everyone's baby start to wale up more around the 4 month mark? How did you ward off kindly suggestions that you start db on solids?

And, where can I read about WHY I should exclusively breastfeed until 26 weeks? I need a refresher to reinforce my (sometimes) fading determination.

I breastfed exclusively until 26 weeks but DD didn't sleep through consistently until 19 months. If only it was that easy - introduce solids and they sleep better!

I'm glad I did it although it was tiring at the time. DS went onto solids at 4 months and has always eaten everything, DD didn't really get into food until she was 11 months. I don't know if that was related to the later start.

I should have added that I am also having to ward off 'helpful' suggestions to give her formula before 6 months too.

I'm sure my family will eat up the laziness line quite happily. I have no enthusiasm for preparing pureed food again. Also, I have my own anecdotal evidence on my side. DD1 got formula around 4 months and that didn't improve her sleep, nor did the introduction of solids at 20 weeks.

My dd started waking more at about 4mths - at 10 months she has only recently started sleeping through until about 5am, when she has a feed and then goes back to sleep again for a couple of hours.

Once I had started solids (at 5.5mths but not properly until 6mths) I managed to wean her off the 2am feed by gradually reducing the time I was feeding her by a minute each night. Sleeping has been very variable though between then and now - sometimes waking several times a night, sometimes not until 6am. Don't think it helps that they seem to be constantly teething at this age as well.

Breastmilk is more calorific than the small amounts of solids a baby would have at this stage anyway.

Yes, I waited til 6 months and am really, really glad about this.

It made zilch difference to dd's sleep by the way.

DS has only 17 days to go until we've been exclusively breastfeeding for 26wks. 3.5 to 4.5 months was a terrible time. No idea what was wrong but he was waking every hour and grizzling all day. I wouldn't have introduced solids as I was assured by the mumsnet folk that 4 months is a really weird time for babies! Then, one day a week before Christmas, aliens came and swapped my baby back for the nice one I used to have.

The biggest problem I'm finding in holding off solids at the moment is DS has started crying (and mouthing like a fish!) when we eat. So we were eating where he couldn't see us. but today I popped him in his highchair with a bowl, spoon & cup and that seemed to distract him. The second biggest problem is from the older generations of my family who seem to think I'm cruel and/or starving my baby by not giving him solids yet!

I did with twins. Just got on with it I suppose, but then they were babies 4 and 5.

Sorry, I don't mean to be brusque.

suzi 2 - make boobcubes. Great fun and can be played with, sucked and eaten at the table without compromising your 6 month mission.

I managed it, give or take a week: I did, like most people, wonder if solids would help sleep, but frankly sheer horror of weaning won over.

And I'm with Frogs on the fact you can then go pretty well straight to anything going down the infant throat. I think DD2 got - ahem - both chips and chocolate sauce (pub lunch, friends) not long after making the break from the nork.

beatie my ds got night feeds from me til 8/9mths and he was totally breastfeed til 13.
around 10/11 at night and then around 2/3 it varied HUGELY. morning was anytime from 6 to 7am.

mumsnet gave me great support to keep on feeding but i prefered to have a sort of routine as i had my dd to contend with too. and it worked out brilliantly.

highlander is so right !

food does not change sleeping pattenr
i only look at my SIL BIL and their baby (formula )who hasnt slept thru since 4mths despite their protastations he was brilliant in the beginnning. at 13mths they are slightly miffed and slightly embarressed that the urban myth of babies sleeping thru is a myth!

beatie I co-sleep so that ds4 sleeps better at night. He has me next to him & finds it comforting - plus I can bf when he wants without having to get up! I bf on demand day & night. He's getting teeth so is a -bit unsettled sometimes. Good luck xxx

This is purely anecdotal, but maybe others have had a similar thing.

Dd had one cold when she was a couple of weeks old and another at about 3/4 mths, but she shook them off really quickly. As soon as she started having food, she got a cold which quickly developed into a chest infection needing antibiotics. It took ages to shift.

My theory is that exclusive breastfeeding gives them almost super-bug-fighting powers that shrink a bit when they start to get something else in their system. Utter pants or grain of truth??

mcmudda - maybe some truth. I had a wart on left hand for 2 yrs. used EBMon it for 3 wks every night and it has gone

hi my ds is 9 months going on to 10 and i am still feeding him. he won't have it anyother way!! have introduces solids and does like them but will still prefer the breast.

Message withdrawn

Hi beatie - No real advice for you, just masses of support You know you're doing the right thing!
{{{Night-time Hugs}}} for you as you're probably up too xxx

I can only reiterate what everybody else has said! I made it to 26 weeks and started DS on finger foods. He has always been a rubbish sleeper and I quickly learned not to complain to any of my family once he was 4 months (when his sleeping went totally to pot!) because I got the "he's hungry, give him some solids" over and over again. We had a shocking 7 weeks - he was23 weeks before sleep started to get better. At 24 weeks I moved him into his own room, things improved further. At 26 weeks we started solids. Sleep actually deteriorated for a few days and for the last two nights (he's 30 weeks on Friday) he's only woken up once. So... what I'm trying to say is: stick to what you know is right. If your LO's sleep doesn't improve when you eventually wean, at least you know you did the right thing by not starting solids sooner. If it does improve, then you're still vindicated.