6mo grazing when bf, drinks loads when ff

[NearlyPastTheYardarm]

My ds2 is 6 months old; he has mostly been breastfeeding but has had a formula bottle before bed for the last ~2 mo and when he wakes inthe night for the last month as he tended to fall asleep before finish

i think some of your post may have got lost?

Sorry, had some tech issues ...to complete my sentence:

...before finishing. He would then wake again fairly soon. However with a bottle he feeds more quickly/easily, so is sated and sleeps longer. I have still been bf'ing during the day.

However, now he is tending to graze during the day. When we give him a bottle during the day he polishes off 6-7 oz no problem, but will only bf for 15 min before falling asleep or losing interest. He then wants to feed again within 2 hrs. So, he doesn't nap well, making it more likely that he falls asleep during feeds, continuing the cycle.

Have tried to keep things as quiet as possible that he is not distracted, given that I also have ds1 running around.

Any suggestions on how to break this cycle and getting to feed properly during the day? I would like to keep bf'ing for a bit longer if possible.

The thing is he is feeding 'properly' when he is bfing (bfing releases endorphins, oxytocin and a hormone called CCK which induces sleep so he can't help falling asleep bfing) so he is taking what he needs then drifting off into a blissed out hormone induced sleep.

He is able to take more milk with a bottle than he normally would because a) the flow of a bottle is very different to a breast, b) how the milk is delivered is very different to a breast and c) he isn't getting the hormone surge to send him to sleep in the same way (no CCK and lower hormone levels).

None of this means that he is feeding better at a bottle just differently and if he is eating more than he normally would is that a good thing? If he is sleeping for longer it may be because he is over full and sleeps longer digesting it - just like we do after a Xmas dinner.

Feeding every 2 hours or so is very normal bf baby behaviour and doesn't need to be fixed or changed, it will probably stretch out a bit when complementary feeds start though then it will probably be food or a bf every 2 or so hours!

If he is distracted during feeding then feeding in a sling may help as it cuts out noise and interesting sights that have to be looked at and encourages focus on bfing. It may also help if he then naps in the sling after a feed as he might sleep a bit longer with the rocking from your movements.

I am not sure if that is it - he's not napping well, and is just tired and grumpy. On the occasions when he does feed well and doesn't fall asleep on the breast or bottle, he does tend to nap well and is a happy little chappie. I don't buy the idea that a six month old should be feeding so lightly. Is it not more likely that he is just turning up his nose at the extra effort required to breastfeed?

We know that BM is easier to digest so he will want feeding more often, that acualy the volume of BM a baby take's is useally less then fromula. Average 4oz a feed. The compostion of BM changes as baby grows so they don't need extra volume.

The napping problem could be more to do with developmental changes rather then him being hungery. Formula is harder to diggest and does sometime have a nock out effect to start with (but formula fed baby's don't normaly sleep any more then BF babys).

If you think it is a problem with him preffering the bottle then the only way to cure this would be to cut out the bottle. Then he has no choice but to work at the breast for milk. Most older baby's though like breastfeeding to much to have this problem.

To add to what Truthsweet said ...

Bottles and breasts don't work in the same way. With a bottle, the milk just keeps coming so the baby has to keep swallowing or he will choke. It's very hard for a baby to control the milk flow with a bottle, whereas with breastfeeding it's the baby who's in charge.

This explains why ...

• babies often finish a bottle more quickly than a breastfeed - but that doesn't mean they preferred the bottle, or were extra hungry. It just means the milk flowed down his throat quicker!

• it's quite easy to overfeed a baby with a bottle, which is why bottle-fed babies are more prone to reflux and other tummy troubles

• mums often feel that their breastfeeding babies are just mucking around, not interested, snacking etc ... When the baby is actually just feeding at the right pace for his tummy size and digestion.

Thanks for your thoughts.