8 month old reduced feeding - getting enough milk??

[citymonkey]

My eight and a half month old seems to have reduced the amount of time he is spending on the boob quite a lot. He is on three milk feeds a day (morning, afternoon and bedtime) and three good meals. He has always been a quick feeder (10 mins a feed, mornings / evening usually bit longer) but for almost the last week or so he has been quicker even in the morning and in the evening before bed when I feed him is doing this weird thing where after initial few minutes of normal sucking, he sucks for literally a couple seconds then pulls off and looks around, and repeats... It is really frustrating. We got back from Australia last week and he still is adjusting to the time zone a bit so is v tired by bedtime, not sure if this has anything to do with it. Am v worried though as worried he is just not getting enough milk as afternoon feed he also seems totally unbothered by and am struggling to get him to take 10 mins worth! Last night in a fit of desperation after going through the on / off rigmarole again at bedtime, I had a bottle prepped and offered that - he took a couple ounces then chewing the teat. Could it be to do with my supply? He doesn't seem angry or agitated and when I squeeze nipple plenty milk seems to be coming out. He has tea at 5pm, bath at 6 and I am usually feeding him by 6:30pm latest. Tea too close to milk feed?? He is sleeping ok though still a bit jet lagged so had been waking in the night but getting progressively better since we got back, and slept through last night. Is also teething am pretty sure - cut first tooth about three weeks ago.

Any ideas??

Anyone...?

Can't help as have opposite problem dd 7 mths has 4/5 day feeds and 1 night feed. She is blw so not eating a great deal. Are you spoon feeding? Maybe having too much solid food? Not enough appetite for milk?

My 8mo is bottle fed so a bit different but I've definitely noticed her dropping the milk in the last month, I think its just the fact that they're getting so much more from their food now.

She will sometimes go without one of her feeds altogether (she's also on 3 a day)

I think its normal :)

It doesn't sound like your supply is the problem btw

Thanks guys

I did wonder if too much solid food - he eats well - but concerned as they are supposed to get 500ml of milk or something a day and pretty sure he can't be getting that... He is gaining weight along his centile so far though.

Maybe like you say Daenery it is just because they are getting more from food at the mo.

sigh

Hi, my ds is just coming up to 8 months and I'm stressing about the same thing!

Although he hasn't dropped a feed (4-5 daytime, 2-3 night), his feeding sounds exactly like yours - he has always been quick, 5m or so is average, but often now a feed will last about a minute! I'm not even sure I can call it a feed! He also does what you describe - a few sucks then pulls off. If he does that more than 3-4 times I assume he doesn't actually want it....... The other thing I've found as he's got older is that he no longer seems to be asking to be fed - I just whack him on at various intervals through the day. I suspect if I left him to 'ask' we would be on more like 3-4 a day. He is only on 2 meals a day so far (blw) and I think he is eating a fair amount, but its hard not to worry about how much less milk I think he's taking. I also stress about my supply as I no longer seem to get that full if he's not fed for a while. Plus he doesn't really drink any water yet!

I suppose at the end of the day their tummies are still only little and if they are taking in food as well then its only natural that they will be less hungry for milk......I think the only thing about bf that I find really frustrating is having no idea how much he is getting!

Anyway, no advice, sorry, just a message from someone in the same boat!

I just had another thought, what are you giving him for breakfast etc? My Dd has weetabix, (we do blw for lunch and tea but I cheat and spoonfeed for brekkie!) And that way I know she's getting at least a bit of milk with that, could be worth finding things to feed him that you can cook with expressed milk?

He has porridge or sometimes Weetabix for breakfast made with full fat cow's milk, he really like cheesy pasta too which he has a couple times a week which has lots of milk in it, and yoghurt too. So I do sneak some more milk in there when I can :-)

Am thinking (hoping) might just be a bit of a phase - he is also starting crawling and pulling himself up to standing and last few nights has woken at various times as a result of waking up his tummy (which though he has been able to roll for months has never done in bed). And when I go in he is on all fours... Think maybe just a lot going on in his little brain at the mo...??

Tory79 - sorry just saw your post! Lots of similarities! It is hard isn't it not knowing how much they are getting. My son is the same - he often doesn't really 'ask' for milk - save for in the morning when he is shouty until he gets boob. Sometimes if the 2:30 feed is late he also gets a bit grumbly. But he is not that bothered about bedtime in the last week - last night again I prepped a bottle with some formula in to try when he seemed had enough of boob, and again he took an ounce then started chewing the teat so in a way I am glad as pretty sure then it is not supply.

Yes agree re the little tummies, is just all that stuff about needing 500ml a day until age 1 or something?? If he asked for more I would give it to him but he doesn't. Has always been that way though really.

I also don't really feel full in the day now, only in the mornings (and nowhere near like what it used to npbe) but think that is just cos supply has adjusted. My boobs are really quite to adjust to change in supply, whether it increases or decreases. We recently flew back from Oz and on the flight back he was exhausted and I was whacking my boob in his mouth to settle him every couple of hours (only for a few mins each time) and the day after we got back, after his first long sleep of not feeding boobs were CRAZY - I actually had to express a bit out which I've never done before as was worried about mastitis. But similarly, if he cuts down then my boobs are quick to produce less, which was what I am worried about.

It started to make me think maybe he was self weaning or something, but how do you know when they are doing that? The fact he doesn't want a bottle either makes me think is just appetite. I don't feel like I want to stop BF completely just yet - is so much easier to gearing him into my bed in the morning and feed him as opposed to mess about with bottles etc!

I posted same query earlier this week. Suggestions I had included daytime dream feeds), bath with skin to skin followed by a feed and bf an hour before meals. Oh, and not worrying overly!