How many b/ feeds does a 9mnth old need?

[colette]

Do I need to give ds a b/feed after every meal and at bedtime? I give him water from a cup with his meals as as well, not that he drinks much of it.
Also my mum is going into hospital next month , and I will be going down to see her for about 3 days. I am not sure if I should stop feeding him completely at this point or if I can start dropping the daytime feeds and just maintain the night one. I do not want to be having to express milk when I am away as my mum is very ill and I just want to concentrate on her for a few days. However I find if he has fed les one day at nightime I feel as if I have a blocked duct and cannot sleep(as in last night) So if I stop soon how long before I go do I need to start cutting feeds and will ds need formulas up until 1 year old. If so how much?
Thanks

I missed an important point- when I see my mum it is 400 miles away so I won't be able to feed ds at all during that time...

With both mine I was down to feeding just morning and night by 1yr old. They had formula twice a day from 6 months but dropped both by 9/12 months. Recommendation would be to wean onto formula at less than a year but I've known friends go straight to cow's milk. Appetite would vary but perhaps 6-8 oz.

If you want to stop b/feeding then allow a few days between dropping each feed for your body to adjust, perhaps a week to be on the safe side. However if you could express whilst you are away, even just a little to throw away, then you should be able to avoid the discomfort and resume if you wish when you return.

thanks Lizs- Sounds like I should make a start.
Also meant to ask how long does a box of formula last once opened??
I had hoped to miss formulas and go straight from b/f to a cup of cows milk, but I suppose it will only be for a few months

Hi Colette, I've just been in the same situation as you. I dropped from 4 to 3 bf's at 7mo and it took about 3 days for the boobs to settle, but I actually left it a further week (or maybe a week and a half) before dropping down to morning & night bf's only and a cup of cows milk in the day. I then left it another 2 wks before dropping the morning feed and was left with the night feed only. Again it took about 3-4 days for boobs to settle again but this time they didn't get uncomfortably full like they did the 3 days after dropping from 4 to 3 feeds (I guess you're still producing alot of milk at this time). And now with just the one feed my boobs were always floppy and I just dropped the night feed this last weekend and still medium full on third day (today) but not uncomfortable. My ds (9.5mo) now gets formula with his breakfast and cows milk at 3pm and 7pm.

Going back to your point (!) I think if you start now you can drop from 3/4 feeds to 1 or 2 in a month without getting uncomfortable. However, if you want to pick it up again after your visit you just need to increase feeds again (or express as suggested) and the boobs will start producing more milk for you, probably within a week. As for formula v cows milk it's a personal choice - if you think he's getting a varied diet then you may find cows milk is your choice. I decided to do both so he was used to each flavour & got some benefits of formula since he isn't 1yr yet. I have heard the recommendation exists as formula is more fortified than cows milk (particularly iron) and has less salt. It has taken me 2 months to get through my first tin of formula and it was fine (make sure lid is on properly and don't put in a wet measure) HTH and hope your mum gets better soon

Thanks for your advice
It is really helpful as you have only recently done what I am thinking of and your son is a similar age. I think I will buy some formula really soon and drop one feed this week... I feel such a reluctance to ,but as you said it will take a while to adjust and I don't want to have to do it in a hurrybe . I will give him some cows milk instead of water as well . Thanks for your help.

Colette - why don't you express now and leave EBM in the freezer for him when you are away for his night feed? By then you could have reduces to one feed only if you want. At age 9 months I wouldn't bother introdcing formula TBH. When you are back from your mums you could feed him twice a day if you want. My DS2 stopped B/F at 10 months and he did not get formula milk at all. He didn't like cows milk much to drink either so had cow's milk in food and ate dairy produce.
Jasper went to Canada for a week and breastfed when she came back - it can be done. HTH

Thanks mears
So I might not give him formula at all , it is a bit of a faff iykwim. I would like him to have ebm whilst I am away - the problem is when I express it takes ages and I seem to have more the next day. Because of the time limitations I need to start decreasing now I think, but it is good to hear about Jasper as I will only probably be away for 4 days.

Dd is 8 months, and I am wondering if I can go straight on to cows milk when I start cutting down the breast feeds - at the moment she is having 4 or 5 (or 6 or 7 if I'm honest) feeds a day, and I was wondering when she can start to have cows milk.

colette, I'd second what mears said about freezing some EBM.

The big question is: do you want to stop b/f altogether now or would you carry on with a couple of feeds if possible? If you want to stop b/f altogether then, like others have said you should drop 1 feed every 3-4 days and replace it with a bottle / cup (incidentally, have you tried him with formula / cow's milk yet? My dd took ages before she'd drink either and refused a bottle for ages too!). If you would like to continue feeding then you might have to express a bit at your moms, maybe just first thing in the morning and last thing at night so that you keep the supply going and don't get blocked ducts.

Musica - there is no need to replace dropped breastfeeds with milk now. I just gave juice instead ( no problems with teeth). I gave dairy foods and used cow's milk in cooking. Only my third chils liked to drink milk after 1 year. The rest didn't drink any milk at all. Cow's milk is fine in cooking from 6 months.

To get ds used to the taste [of cows milk or formula] I gave him some sips from a dessert spoon and then offered a cup of milk (initially without the spout, then with once he got used to it). It took a couple of days but persistence pays off. I did this a few days before dropping a feed. The cup I use looks completely different to his water cups so he "knows" that milk is coming rather than water. Now, almost a week after dropping all feeds, he gets excited when he sees his "milk" cup and guzzles it like a trooper. It was hard the first few days (a bit teary that he wasn't 'looking' for me any more) but seeing his face light up for his 'grown-up' cup of milk makes me .

Agree with the others, if you don't want to give up completely you don't have to, just increase feeds once you get back. If you want to use this time to drop to morning and evening feeds only then it's a good opportunity.