6mth old - bf feeding too often?

[weeonion]

hi folks- dd was exclusively bf but we are on our way with blw. hc was out yesterday and was concerned at the amount of bfeeds we are having. i thought we were ok as some of them are pretty short snacks.

do this schedule seem ecessive at her age??

6.30/ 7am - bf
8.15 - cup ebm with brekkie
10am - bf
11.30 /12- cup ebm with lunch
1.30 - bf
4.30 - bf
5ish - cup ebm with food
6 - short bf
7.15 - bottle ebm
midnight bf
4am - bf

I would say that having just started weaning she'll not be getting much from food yet so if that's similar to the schedule she's been on before weaning it sounds ok. She will drink less when she's ready.

Sounds just like my dd at that age!- in fact she was not fussed about solids for a long long time and I really fretted and it was so not worth it i know realise! Friends used to think I was mad as dd was still feeding 'like a newborn' up to about a year but slowly but surely she dropped her feeds and is now down to in bed in the morning, after lunch and bedtime which is fine by me. If you're happy with her feeding then there's no need to worry.

what is "hc"?

whoever it is - it's your baby and your breasts so I should think you can feed her whenever you like really!

BTW, at 6 ms DS was feeding the same as before we started BLW - he's 9m now and only just (i.e. last few days) cut down on feeds

Sounds like the feeds we did. I slowly got rid of the 3am feed, a few nights of hell but she soon got the message. Then I dropped the milk feeds at meal times and give her water instead.

At just over 7 months -

5.30am BF
9am Breakfast (Solids & Water)
10.30am BF
12.30pm Lunch (Solids & Water)
3pm BF
5.30pm Dinner (Solids & Water)
7pm BF
11.30pm BF

Is your dd happy and healthy? Thants all that matters.

I find my hv just stresses me out, my dd is healthy and happy so I don't care if she think I need to drop feeds.

oops - should have been hv.
dd is great - healthy and happy and her weight is fine.
i thought we were doing ok but when i heard that it was "excessive" - i wanted to see what other folks thought!

totally normal, in fact DS was still nearer 2 hourly feeds at 6 months. Often takes a few months for them to get properly into solids anyway.

although just a thought - you might do prefer to give water with meals as I've been told that milk with meals can inhibit iron uptake.

That sounds absolutely fine and normal. My DS was very slow to take solids and barely ate more than a few bites a day until he turned one, when he started guzzling them down, and he did just fine on breastmilk up till then. I'm fairly sure he wanted bm about every two hours all day and once at night at six months.

Just to add my voice to the others. DD is 26 weeks and still feeds near enough 2 hourly day and night. So if your feeding is excessive then we're taking the p*ss. Haven't introduced solids yet and dd is happy, healthy and enormous. Luckily our hv is nothing but supportive and gives me tea and cake and always comments on how well we're doing.

thanks folks. i did think we were doing ok with it and you have reassured me.

My goodness weeonion - I remember when you thought in the early days that you might need to stop BF and here you are at 6 months. How fantastic

Can I ask a question though?

Why do you give cups of EBM with meals and not just BF? It sounds as though you do a lot of expressing ( I did too but I donated it to QMH).

Once my babes were on 3 meals a day I started giving juice/water with food and breastfeeds in between on demand.

Also why not BF before bed? I just wondered why your routinge is the way it is if you don't mind me asking.

BTW - a baby can never have too much breastmilk

hi weeonion

Is she maybe a snacker at the breast? My DD has recently started on more frequent short feeds than less frequent longer feeds.

You are doing a fab job you know, especially after all your problems

Good luck with the BLW. DD has had some purees, but she is also liking her finger foods (although seems to prefer the edge of the highchair tray at the moment )

Mears....do you have any advice for this woman?

hi mears!
yep - we are still bf and its all going great now. so so pleased i was able to get through the dificult days ( thanks in no small measure to mn!)

ebm with meals - i guess i thought that i woudl try and get as much milk into as possible and give ebm instead of water.

i dont bf just before bed as i am trying to get her still used to a bottle so i can leave her with dp on occasions.

i am also donating to QMH! i actually dont mind expressing - i think my boobs see the pump and let down!

hey DD
hows you???
she might well be a snacker - some of those feeds are erally quick/ short.

C seems to love blw - taking it slowly and trying to be really chilled with how much she is eating (and how!)

I'm fine....finally got it sussed, although she has now started clamping down on my nipples in a painful fashion! I stopped expressing and haven't had a blocked duct since, so I'm impressed with all the expressing that you are managing.

I'll be in Glasgow to meet tallulahbelle and another couple of our lot just after Christmas if you fancy meeting up?

Thanks for answering my nosey questions.

I certainly think that expressing can be quite easy when you get into a routine and when it is for other needy babies you tend to do it a lot.

My babes always took bottles of EMB when I was at work part-time so I breastfed when I was at home.

I never thought of giving EBM out of a cup - don't know why.

Well dome you

Very similar to my ds wee onion and we started blw a month ago. I've always demand fed and if he demands it now then so be it! They also have a growth spurt at 6 mths although I have found it hard to differentiate with babyshoes

DynamiteDaisy - have posted on the other thread

dd - love to meet up. didnt know tallua woudl be back for teh festive season tho!
spotty - i sometimes think c is on a permanent growthspurt but then again - she is a big long drink of a girl!

Pretty similar here too WO. He's slowed down a alittle since starting solids but not much!!

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