Breastfeeding at 5 months.. what's going on!

[MumOfBoys16]

DS is 5 months and feeding like a newborn.. feeding every couple of hours! Is this a thing at 5 months?

Yes there is a sleep regression at 4 to 5 months.
Also could be a growth spurt. Hope it doesn't last too long OP 🤞

Thankyou.. Yes I think partly it's sleep regression but he's wanting so much more milk day and night I wondered if something else might be going on too.

Are you exclusively breastfeeding? I remember my health visitor hyperventilating when I told her my 4mo was already having baby rice and mashed banana, but I was at a stage where milk just wasn't enough for him.

Yes, exclusively bf. I've tried not feeding him but he's so hangry! I was thinking of giving a bottle of formula at night.. Did the baby rice help?

I think at 5 months you can try a variety of things - try some formula at night before he goes down, it might fill him up a bit more so you get some sleep.
If you think he’s ready, maybe try a few spoons of baby porridge for breakfast. The guidance is 6 months before solids but plenty of people with hungry babies staff before. You know your baby best, is he looking at your food and showing interest etc?
Just do whatever you feel - you’ve done amazingly well to BF exclusively for 5 months, you can take a bit of pressure of yourself now

Baby rice helped no end. The guidance seemed to change before having my two. With the first I was advised to start introducing something more substantial at 4 months, but with the second they wanted me to wait till 6 months. Each child is different. Just be careful about wheat, lactose, potential allergens and obviously salt.

I meant to say between having my two, not before.

It’s a growth spurt. I was working FT and pumping when mine were 5 mo old and I remember clearly the panic as for around two weeks straight they drank more breastmilk in a day than I could pump. My freezer stash would dwindling alarmingly.

I didn’t supplement with formula or any solids. Solids started at 6mos.

Thanks all.. I think I'll try a bottle and just see what happens tonight. @TuesdayRuby he's so interested in our food, trying to grab it and watching every mouthful! He's not sitting on his own yet though.

Can he sit well with support? Hold his body straight in a high chair?

@shouldistop yes , he sits well just hasn't got the balance to do it without falling down.

Yes, growth and development spurt. It will improve by 6 mths & then he’ll have another spurt as he weans.

Both HV I've had have told me that's fine for weaning, although better to wait until nearer 6 months. The sitting doesn't have to be unsupported though for weaning.

My LO couldn’t sit unsupported at six months when I weaned. He could sit fine in his high chair.
If you’re concerned at all maybe try the bottle of formula for a couple of weeks and see if that helps first, before weaning.