10 month old DD dropping feeds at a rate of knots, surely this is too early for self weaning?

[DeJaVous]

I BF on demand and always have done, but DD is dropping feeds all over the place. Until very recently she was BF 6 or so times a day, the last few days she's only really wanted AM and PM feeds. She even slept 7-7 last night

I really hope this isn't the start of self weaning, surely she's far too young to do that?

I've just found out I'm pregnant and I know that can effect the taste of the milk, but TBH she seemed more far bothered when I had my period than she does now. She doesn't fuss at the breast at all, just makes it clear that she really doesn't want any milk.

Is she too young for morning and evening feeds only?

My DD self weaned at around 11 months.

Mine all self weaned at that age, I would say that it is perfectly normal.You should take the lead from her.

Totally?

I've always taken my lead from her but this doesn't really seem right. Mind you I can't force her to BF can I?

She demanded a second weetabix a breakfast this morning and drunk a phenomenal amount of water too...

Maybe this I just what I get for doing BLW I didn't want it to be quite this successful though...

Totally. I would have liked to carry on a bit longer with the youngest as he was going to be the last but he refused to be a baby for very long-he did everything early! Sometimes (not always-I don't want to upset people!)I think people go on for their own sake rather than the DC.

Abbey. That could possibly very occasionally be the case with some much much older children.

My DD is 10 months FFS. She will need to drink a certain amount of milk each day for ages yet and I would far rather it was mine than cows. She can't even have cows as a main drink until shes one...

Anyone?

If you aren't happy with her self weaning then make her carry on. You asked for opinions, so I gave you mine! They self weaned-they never had bottles. It suited us. Do whatever suits you and your DD. They are now healthy teenagers and had a good start in life, I stopped when they wanted to stop.

I think you're worrying too much. She should be getting the majority of vitamins etc from her solid food at this age. If she wants to wean let her!

How about expressing and letting her have it from a cup if you're determined that she should continue with the bm during the day?

You can't force a child to BF though. If she wants to stop we'll have to stop but I do think she's too young.

Thank you for your advice, I just don't think bringing the extremely contentious 'some mums BF for their own sake'argument into this is helpful.

Am also newly pregnant and rather hormonal...

No, it's not usual at all, and it's understandable you're concerned, DeJa.

This sounds like nursing strike - you could check archives for more info - and you can call the bf lines for help and support, and ideas on how to overcome it.

Those of you who say it's normal - think again Babies and toddlers and small children need milk to thrive - it would not make sense for most of them to drop the easily-available source of healthy milk, and which was the only easily-available source of any milk for the vast majority of human existence (small children did not drink animal milks as a main source of nourishment until way into our history).

So it is not actually nutritionally normal to drop breastmilk at this early age - socially and culturally and in individual cases, behaviourally, is a different discussion.

x LaVie. Is it not so that she needs a certain amount of some sort of milk at this age?

LaVie - please share your references for your dogmatic assertion that this baby 'should' be getting 'most of her vitamins etc' at this stage. What does 'vitamins etc' mean?

This baby is 10 months old, FGS.

And you're suggesting a mother expresses at this stage in order to give it in a cup?

Is it entirely odd to you that a mother might want to do this 'thing' direct?

DeJa - I recall LaVie from other threads. She knows very little about breastfeeding and infant nutrition. I think you can safely ignore what she says

Ah, thank you tiktok! I was beginning to think I was being neurotic!

Last week she was ill and almost totally refused to feed for two days, then she went back to normal. Then this. She's perfectly happy at the breast when she does drink...

I'll try and get in touch with a BF councilor but they are generally not that good here (am not in the UK).

Tiktok can you come back? I've spoken to the BF councilor and she seems to think it's perfectly normal: "A lot of babies decided they don't want to BF anymore sometime between 9 months and a year"

She did reassure me that my supply will be fine if DD only feeds once or twice a day.

She also said that DD wont get less antibodies by drinking less milk because they will become more concentrated in the milk she does drink. Does that sound right to you? I'm a bit skeptical TBH.

I'm off to search the achieves in the meantime.

DeJa - which organisation was this bfc from?

She is not giving you good information, and she may need some re-training!

She is also wrong about the supply - for some women, once or twice a day after this many months is fine, but not for all. However, your supply is deffo more robust after this time, and will not dwindle fast.

Antobodies thing - not sure about this. Antibodies are still there, that's for sure, and I suppose that if she feeds twice a day she will only get them twice a day, but no idea if they are more concentrated, sorry.

Just to add - it's true it's not uncommon for babies to stop bf after about nine months, but this is one of two things

• the baby on 'a strike'

• the baby getting more and more bottles or solids and deciding that they don't want breastmilk...which is a sort of strike in a way

Babies certainly need milk at this age, and breastmilk is what they need most

Physiologically, weaning from the breast at 9 months is not usual.

She was from Borstvoeding Natuurlijk (Dutch organisation, as I am in Holland) they are well respected here but I cant say I'm impressed with her advice.

DD just woke up from her morning sleep, I offered her the breast hand she happily had a few sucks (not enough to get let down) and calmly let me know she didn't actually want to drink.

I'm really worried she's just going to stop, I'll try and find out more about nursing strikes. I was hoping to feed until she's 2 or so

oh I am very interested in this thread as well although no advice Im afraid

tiktok would you have a reccommendation as to roughly how many feeds a day would be optimum at this age? If supply could dwindle on two feeds a day, with how many feeds could be confident that it wouldn't dwindle?

thanks

I only offer BM or water, she has been drinking more water lately but she definitely wasn't really getting enough fluids until recently.

Thanks skidaddle, I meant to ask that

Well, DeJa, I am not impressed with Borstvoeding Natuurlijk, either, in that case! In any case, it's poor counselling not to listen to your concerns about it, and just to say 'normal'.

No one can say how many feeds any individual needs in order to maintain a supply after however many months, sorry....it's a spectrum. You can be pretty sure that someone offering no more than two feeds a day when their baby is say, three months, will find their supply goes away. But the same mother can be pretty sure it won't go away at, say, 15 months. This is my experience and observation only - not research based. Most women will fit somewhere on that spectrum, but where....who knows? The good thing is that if two feeds a day only at 9 mths leads to a dwindling, you can get it back again pretty easily - simply feed more often, or if necessary, express.

I have research coming out of my ears Tiktok but no will not share it with you as I doubt you will take the time to read it. Anyway, I'm not interested in trying to change your mind.

Oh, and I've reported your post you bitch.

LaVie, you know I read research for breakfast, dinner and tea and would be delighted if you would share your resources with me - can't think why you suppose I would not read it.

I am amused at the irony of a post that tells me you have reported me, and uses abusive language to tell me

You don't understand about breastfeeding, you clearly know hardly anything about nutrition, and yet you persist in passing on poor advice and information to mothers about it. I am perfectly entitled to warn mothers about your 'form' in this area - it's surely only fair that they know this, before they follow what you say.