BF an older baby - advice and experiences please

[PDog]

So we have reached the magic 6 monthsmilestone (almost gave up at 6 weeks, am so glad I managed to carry on now) and just wondering what to expect as DD gets more mobile.

She isn't sitting up yet but is trying to and will try and lift her head up while I'm feeding her. She is also very distracted, coming off whenever she hears a noise and esp if she hears DH. I usually read or MN(used to watch TV but that is too distracing for her now) but now she turns to grab my book all the time or to see what I am doing. She also twangs my bra strap, pulls my top, sticks her fingers in my mouth/up my nose, comes off frequently to smile at me, exposing my norks in the process.

She is heavy and long so I use my cushion at home so I don't get a dead arm. Not sure how much longer she will comfortably fit on my knee though.

Please can you share any advice/experiences for coping as they get older? Ta

I don't know really. I fed my oldest until he was around 2.9 years and my second is still feeding at 14 months. If dS2 gets distracted I usually take this as a signal that he has finished feeding.

As they get older the feeds get shorter, especially as you introduce solids. As both of mine have got bigger they have found their own way of feeding that is comfortable for them and for me. I usually sit in the arm chair with the laptop on one side and DS2 finds his own position.

In the morning I lie in bed and doze while DS2 feeds. Sometimes we both fall back to sleep and these morning feeds are probably why I carried on feeding number 1 for so long!

Nork exposure has never been an issue for me.

First of all, well done for BF for 6mths!

Don't really have any advice, just my experience.

I BF until 7mths, then baby started losing interest and not taking much at all (due to the same distractions!), so I began combination feeding with formula. It was around the time she really started to eat as well, and she took to a bottle with no probs, but I had been expressing bottles before this.

I still feed from the breast at night when she doesn't settle, but it's now more a comfort/private thing when she isn't settled rather than her main source of milk. We just lie together in bed for her BFs.

It works for us

depending how long-torsoed you and your DD are, you could feed with her sitting straddling one of your legs. I've done this with DS, he seems to like it better because he's sitting up instead of lying down.

I posted about a lot of the same problems (distraction, little fingers everywhere, pinching, twanging, etc) and one suggestion was getting a breastfeeding necklace. I never did, but it might be something to look into.

Hi Yank, My ds2 is 9 months and is going through the same things as yanks baby, its a bit irritating but it will pass, I do wear a necklace and both of the ds's fiddle with it from time to time when feeding, If I change my necklace I get complaints so I guess they like it. Just make sure any necklace has a sturdy cord.

hi PDog

i bf my dd until she was two.

i found all the same problems you describe. there's not a lot you can do about any of it it's all normal.

all i found i could do was when they begin dropping feeds try to encourage them to be the ones you would usually have to do when out and about. save the morning and nighttime ones until last.

you dc is a little early to start dropping feeds for a while yet i know. but have that sippy cup of ebm or whatever ready at the first opportunity!

Gosh, having fed my first until 3 and a bit years old, 6 months just doesn't sound like an older baby at all! LOL

But I suppose when most people in this country stop long before 6 months, it is.

She is at a distractible age so you might want to consider short-term use of a nursing shawl or cover thing.

She will get much more efficient at feeds as she grows, so they won't take as long.

Also, you will probably find her being so distracted in the daytime, with so many cool things to explore, she will forget to feed.

In a couple of months, you might be on here asking for advice getting her to feed more in the daytime, so she won't be waking up hungry at night!

Good luck.

I bf ds until he was well over 3.

I would say around 6 months is the hardest, as they are eating relatively few solids (so still are bf lots) but they are very mobile and distractible.

As ds grew older, and definitely after 1, bfs were rarer and thus more precious to him - he took his time to enjoy them and bond with me during them, or just space out and look at the computer when he wasn't feeling in a 'bondy' mood - so I could mn in peace.

It's lovely to bf a toddler though - they do appreciate it so much.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will maybe give the bf necklace a try and hope that helps.

I BF my DD til she was 3 too.

I would say the most important thing is to develop a sense of humour about BF, if you haven't already. As mine got older she started to feed in some really funny positions ... She was dead curious about the world around her, but somehow the idea of removing boob from mouth in order to explore it all just never occurred to her

So yes a few ouch moments for me, and definite worries that I was going to end up with norks stretching across the room, but honestly it was fine. The closeness of BF never goes away, in fact you appreciate it more as they get more independent. And the LOs are so funny as they get older! you just have to laugh ... Oh and things did eventually twang back into shape