Weaning help!

[2happy]

DS is nearly six months old and has been breast fed to a healthy 19lb! He doesn't seem insatiably hungry but I believe I'm supposed to start weaning at 6 months. I want to keep some breast feeding until 1 year, but I have to go back to work next month , and would welcome tips both on general weaning and on getting DS ready to give up daytime feed for the one day when I'll be at work all day (other days just doing half days). I don't let down at all when expressing, so that's not an option. Also DS has no experience of bottles/beakers - will that matter? (he is a very sucky baby)

In fact, I think half my anxiety about weaning is really just anxiety about going back to work: I just don't want to! I've tried everything I can think of to express better, even having him crying (because he was hungry) nearby. Must admit I haven't tried shaking my boobs first, but did try hand expressing before pumping and no joy.
I'll definitely try the water to get him onto a beaker, thanks for that idea. How does DS cope with feeds when you work your full day? it's what worries me most.

"happy,I weaned dd and ds at 6 months but only breast fed until 9months-they were only having an evening feed so not much available,also my periods had returned.Do whats best for you,I was determined to breast feed both of mine til 1 year but 9 months seems to be my limited.Sorry this has become more of a breastfeeding debate.Weaning on to 3 meals a day took 6 weeks

Tipex: thankyouthankyouthankyou. I've emailed back, but do tell me to bog off if I get too irritating.

Notasheep: how soon did your kids drop their during the day feeds. Ds feeds at (ish) 7, 11, 3 and 7 and it's the 11 especially (and the 3 one day a week) that'll cause problems. I need to get him to want to drop the 11 breastfeed.

Sorry Tipex, hadn't checked mumsnet for couple of days (ds and nik's dd christening yesterday!). No, I haven't got your email, sorry.

Heck, sorry about that. Have been reading back on old weaning threads - found one from you in August... bet that seems ages ago for you now! Gave ds his first taste of proper food today - pureed carrot and parsnip. Gobbled two ice cubes down like he'd been weaned all his life the porker! Am confused about timings of feeds though - some say solids just after bf, some say space bf and solid feeds out with hour inbetween. I'm sure it shouldn't be so complicated!!

Um, I think he prefers booby...
He can manage it fine, though, he just makes a face at the taste of water!

Hi
My ds is 7.5 and I'm back to work for 3 full days/week in a couple of weeks time . He is bf and having introduced solids at 6 months is currently on 3 biggish solid meals per day. He still bfs in the morning and last thing at night and maybe once during the day on odd occasions.
When I go back I am hoping to keep bfing am and pm on the days I work (he will be with my mum) and on my days off perhaps feed him more.

Roobie, how did you manage dropping the bfs during the day? Did ds phase them out as he ate more solids?

Once solids were established he just stopped demanding bfs with the same regularity during the day. He will feed for short periods if I offer it but can easily go without. I found that offering water during the day helps.

I had similar - bf'd till just short of 6m then onto solids. Still b/feeding at 14mts. He likes to suck the real thing and didn't like a bottle. I found that comfort wise I could miss one feed (ie lunch time) without needing to express. Although I was very eager (if you know what I mean) to see my baby when I got home and took my pump with me when I went out just in case it became unbearable. Do you have a plan for your comfort if you can't get on with pumping?

Once DS was drinking properly from a beaker (at about 8mts - see separate thread on getting them onto cups) we just gave him water or formula in his beaker during the day. He wasn't that keen on formula at first but took water ok. I couldn't be bothered expressing by then. He had a b/feed morning, pre-bed and pre-midnight (or whenever he woke up during the night which was usually at least once). I was happy he was getting enough milk if he got 3 b/feeds a day.

BTW, I noticed that when he went onto solids I was making a lot less milk but much richer milk and he shortened his time at the breast.

We used formula rather than EBM to make up the baby rice etc.

If I wasn't there, DS was absolutely fine with his solids and beaker of water. But if I was around, he would often want a feed at other times (still does but have been using distraction very effectively during the day!)

I had a double barrelled electric pump from the NCT catalogue - I really do think electric pumps make a huge difference if you are trying to express. But if you have started weaning, you might want to express only for your comfort rather than to have EBM for your baby.

Good luck!

Wow. Thank you all so much for the advice, it is really helping. I know I'm just being a panic-stricken first time mum and it'll work out in the end, but I can't help it! There's another thread at the moment about when babies drop their daytime feeds, with someone saying it should be entirely baby-led and they should be given the boob whenever they ask. WHich is all very well for SAH mums or those who express, but it makes me feel worse than ever about going back to work! Still, am hoping he'll drop the 11am feed which means I only have one day a week where I'll be at work in the pm to worry about.

So another thicko question: is there any problem using formula in a bf baby? I'm sure someone told me it 'interferes' with the beneficial effects of breast milk. Is that just cr@p, or were they getting confused with it intefering with your supply?

Jen28 - d'oh, so worried about getting him weaned, hadn't even thought about my boobs. Bum, am going to be leaking while at work aren't I??!

You are introducing solids now so I personally wouldn't worry (and I didn't worry with DS) about a little bit of formula. As I said, we used it to make up the baby rice rather than EBM. I chose Hipp Organic Follow On b/c some of their weaning products already contain the milk and you just add water (easier than mixing up a bottle of formula just to get 1oz to mix with a teaspoon of baby rice ...). So as I was buying their packets, I figured it made sense to buy their formula as well that way DS would always be getting the same formula.

First morning alone with childminder this coming Tuesday Cried when I realised it's such a short time until I go back to work. Still, I'm sure we'll both get used to it.
By then he'll have been on solids a week, so might try introducing a second meal. He's taking the food really well so far, but still not keen on the taste of water. Might need to use formula after all; but it might be that he's really not thirsty as he's still getting plenty bf.
Tipex - kids running rings round us at less than a year old? Why am I not surprised......
Had actually bought some Hipp cereal by mistake (didn't look at the packet and hadn't realised it had formula in), but from what you're saying, Jen28, that might be pretty useful!

Tipex - ......................

......... Arse..............

.,...............

can't even remember my work computer password, let alone actual clinical stuff!

Have a medela electric pump. Nearest NCT to where I live is, I think, over an hour away (price of living in the sticks!). But you're right, I really must try and express again. It would make me feel better to know there's MY milk for him at CM. Don't like to think of him wailing when I leave, but the wee bugger'll probably bypass that and go straight to the diving-for-toybox stage!!

I'll persevere with the water I think. Just taking solids slowly this week, though am not sure why as ds munches them like he's never been fed!! Then I'll try and increase them and see what he does with the 11am feed.

Crikey, by the time I'm done I'll be able to write a book on weaning!

ps solids poos... d'you think 6 months is too early to start potty training??!!??