Weaning at 24 weeks?

[ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets]

I really really wanted to hold out for 26 weeks. I don’t know why. I guess I just like knowing I’m doing what I’m told

So DS will be 24 weeks on Thursday. Breast fed up to now with the occasional bottle of formula when I’m out, maybe twice a week.

At the moment I just can’t keep him fed and it’s like having a newborn again

It’s every 2 hours during the day, and 3 at night. He screams if he’s decided it’s hungry and it’s really wearing me down. And he only naps 30-40 mins at a time so my house is a tip, I never get to eat and my other boy feels so neglected

But, he can’t sit up. Nowhere near. He just topples over.

He can just about put his dummy/toy in his mouth, but can’t quite work out how to leave it there by letting go of it.

The other thing is he was born at 36+2, so almost 4 weeks early. HVs had conflicting advice as to whether to consider this when plotting his weights.

He’s a big boy, you certainly wouldn’t think he was only 5lb when he was born! He’s in his 6-9m clothes. Embarrassingly I haven’t had him weighed for a while, but he was following the 75th centile nicely.

What to do? Try some baby porridge to give my poor boobs a break?

Or wait until 26 weeks?

I've no advice really but wanted to say that even when you start weaning they eat so little that I don't think it'll help. It's just first tastes. They won't be eating decent amounts to fill them up.
I'd be tempted to increase formula a bit more if your boobs are a tad(!) worn out. Alongside weaning if you feel you want to, but don't pin all your hopes on an overnight success with weaning helping sleeping.
Is there a growth spurt around this age? Or sleep regression? That may explain it if that's the case but I'm not sure when they happen, would need to google.

Are you counting his age as 24 weeks actual age, or corrected for prematurity?

For prems, you wean on ACTUAL age. So my 29-weeker was weaned at 26 weeks actual/15 corrected.

He couldn’t sit, and wouldn’t manage BLW, so we did purees etc but he managed fine.

My DD was also premature (a 36 weeker) & again I weaned her on actual age (22 weeks corrected) - she was also back to feeding 2-hourly during the day (had been 3-5 to 4 hours). Again, she wouldn’t have managed BLW, but did fine on soft/mashed foods & yoghurts, soup, puréed veg etc.

Thanks both.

It’s 24 weeks since since he was born. So his actual age.

I’m easily confused, do you mean it’s ok to do?

I don’t think he could do BLW, we’ll just do purees to start with.

For any baby, it’s around 26 weeks - definitely not set in stone at exactly 26 weeks. So I think you’d be fine. You could try a bit of baby rice until then. I just waited till 26 weeks so I could start dairy/citrus/wheat etc.

My baby can't sit completely unaided but can perfectly well in a highchair.

She is 24 weeks too (though not prem).

We have just started weaning with purees and it's going ok.