Anyone ever cut back on solids to increase milk feeds?

[galen]

Ok so it seems I am in the middle of a baby feeding dilema! You would think thjat with Ds being my 6th child that I would have all the answers by now - but no! So I am hoping some of you lovely mums can chip in and give me some opinions!
My first 4 children were weaned using purees, and spoon fed. They were Breast fed for varying times, the longest being 3 months. I started weaning them from about 4 months ( oops!) - some with greater success than others. Then before DD 4 was born I had a sort of parenting epiphany LOL I had found loads of great websites, and hung aroung parenting boards far too much, and discovered lots of wonderful ideas such as extended breast feeding, and baby led weaning ( nt to mention baby wearing , co-sleeping etc...) which all seemed to be the way I'd always wanted to parent really!
So when DD4 came along I made a real commitment to breastfeeding. At 6 months she seemed really ready for my solid food, and we started BLW. She NEVER had purees, and was never spoon fed. It was great. And so easy. No stress, no battles over food, really convinient etc.... but in truth she actually often swallowed very little food - but she still BF LOTS day and night so I knew she was well nourished and idn't worry. Gradually she started eating more, and self weaned around 2 years of age ( I was PG with DS by then , so did perhaps encourage her slightly to wean)
Fast forward to DS2 - I had fully intended to do the same as DD4. He was BF exclusively for 7 1/2 months. Any attempts to give him any food up till this age met with total diinterest. He didn't even put it in his mouth. Fine I said initially - he's obviously not ready yet. BUT he was BF loads - every 2 hours day and night, and it was getting to me. I was exhausted and had 5 other children to look after. Gradually all the nagging from family got to me ( "he'd be sleeping through by now if he was on PROPER sloids")I know I should have ignored them - but I gave in and tried him on some purees. And he seemed to take to them- and he started sleeping MUCH better! Great you may say - well yes but now I think he is getting too much solid and not enough milk! Last week, I was determined to put him on bottles, so had started introducing some formula, but after getting really upset I realised this wasn't the way I wanted to go at all. I really want to BF him, and am working on building up my supply again. Ideally I would like to ditch the purees as well and go on with BLW - but I do worry about him being hungry.
Anyone ever cut back on solids to encourage more milk intake? I know this seems to be a backwards step - but he is only 81/2 months - and most of his nutrition should be milk not solids - which it isn't just now. Anyone got any tips on how to go about getting back to a mre BLW approach. My milk suply isn't great just now, either, so would probably need to top up with formula if I cut back on solids - but then not sure that is much better. I would love to get back to a situation where he was BF for most of his nutrition - but in reality I can't do that if it is going to mean 2 hourly night feeds for some time as I can't function that exhausted and I also need to be a decnt mum to my other 5.
Oh I am soo confused! If you got this far well done, and if it makes any sense theat's a miracle!

galen..in the first year milk is the main nutrition and solids are for tasters, really...so....I think you would be on teh right track to ditch the purees, bf on demand and offer solid foods and see what happens...

Agree with Xmas fairy, milk is the main source of nutrition till age 1 and is much more nourishing/fatty/filling than puree anyway.
Do you offer milk before you offer food? Or breastfeed him and then offer food say an hour later? This will help keep up your supply and will mean he gets enough milk.
HAve you looked at www.kellymom.com for info on weaning?
Also remember that blw is much easier logistically than making meals for your other DCs and separate purees for the baby...

Galen, well done for BFing your DS for this long esp with so many other kids to look after!

Don't beat yourself up about not wanting to BF every 2 hours day and night. You are a mum not the bionic woman . Anyone can see that Bfing every 2 hours would be unsustainable for you.

You say solids helped him sleep. But that he wasn't drinking enough mik. What made you think he wasn't drinking enough milk?

FWIW I think you should just offer him food and let him lead you. Purees are not poison - they are used by millions of people and you shouldn't feel like you are doing something wrong by giving them to your son.

In some ways I am similar to you because I am BFing twins (7.5mths old) and like you I can't be up every two hours all night (twice!) so I had to introduce purees. I just keep offering them food three times a day (more mashed than pureed really) until they turn their heads away. I BF them first thing in the morning, after lunch, mid-afternoon and before bed (and sometimes late in the evening and in the night if they wake). They really don't drink that much milk now compared to before. I was concerned about their milk intake and wondered whether to cut back on solids but, like you, I was scared they wake more in the night which I can't cope with long-term (like you!).

They have a BF first thing when they are not full of solids and they are still not that interested - they just like food!

I think there is some confusion over milk being their main source of nutrition until one year old - I think milk CAN be their main source of nutrition if you want it to be (ie if you are BLWing and they are not eating much else) but it doesn't have to be that way. They can get nutrition from food too.

I would give them food before formula - nothing wrong per se with formula but it is cow's milk designed for calves not for humans. It is OK if there is no alternative but you have an alternative - food! BTW I do use formula for baby rice etc do I am not totally averse to FF - I just don't think it is prefereable to a few purees.

Gill Rapley says milk is the main source of nutrition in her BLW book but that does not mean it is true. If someone wants to post some links which prove it is true I'd love to see them.

I think the point about keeping milk as the main source of nutrition for the whole of the first year is linked to the importance of sustained breastfeeding for at least the first 2 years of a child's life. Introducing lots of solids in the second half of the first year can lead to premature (i.e. before 2 years) cessation of breastfeeding. Of course, many mums want and choose to stop breastfeeding before then and that's their decision. However, policy makers recognise the research that demonstrates the benefits to children of ongoing breastfeeding up to age 2 years and therefore the recommendation about keeping milk uppermost in the first year makes sense. This link gives one perspective on it eith references, but probably doesn't exactly answer your Q.

There are lots of different ways to introduce complementary foods and also reduce breastfeeding (or number of bottles of formula). I don't think there is a clearcut right and wrong, only what each family chooses to do.