Solids progress but bf now gone weird...

[flyingfarfalla]

Getting DS (6mo+) to take to solids has not been easy, made additionally stressful by the fact that he is very low weight generally (0.4pc).

Finally he is taking nearly equivalent to a jar of food a day, plus mini yoghurt, few sucks on cucumber/similar sticks and tiny sips of milk from a cup. Finally his poo has turned solid. Whoo hoo.

So on one level we are celebrating. However, he has now dropped his BFs dramatically during the day (from 6 to 3) but upped the night feeds (from 1 to 2 or 3 little ones). Yesterday for example he fed at 7pm, midnight, 4,45am and then refused a bf until midday despite only having tiny breakfast and lunch. Didn't feed again until 5.30pm.

So now I'm more worried about his calorie intake, getting less sleep and my boobs ache...fabulous!

Any words of advice?

Why are you pushing for so much solid food and solid poos so quickly? At 6m baby should still be getting the majority of calories and nutrients from milk (BF or FF).

I think slowing down the solids so he doesn't feel full and encouraging more feeds in the day will hopefully reduce night feeds again.

Thanks Jemjabella. Stupidly it hadn't occured to me that he could be full up on the what seemed to me minute amounts - about 2 or 3 spoonfuls twice or 3 times a day.

He turns 7 months next week and I had been offering (not forcing) the solids because he has never taken a bottle and with his weight having steadily dropped it was made clear to me that my BFs (even on demand) were not enough. The hospital prescribed some supplement powder to try and put in his food. I hoped that a little solid food with this would help increase and supplement his milk calorie intake not have such a dramatic impact on his feeds and actually reduce it overall. Just feel a bit lost as to what is the right thing for him now.

Well, I don't know how much they technically need to feel full, but my little girl sometimes refuses boob after sucking a piece of broccoli to death so I have to 'guestimate' (and tend to fill her up on BM before offering food).

Milk has more calories than food, so if there's a weight loss issue you need to be offering more milk. Did the feed dropping issue start before or after the weight loss?

You may be able to get more/varied advice on the Breast and bottle feeding board as I only speak from limited experience

Don't know if you find any info in this useful btw: www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html

That's really useful thanks. I guess what seems like no food at all to me is heaps to a little baby who has just started to eat.

If he feeds on milk before being offered solids, he refuses the solids so it seems to be one or the other with him!

He has slowly gone down the scale over time since birth. The feed dropping has only happened since he started taking in some solids though so what you say about being full certainly makes sense.