no-cry breastfeeding solution?

My 7-mo-old has never wanted to nurse as often as he "should" (e.g.
instead of 8-12 times a day as a newborn, he was nursing 6-7 times a
day) -- but he's always gained weight well and if I try to feed him
more often, he gets pretty upset!

Now that I'm trying to introduce solids (started about a month ago),
I'm in a bit of a quandry: he really enjoys solids, but I know that
breastmilk should be his primary source of nutrition through the first
year. What's the best way to make sure that happens? I'm worried he's
getting too much solid food and that we might be on the path to
weaning...! I want him to enjoy breastfeeding -- for as long as
possible!

Should I:
- Make sure he eats enough breastmilk at each feeding (he's been
averaging 5 feeds a day for a few months now)? But how o I know when
to quit? Recently I've been lucky if he's nursed longer than 5 min per
side! He cries if I try to coax him (even very gently!) to nurse
longer...!
- Offer lots of feedings during the day? But then how many? He seems
to not be interested in nursing at all at the "extra" nursing
sessions...!
- Limit the amount of solids he gets? But then how much do I offer?
I've heard you should let your baby be the guide as to how much to
feed...!
- Do something else? But what? Please help...!

I forgot to mention what I've actually been doing with solids: I'm
feeding him as much as he wants twice a day (morning and early
afternoon). I stop feeding him when he stops "asking" for it with his
little fussy "cough"...!

J's Mama wrote:
I forgot to mention what I've actually been doing with solids: I'm
feeding him as much as he wants twice a day (morning and early
afternoon). I stop feeding him when he stops "asking" for it with his
little fussy "cough"...!

Well, you can't make him nurse if he doesn't want to. Limiting his
solids is likely to be your best bet. Might be worth giving him solids
only once a day for now. Also, if you want to limit the amount you give
him then it's probably best to prepare only a small amount in the first
place so that he doesn't start thinking that you're deliberately holding
out on him. ;-)


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell

Hi J's Mama,
Maybe your baby is full with breast milk.
I agree with Sarah that you can limit the amount of solid in a day.
Or, you can nurse him first before he gets her solid.

Love,
- aurora -
http://aurora.insparenting.com

My DD2 has recently turned 6 months and was always a very fast nurser. She
took to solids very quickly - I started at 5 months - as she was grabbing
food off our plates, had 2 teeth at 5 month's old and was showing all the
ready signs (completely the opposite to DD1 who didn't take much off a spoon
till she was able to feed herself with it and really didn't take to solids
at all until she was around 9 month's old and got into finger foods in a big
way - and DD1 also nursed for ages and wanted it at every opportunity!).

Anyway, during the day I do have difficulties getting DD2 to nurse,
especially with all the busy activity going on with DD1! She arches away
from me and cries when I offer her a feed. I try half an hour or so later,
but often to no avail, so then I give her solids. I would be quite
concerned that she wasn't getting enough milk, except that she feeds really
well in the evening and through the night (we co-sleep). I suppose she has
worked out she can eat solids and see what's going on in the world around
her much more easily, plus she also shows desperate signs of wanting to be
just like her 'big sis'!

Good luck!

Sarah


"J's Mama" wrote in message
ups.com...
My 7-mo-old has never wanted to nurse as often as he "should" (e.g.
instead of 8-12 times a day as a newborn, he was nursing 6-7 times a
day) -- but he's always gained weight well and if I try to feed him
more often, he gets pretty upset!

Now that I'm trying to introduce solids (started about a month ago),
I'm in a bit of a quandry: he really enjoys solids, but I know that
breastmilk should be his primary source of nutrition through the first
year. What's the best way to make sure that happens? I'm worried he's
getting too much solid food and that we might be on the path to
weaning...! I want him to enjoy breastfeeding -- for as long as
possible!

Should I:
- Make sure he eats enough breastmilk at each feeding (he's been
averaging 5 feeds a day for a few months now)? But how o I know when
to quit? Recently I've been lucky if he's nursed longer than 5 min per
side! He cries if I try to coax him (even very gently!) to nurse
longer...!
- Offer lots of feedings during the day? But then how many? He seems
to not be interested in nursing at all at the "extra" nursing
sessions...!
- Limit the amount of solids he gets? But then how much do I offer?
I've heard you should let your baby be the guide as to how much to
feed...!
- Do something else? But what? Please help...!

In article . com,
"J's Mama" wrote:

Now that I'm trying to introduce solids (started about a month ago),
I'm in a bit of a quandry: he really enjoys solids, but I know that
breastmilk should be his primary source of nutrition through the first
year. What's the best way to make sure that happens? I'm worried he's
getting too much solid food and that we might be on the path to
weaning...! I want him to enjoy breastfeeding -- for as long as
possible!

Just don't hurry with the solids. He can get by just fine on one meal of
solids a day for now. Generally, you want to see the child having roughly
half solids and half breast milk at 12 mo, but both mine have run late (DS1
probably hit the half-way point at 14mo; DS2 is 13mo and probably gets about
1/3 of his diet from solids) and are perfectly healthy. Add in a second meal
at 9-10 mo and a third meal at 12mo.

Generally, the advice is to feed the baby breast milk before offering solids,
but mine often go to sleep after a feed, so that didn't work for me!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

J's Mama wrote:
snip
I had the exact same problem with my DD at daycare and I'll try to help
by telling you what worked for us. You may actually already be doing
this, so I apologise if you've already mentioned this in your message.

- Do something else? But what? Please help...!
I added expressed breast milk (EBM) to all her solids. Rice cereal,
oatmeal, (yellow) lentils, peas, pears everything. Sometimes she ended
up with her solids being a lot runnier than what you would expect, but
it significantly upped her intake of BM. (almost 3 oz 3 times a day in
addition to 3 bottles of EBM and exclusively nursing during the evening
and night).

Hope this helps,
PK

My 7-mo-old has never wanted to nurse as often as he "should" (e.g.
instead of 8-12 times a day as a newborn, he was nursing 6-7 times a
day) -- but he's always gained weight well and if I try to feed him
more often, he gets pretty upset!

hmm, 8-12 is average 6-7 is pretty darn close to that, the moral of the
story is breastfeed on demand, because babies are different and demand
differently.

I would do precisely nothing, continue on those 5 feeds, stick with whatever
solid routine you are doing. Kellymom has some good advice on how many solid
meals is appropriate, I think at this age it's 1-2 small meals.

Honestly 5 feeds a day is ok for a 7 month old, my memory is hazy, but I
guess my 2nd was doing 5, maybe 6, but maybe only 4 at that age.

Anne

Don't worry! It doesn't matter how many times he
breastfeeds in a day; since he gained weight well,
he obviously gets plenty of milk, lots at each feeding.
So it's fine. A smaller number of larger feedings is
normal for him.

You can give him as much solids as he wants, or limit
the amount to what you decide is raesonable. It's fine.
Don't worry. He will balance the amount of breastfeeding
to complement the solids he's getting. That's my opinion.

Catherine Woodgold wrote:
Don't worry! It doesn't matter how many times he
breastfeeds in a day; since he gained weight well,
he obviously gets plenty of milk, lots at each feeding.
So it's fine. A smaller number of larger feedings is
normal for him.

You can give him as much solids as he wants, or limit
the amount to what you decide is raesonable. It's fine.
Don't worry. He will balance the amount of breastfeeding
to complement the solids he's getting. That's my opinion.

Well, I have to admit that not worrying sounds nice...! I want to
ask one more question, though, because it gets more to the heart of my
concern, perhaps, than my intital question. My little guy hardly ever
seems to WANT to nurse, and I wish he did. He wakes up around once at
night and seems to want to then, but most other times he doesn't seem
interested. In fact, he usually starts fussing when we start the
nursing session. That's why I'm worried the solids foods could overtake
the breastfeeding. What if he just stops drinking milk entirely?!? I
know that I should be feeding him "on demand", but for him I feel like
that would be just once a day! I also read on kellymom.com that "don't
offer, don't refuse" is a weaning technique, so I'm a little confused
about what "on demand" should mean. Should I offer lots, but not worry
if he won't nurse at any particular time? Or, should I just wait and
let him be totally in control? I want him to be
HAPPY about our breastfeeding relationship, and I'm worried it hadn't
really been that way lately. Any other thoughts, suggestions, tips?
Thanks...!