DS to get no milk in daytime...is this ok??

Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

Has anyone else had success with this sort of routine?
Would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
Rebecca

Rebecca wrote:

Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

Has anyone else had success with this sort of routine?
Would like to hear your thoughts.

How about pumping milk and then adding it to his solids?

--
Brigitte aa #2145
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/j/joshuaandkaterina/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/i/isabellazora/

"Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare."
~ Harriet Martineau

Rebecca wrote:

Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

I'd continue to pump and have your childminder offer EBM in a variety
of forms. From a cup, different bottles, different temperatures. Your
childminder might have more luck than you do. For what
its worth, my daughter took very little breast milk from a bottle (and
I went back to work at 12 weeks). To compensate, she nursed alot
at night, which was fine with me, although very tiring. She would always
nurse right when I got home, then usually another time or two before
going down for the night, and a couple of times during the night.

Mary

Rebecca wrote:
Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

Has anyone else had success with this sort of routine?
Would like to hear your thoughts.

I had one baby that did not take bottles or drink milk during the day. He
nursed *way* more then twice a day though. He reverse cycled and nursed all
night long and at least 4 times during the day (before work, after work,
after supper, before bed.) My other baby took bottles well at daycare and
he nursed way more then twice a day too so my experience says that two
breastfeeding's is not nearly enough milk for a baby under 12 months. I do
realize that all babies are different though so it very well might work for
you :-).

I also don't think the hassle of trying to wean him off the noon and 5pm
feeds before you go back to work is necessary. Mine always nursed then on
weekends and they didn't seem to have a problem with going back and forth
between weekends and week days.

Good luck and hope it is a smooth transition :-)
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

I don't think that 2 feeds a day is enough for a growing baby that young.
For a formula fed infant I've read that they should get around 32 oz. a day,
I would guess a breastfed baby would require the same amount. Formula
and/or breastmilk is their main source of nutrition at this delicate age,
solids are just for practice at this age.

I would have the caregiver offer bottles of breastmilk or formula every day,
eventually he may start to catch on. You could also add breastmilk to his
cereal and other solid foods.

Best of luck.

KR

"Rebecca" wrote in message
om...
Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

Has anyone else had success with this sort of routine?
Would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
Rebecca

(Rebecca) wrote in message . com...
Hiya,

Thoughts please...

I go back to work in 3 weeks when ds will be 6 3/4 months.

I am now trying to prepare him for life with the childminder but have
to work around a few issues...mainly that he won't take a bottle or
formula. (He used to take bm from a bottle until we tried formula.
From then he hasnt touched anything in a bottle). He will take a few
sips of formula from a beaker, but only sips. Not enough for a couple
of snack feeds in the day.

Have you started him on a cup yet? It isn't too early. Try it without
the spill-proof attachment, so it just pours into his mouth. Also,
some babies do end up taking bottles out of "desperation," so you may
still find that he takes a bottle from your babysitter once you are
actually not there during the day anymore. He really doesn't need to
now, does he?

So, my routine at the mo is:
7am: breast
9ish: solids
12pm: solids then breast
5pm: solids then breast
7pm: breast

I am going to drop the 12pm breast over the next week. That does leave
3 breastfeeds that I could do when Im at work but I'm finding that
trying to feed him 2 breast feeds and solids in the space of 2 hours
is a bit much for him. So I am thinking about dropping the 5pm breast
so he has 2 really good breast feeds a day. I will of course add lots
of dairy to his solid diet.

I wouldn't take this approach. I wouldn't wean him "defensively" if
you know what I mean. You're going to end up losing supply and you may
regret it. I'd go on under the assumption that he will still get just
as much breastmilk the day you go back to work as he did the day
before you went back to work. You can adjust your expectations later,
as needed, with no harm done.

If it were me, I'd leave the babysitter with plenty of pumped
breastmilk and have her offer it in both cup and bottle. He may well
give in to one. Even if he doesn't, you can then slowly stop pumping
to "dry yourself up" during the day, though keep in mind that he will
very likely do a huge breastfeed when you first get home in the
evening, so don't pump too close to quitting time. If he doesn't end
up taking BMilk during the day except in with his solids, you may find
that he compensates by feeding more when you're there. He does still
need to get the bulk of his nutrition from BMilk (or formula).

I hope you'll report back a week or two after you return to work to
let us know what ended up happening. Good luck!

Has anyone else had success with this sort of routine?
Would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
Rebecca

Its actually not great, Rebecca. If you look at any information on
infant nutrition, you will see that for the first year, the
recommendation is that they should get the majority of their calories
and nutrition from breastmilk or formula. Solids are supposed to
augment, not replace.

You may find that he'll learn to take a bottle from someone else given
some time in the new environment, or you could try a sippy cup.

Mary G.