Breastfeeding 1 year old - how many times is too many? and diet query

[MelissaS]

Hi

SORRY THIS IS LONG -  lots of questions

Firstly - I have been breastfeeding since birth (had huge problems initially and nearly gave it up but kept going and now I love it) BUT I am getting ready to give it up.

My questions to every one (and any advice/similar situations) is VERY WELCOME.

1. How many times in a 24 hour period do most mums breastfeed? - I ask this because I finally weaned David from 4 in 24 hours to 2 times in 24 hours - but have found I have gone back to 3 times in 24 hours.
* Usually at 4-5am, 10am and 4pm I had got down to 4-5am and 4pm but he has been pulling at my shirt a lot more during the day so I tend to give in.

2. Did anyone find their beloved slept better when they cut down the breastfeeds? I did but now I have gone a little backwards he has been waking again at 3am.

3. Has any one received comments that they have a little baby? Lots of people tell me David is smaller than most kids his age but he has reached all the milestones and is pretty much walking now. He is a happy kid mostly during the day (except when teething) so I am not sure if he is filling up too much on breast milk instead of solids.

He does eat a fair amount of solids - I tend to feed him around 5 small meals a day (and pretty much anything else I can get him to eat).
He eats a lot of rice, potato, sweetpotato, peas, yoghurt, processed meat foods, porridge, weetbix, FC milk, sultanas, toast and vegimite - unfortunately this is his main diet as I am still pushing different foods but he fights them off.

4.Is the food above ok for him? I am not feeling very good about his diet - and I am not a very good cook - any suggestions here.
'

Basically - I want to wean him off breast all together and want him to put on a bit more weight.

SORRY IT IS LONG 
                               

[Samuel's mum]

Hello
Congratulations on coming up to the one year mark. You talk about a lot of different issues but here are a few of my thoughts:
1. Some mums still choose to feed toddlers on demand so they could be 'feeding/snacking' up to 20 times a day - seriously. Others have perhaps a morning and evening feed and that's it. You could go somewhere in the middle. My Sam varies enormously but he usually has 4-6 feeds in 24 hours.

2. I personally haven't found a link between cutting down and improved sleeping. If anything he wakes up more if I feel he hasn't had enough that day.

3. Sam is a chunky lad. He was 2% at birth and is now 75%+ but he hasn't been weighed in a while as I have read more about the outdated charts my local clinic use. He wears 2-3yr clothes at 18 months and is always being told he's big. He has a lot more milk that most babies his age - breastfed even - and is certainly not short of a pound or two. I'm not saying this to brag about Sam but to say that there doesn't have to be a link. I doubt the people telling you your LO is small have special training in this area. Some people say that breastfed babies are more 'streamlined' but this could be linked to their reduced chance of obesity in later life. Your LO is reaching milestones and looks like a happy chap.

4. You sound like you know what you should be aiming for with his diet. There are lots of good things there. Someone was just telling me the other day how sweet potato is a 'superfood'. You've got lots of carbohydrates which are really important. You may want to check iron levels if he's not eating much fresh meat. I don't know much about vegemite - is it rich in iron? Keep plugging away at green iron-rich vegetables hidden in things if necessary. If he likes toast, try introducing dips. Sam likes a dip I make with cream cheese and spinach. You could try and introduce more fruit using fruit smoothies or homemade smoothie ice lollys. I don't know much about diet so you check out the boards on recipes or eating for toddlers.
In my house Sam eats 3 meals a day plus a mid-morning snack. In one day he maybe eats toast and fruit and yoghurt for breakfast; banana mid-morning; pasta with a vegetable sauce and strawberries for lunch (strawberries aren't in pasta!); dinner could be organic sausages, broccoli, green beans, more fruit. On top of this he has his 4-6 milk feeds which are quite generous. It's possible to be an extended nurser and still pack away the solid food! There may be days when he eats a little less but I really like the fact I know on those days (and every toddler has some) my milk is there to give him so many important things.

I don't think that you should be so concerned about weight gain, although you should check with your doctor if you feel he is losing weight or you are very worried.  For all babies it really tapers off after the first year - even on the dodgy charts. A good doctor will tell you that the second year is about brain development which is what breastmilk is best for as it's so rich in fat (much more than any cow's milk). It contains lots of clever things that mean breastfed babies are more likely to reach their potential IQ than non-breastfed babies.
HTH

[daisymelan]

We're only at the 7th month mark so let me just commend you for making it a year.  I only hope we can make it that long.

In regards to size, my ds fits into the charts at about the 50th percentile, but some months he's up and some he's down.  I think just like formula fed babies, bf babies are all different sizes. 

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I also agree that size has nothing to do with breastfeeding! One of dd's best friends is still breastfed at 16 months (I think 3-4 times a day) and is very small, but within the norms.  Look more to yourself and your partner - if you're both petite, he will be too. Plus some kids just have major growth spurts at different ages. One of my nephews was a real butterball for the first year, now he's quite short and slim compared to other kids his age.  As long as your ds is healthy, don't sweat it!

Also, I know with my dd, she was such a fussy eater until after a year old (even now, really!!).  So I'd suggest just keep offering different food and textures and see what he likes.  I agree - watch for enough iron.  If he doesn't like baby cereal (which is iron-enriched, BTW), then try mixing it with yogurt - I still do that.  My dd also went through a stage where she loved avocado.  And now's she's liking Hummus - they have stages, so try to go with the flow and don't stress it. I made a lot of purees with chicken and veggies that I knew she would like. The breastmilk is actually a great supplement even now. At one year, I was still doing 3-4 feeds a day and sometimes one overnight or in the wee hours of the morning. This is from Kellymom.com:

Some toddlers are eating very few solids, or even no solids, at 12 months. This is not unusual and really depends on your child - there is quite a big variation. We like to see breastmilk making up the majority (around 75%) of baby's diet at 12 months. Some babies will be taking more solids by 12 months, but others will still be exclusively or almost-exclusively breastfed at this point. It is normal for baby to keep breastmilk as the primary part of his diet up until 18 months or even longer. An example of a nice gradual increase in solids would be 25% solids at 12 months, 50% solids at 18 months, and 80% solids at 24 months.

As for sleep - nope - no difference once we started dropping nursings (I still do bedtime).  The 3 am waking could be habitual.  Is he hungry then? 

Weaning is completely up to you, but there are still a lot of advantages to nursing past a year.  If you want to stick with it, we're here to help and if you want to wean, we can help make that easier too! Hope that answers some of your questions.