BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Breast Feeding => Topic started by: *Ali* on March 06, 2012, 23:41:25 pm
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Colby, my DS2 is almost 7mo and seems to like a 3hr A time. This however means that he doesn't have time for a decent nap before he is due to BF again. We are doing BLW and although he has taken to it well he is not consuming significant quantities yet. I have tried to offer porridge and weetabix on a spoon to either feed himself or take it from me but he isn't really interested and doesn't eat much at all.
With Cadan my DS1 I didn't have this problem as he was eating a good breakfast of porridge and so could happily do a 3hr A time and then a 2hr nap before needing to feed again 5hrs after his morning BF.
I have been trying to put Colby down to sleep at 3hrs but found he was waking hungry after 35-45mins and would only go back to sleep if I BF'ed him first. So I have been BFing him again as a top up just before the nap (before the nappy change and WD so no feed to sleep or anything like that) but this means he is having his 2nd BF of the day only 2.5-ish hours after the first. This then knocks everything out of sync for the rest of the day and means he is having 5 BFs in the day again. We also do a DF around 11pm and occasionally a NF at 4ish but less and less often these days.
So our typical EASY is something like:
06.00 E
07:00 solids (something like toast, pasta bows, sweet potato and/or banana)
A time = 3hrs
08.30 E (top up before nap)
09.00 S 1.5-2hrs (occasionally I have to resettle him at 35 or 45 mins but less often now)
10.30 or 11 A time = 3-3.5hrs
12.30 E
A solids around 1.30 (something like bread and peanut butter, tomatoes, avocado)
2.00 S 2hrs I often have to wake him (this coincides nicely with my DS1's nap from 2-4 as well)
4.00 E
A time= 3hrs
5.00 solids (something like sweet potato, green beans, butternut squash, egg, kiwi and/or banana)
6.30 E doesn't take a huge amount here as still quite full from the 4pm BF and the solids.
7.00 S BT
11.00 DF
Sometimes he has a NF at 4am is as well but takes very little and this is probably more habit if he wakes now.
This is our schedule when home for both naps. We we are out for the PM nap he will often have 2 shorter naps or an early BT but i just wing it on those days so it is the EASY above I'd like ideas on please. Some days he wakes later anytime up to 7am and then the first half of the EASY is shifted backwards by the same amount of time until the 2pm nap which is pretty set.
I have tried not to feed him when he wakes from his PM nap and go straight to solids but he moans and fusses throughout the entire meal as he is obviously hungry and isn't able to eat enough yet to fill himself up.
He is an independent sleeper but uses a dummy to drop off to sleep for naps and BT although he often spits it out before he actually falls asleep. If he gets OT I sometimes have to shh/pat or put a firm hand on him.
So while I'm waiting for his solids intake to catch up enough for him to be able to go 5hrs between BFs has anyone got any better ideas on how to distribute feeds? And is it OK to have 5 day feeds still/again at this age? Do you think this is contributing to the NF we get sometimes?
Thanks :-*
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ALi- that EASY looks pretty good, getting the feeds can always be a bit tricky at this age.. I'm going to move this thread over to breastfeeding as i think the issue you are wanting to discuss is more about feed intake... Those naps are looking nice!
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My guy didn't have this problem, unless it was a growth spurt he was usually happy enough to go from the AM feed to the lunch one.
THe only suggestion i have- if he'll let you- is to hold off on the AM BF until closer to 7am, then give the solids later. THis might buy you some time.
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Hmm, if he has had a NF at 4 or 5am I do sometimes hold him off until the 4hr point before I feed him when he wakes up for the day but when he sttn there is no way he would wait. He wakes ravenous and is trying to latch on to whichever part of my body he can get his mouth to. LOL.
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yeah.. hamish is the same... he's a little better now- but was hopeless at that age!!
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I really think what you have is great ;D
Take a peek at these EASYs. The 3rd one of 7 months sounds like yours (except you are throwing in one more at the end of the day, the one he doesn't seem to take a lot of).
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164030.0
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Thanks ladies. Guess I will stick with it while it's working then. He sttn until he woke and fed at 5.30 this morning but then slept until 7.20 so things are a bit off today. Plus my mum put him down to sleep at 10.10 and I hadn't fed him again since the 7.20 so I'll see how he goes. He did eat quite a bit of roasted sweet potato for brekkie this morning so maybe he is getting the hang of it and will go the 4hrs20 until I have to wake him to go out. He's been asleep 35mins though so could wake any time.
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Fingers crossed for you!! I think it really is a matter of them just getting used to it!
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Oh no he woke at 35mins and wanted feeding. Think I will stick with the top up a bit longer.
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bah!!
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What you've got there looks good like others have said. If you want to fill him up a bit more in the morning, what about offering something like porridge fingers? They're pretty fab and easy for LO to pick up.
3tbsp porridge oats (not the instant sorts)
3tbsp milk
Mix together in a small shallow dish and allow to soak a bit. Flatten top. Put in microwave for 2 minutes. When done, remove and cut into slices while still hot. Allow to cool and feed to baby. You can put dried fruit in it after the initial mix and push them into the mixture before nuking too. :)
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Ooh what a fab idea Amanda. Thanks.
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No problem :-* They're really great. As long as you stick to the same number of spoons of milk and oats you can do more or less too :)
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Amanda... are porridge oats just rolled oats? I think i'll give them a go!! Could make a good lunch too!
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Yes, I think so. They don't taste of a whole lot, but then I guess porridge doesn't either! LOL!
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hmm tried it.. i think the container was too big... i'll reserve judgement till they cool down.. (i trust your suggestion amanda- i don't trust that i actually followed the VERY simple instructions!!)
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Ali, when James does a long first A time, I will sometimes feed him before his nap -- I do solids after his nap, which since it's been a decent length of time he'll often take more. Then we might end up with closer to 5 hours between our second and third feed, but he seems capable of waiting a longer stretch between either the first and second feed or second and third feed, depending on how our day goes.
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Thanks Erin. I tried your suggestion of delaying the third feed and it would have worked great if I'd fed a little earlier I think. As it was he fed to sleep and woke half hour later to poo and vomit his lunch simultaneously. ::) I will give it another go though as that was probably coincidence anyway.
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Katy, I usually use a shallow cereal bowl. They should be pretty firm.
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:) (although :( on the vomit - yuck)!