4.5 month exclusively BF baby hungry all the time! HELP

[Amel]

I dont know where to start but i really need advice.

my lo is 4 months and 2 weeks, she is healthy and growing by the day i just took her to the pediatrician and she told me that my baby is doing well. she is 7.54 kg which is a bit above average as she said, and i am proud to say that i am exclusively breast feeding her.

however, the problem is that i am trying to push her to 4 hour routine and im doing it gradually by increasing 15 minutes every 3 days starting with the first activity of the day. her daily routine is something like the following:

6 am: wake up
6:15 am: 1st feed (15 minutes)
6 - 8 am: activity time
8 am: sleep time (1.5 hr to 2 hr)

cried alot before sleep (had to feed her 20 ml)

10 am: feed (165 ml breast milk )
10 - 11:30: activity time
11:30: sleep (1.5 hr to 2 hr)

2 pm: feed (125 ml breast milk)
2 - 3:30: activity time
4:30: sleep (1 hr)

cried alot before sleep (had to feed her 15 ml plus put on breast for 15 minutes)

6 pm: feed (13 minutes BF)
6:30: bath
7 pm: put in bed (slept 7:40 pm) after BF for 10 minutes

10 pm: DF (still did not feed her since i am writing this at 8 pm)


So basically today was one of those horrible days where i had to feed her to sleep, and i am really worried that it might turn into a habit!! she has been soo good for a while now and i dont want her get used to feeding before sleeping

My mom and mother in law keep insisting that i need to give formula, when i know for a fact that i have enough milk supply. is it normal that i feel empty during the end of the day? and full during the mornings?

when is it advisable to start with solids? do i have to wait 6 months? please advise...

[Tay]

Don't panic, this is absolutely normal!
Your LO could be going through a GS, there is a BIG one at around 4 months (and it's this one usually that causes mums to doubt their supply; it's also the reason why in the 'old times' mums were wrongly told to introduce solids).
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=66001.0
If this is the case all you have to do is eat and drink plenty yourself and feed your LO as much as she wants to increase your supply to match her 'new' needs. You'll be fine in a few days.

is it normal that i feel empty during the end of the day? and full during the mornings?

Quite a few women notice a dip in their supply in the evenings, but I must say that feeling your breasts empty doesn't necessarily mean the milk isn't there, as time goes on your body just become more efficient at producing milk and you won't get that full feeling other than if you miss a feed or in the morning (long period without a feed).
If you still think there might be a supply issue, have a read at this.
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65905.0
Again, the best solution is feed your baby plenty and your body will get the message!

when is it advisable to start with solids? do i have to wait 6 months?

The current recommendation is to wait until your LO is 6 months and you can read some of the reasons behing it on this link. You'll see that it's particularly important to stick with it for EBF babies.
Having said that I did start some pureed pears with DS when he turned 5 months, but nothing more.
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68263.0


Another things that is coming to me from reading your post is that maybe your LO is still not ready for more than 3.5hrs between feeds, some BF babies don't manage 4 hrs until they are well established on solids, could this be the case with your LO?

HTH, let me know what you think
xxx