Hi everyone,
Colin is nearly 8 months now. We started solids when he was 6 months old, but he is still breastfeeding. We're on a 4-hour EASY, so he's fed around four times during the day, plus one night feeding. My concern is that with this feeding schedule, he's not getting enough breastmilk. I've seen some charts/articles say he should be getting around 24 ounces a day, which seems like a lot - He would have to be getting nearly 5 oz per feeding, and I don't think I produce that much. When I pump, the most I ever get is around 3 oz. I know a hungry baby gets more milk, but that seems like a LOT more.
He also gets two or three meals of solids each day - mostly fruits and veggies, with the occasional starch. We're doing a combination of finger foods and purees but I take a baby-led approach, meaning I never force food if he doesn't seem interested, even with purees I only give him another spoonful if he's reaching for the spoon and opening his mouth. I usually offer finger foods (soft fruits/veggies, or soft foods like pulled pork or spaghetti with the noodles chopped up) and only break out the purees if he's getting impatient, like he really wants to eat but can't quite get a handle on whatever the food is that I'm offering. I don't monitor his solids intake, however - I take the "food is for fun" approach.
He doesn't really act hungry during the day, but I'm wondering if I should be trying to fit in an extra nursing session during his A time - like maybe nurse when he first wakes up, then an hour and a half or so later before offering his solid meal. How do you other BFing moms make sure your LOs are still getting enough milk?
