First time mom needs advice with 9 month old breastfeeding schedule

[peetie]

Hello! I am new here and not even sure if I am posting correctly. I am embarrassed to admit I am very computer "challenged" and have never participated in posting on message boards before now. So I pre-apologize for the ignorance I may show! I am, however, a BIG  believer in the baby whispering techniques and have read the books and had my daughter on the EASY schedule since 3 months. My lo is 9 1/2 months now, and still breastfeeding thank goodness. We have had many struggles since the beginning, but every month I say that I can't believe we have made it this far. My goal is to make it 1 year. Since she turned 8 months, she has been refusing feeds, some nursing strikes, etc. and thanks to reading some of the wonderful advice, I have been able to wing it for a month or so. Now I am in need of some advice and support! She absolutely refuses her second breast feed of the day and I am replacing it with a yogurt snack, but am really concerned she is not getting enough breastmilk. I have to keep on a strict pumping schedule to keep my supply up because now that she is only feeding 2 - 3 times a day(and very short feedings at that) my body wants to dry up.  I don't know any information on how to drop feeds and adjust the solids/snacks accordingly and none of my friends are breastfeeding. Please help me figure out how to adjust her fluid/milk and solid intake now that she seems to be weaning herself. Also, any recommendations on routine adjustments for our day are appreciated! Thank you so much! Her routine right now is:

7:30 BF - about 7-8 minutes
8:15 - Breakfast... oatmeal,3-4oz.fruit,few cheerios
9:30 - nap
11:15 - offer breast(refuses) then offer yogurt & banana - she loves it! - few sips water from cup
1:15 - Lunch...turkey or meat, veggies/avocado, 2 oz. fruit, 1/2 serving oatmeal or barley with 2 oz. ebm
2:30- nap
4-4:30- BF - maybe 5 minutes if were lucky!
5:15 - dinner - protein(chicken usually), 2-3 oz veggie, cereal with 2 oz.ebm and fruit
6:45- bedtime routine/bath
7:15-7:30- Bottle of EBM (takes 5-6 oz), then bf about 5 minutes, falls asleep

I offer a sippe cup with every meal of water or ebm in hopes she will get a little more. Usually she will only drink from the cup if it is water. She frowns at the milk! HELP! I really want to make it to 1 year!

[debo620]

no advice, but wanted to follow this post as my son is 9 motnhs and I never feel that I am doing the solids/bf thing right. good for you for bf for this long and aiming for 1 year. my little guy his two top teeth and I kind of feel like I have had enough of bf, I am slowly switching feeds over with some hesitation/guilt. my body has adjusted fine to him only get bf 2x/day and ff 2x/day. I think that your daughter is just making the natural transition to eating more solids. I think you are right to replace the mid morning feed with a snack. your body should adjust to the decreased demand without totally drying up.

[seniuk2001]

Peetie,

When did you introduce solids?  Often babies will decide they like solids more than milk if they started solids early.  I don't know if that's what's going on here or now.

Have you always nursed first?  Did you ever give solids before milk?

How much she is actually getting even though she's not on for long on the breast?  Do you have access to a lactation consultant?  I would recommend doing a before and after weight if you can, that way you will know how much milk she is taking in actually.  I don't know if that's an option for you.

I had the same problem when we first started solids, so I reduced how much she was eating for solids and nursed her first, that seems to have helped us.  I understand how you feel, cuz milk should still be their primarily food, and solids are supplements.

Good luck!
Leanne

[tiki_mama]

I think the first thing to consider is how your DD is? Is she gaining weight? Is she bright and healthy? If the answer is yes to all these things then you should try not to worry (yeah, easier said than done! lol)

At 9.5 months solids are a major part of your LO's diet. Milk will play a big part until she is 12 months, but providing she's getting a good balanced diet you may find that 4 milk feeds is too much at this age. Every baby is different, but it sounds like your LO is more than happy to have a yoghurt or similar snack when she wakes up from her morning nap, so personally I'd go with that if she seems healthy.

My DD is on 2 milk feeds a day..morning and bedtime. We (mutually) cut out her 11am feed at around 9 months and the 3pm feed went soon after. I've found she feeds for longer now she only has 2 feeds, however at this age they can empty a boob in less than 5 minutes!! lol

Your routine looks good too, and unless you're having problems I wouldn't necessarily change it
 

[RachelC]

I agree with tiki!  Your routine looks great!  5 minute feeds are not out of the ordinary and dropping the 11am feed is ok at this point.  Many babies drop to 3 feeds at 9 months and you may notice the 4pm feed go soon also.  At 10 months, many babies are on only 2 feeds. 

Allow her to take the lead.  It does not appear that she is completly weaning, but making a natural transition to the solids being more dominant.  If you are pumping to be able to offer the bottle and milk in the ceral, then by all means, keep it up.  If you are pumping just for supply reasons, I don't think you need to.  Your baby will tell your body what she needs and when she needs it. 

You are doing a fantastic job and I have no doubt you will make it to 1 year!

[peetie]

Hi! I was so excited to get responses and finally feel like I am not alone in the breastfeeding world. SO many of my friends only formula fed and I have no one to bounce ideas from. So, thank you so much for the advice/support! Is there anyone out there that knows of a book/website that shows what is typical for breastfed babies according to age? Since I am a first time mom, I had no idea that at certain ages babies tend to drop feeds....it would be encouraging and helpful to see a guideline so that I could prepare myself for what might lie ahead.

Still learning how to post, so I will try to respond to some of the remarks as best as possible. Thanks for the encouraging words about 9 month olds dropping feeds. It is good to hear that some of you experience the same thing and that my schedule looks OK. My DD is growing well at is happy between meals, so I guess she is getting enough. I am pumping to make ebough for bottle while being away and to add to cereal. I will try and relax about my supply now!

What happens when she does drop the 4pm feed? Do I offer another snack or change the eating times? Any ideas so I can be more prepared for this next change?

For seniuk...I introduced solids at 6 months and started very slowly, but from the start she really liked all the solids that were offered. She is a really good healthy eater! I have always offered breastfeeding first in hopes to keep her interested and full on milk first! She just is a very independant one and wants to feed herself already! WIsh I could weigh her before and after. That would be very interesting. Don't know how to get a scale that would cooperate with a wiggly one though. Any pointers?

Thanks in advance to everyone for your support

[RachelC]

When she drops the 4pm feed, I would offer a small snack after her nap (small, so as not to disrupt dinner). 

I really wouldn't be concerned with weighing her before and after feeds (would really just be for curiosity).

Babies vary so much as to when they drop feeds.   I would suspect that your 4pm feed may not last long (but it could!) and that you will have the morning and night feeds for awhile.

Good luck and let us know how things are going!

[M2L]

hi peetie,

just a note of encouragement from me - lindsay just dropped her 11 am bf and we go straight to lunch after her morning nap.  lindsay still bf's first thing in the morning, in the mid to late afternoon and before bed at around 6:45 pm (and we are in the process of dropping the 10 pm df).  it sounds to me like you and your LO are right on track.   

[peetie]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! It is so helpful to know that the dropping feeds thing is normal. I am still having issues with my supply though. It seems that when I don't pump and just try to rely on her feeding that I have not got enough milk. My breasts just feel like flat flaps! Sorry for the visual  Is there really going to be enough milk for her when she is just breastfeding 2 x's a day??

[RachelC]

Just because you don't feel full, does not mean that you aren't.  You need to use other clues (like her satisfaction after a feed and being able to go the same amount of time between feeds) as a basis for whether you are producing or not.  It's supply and demand, if she demands it (how many times a day) it will be there.

[M2L]

yup, i can second that.  there are times that i wonder if i have any milk because i don't feel very full, and there is always enough for my LO!!!  it just means that your body is producing exactly what you need.

[peetie]

Hi! This is great! I can't tell you all how encouraging I feel after deciding to post on this website. It is so good to know that I am not alone anymore I never knew when I decide to breast feed that it would be such a comittment in so many ways and that I would have so many questions along the way. I am so glad that I have decided to keep it up though and I wouldn't trade it for anything. My dd is very happy between meals and is bright and very curious, and smiles alot...she must be getting enough! My circle of friends and family offers no support, infact I get questioned still why I am still breastfeeding and isn't it time for her to be weaned  My pediatrician seems to be fixatied on ounces and wants to make sure she is getting a minimum of 16 oz. of milk or formula a day, which of course I have no idea how many ounces she is taking from my breast! She is having a normal amount of wet and dirty diapers and is a happy baby - so thanks to hearing from some of you I think I can relax a little!?! We have now made it to almost 10 months and a year will be here before I know it...my goal I guess as a first time mom worrying is bound to happen.....I am sure there are more questions to come. Thanks again! 

[RachelC]

I am so glad you found us too!  Go ahead, relax 

[Mum of girl, boy, boy]

I am sorry I haven't had time to read all the responses but I just want to offer my own experience.

We are from the UK and over here it's ok to drop feeds before 1 year but I read  a lot of US that said solids shouldn't replace milk before 1 year.

Now I followed the lead from both my children and with DD 1 I started solids at 5.5 months because she was starving and waking in the night and I knew it wasn't just a growth spurt. With DS I started at just over 6 months. HV's over here told me to start earlier mind you. Once we got the solids going they seems to prefer them over there milk. At around 9 months with both they dropped to 3 feeds per day and by 10.5 months both were at 2 feeds. I tried to cut back on the solids to maintain the feeds but it didn't seem right for them. DS is now 11.5 months and I think the milk still really helps him because when he's skipped feeds he is noticably more hungry through the day.

I had a real hard time with DD accepting she was ok on just 3 or 2 feeds especially when friends were bottle feeding many more oz's per day and with what I had read on the web. Second time around I know it's just the way it is and they are both happy and healthy.

You know your baby best so trust your instinct. You could even try different combinations to see what works for your little one. Last week DS wasn't so well so I offered a couple of extra feeds and he took them. This week he's only just up for his morning and night feedings of about 4 minutes each.

Good luck.

Hope this helps in someway.

J

[peetie]

Hi! Yes, all the extra info I can get always helps! I agree that the US is sometimes very rigid about things with children! I think you are very right though, following the cues and things the children are telling you is good! They aren't robots  Sometimes I find that as a first time mom it is very hard to trust yourself though. Getting feedback from other moms, especially ones that breastfeed is really helping though! We are still hanging in there. She got her very first cold this week and that has been a chellenge with nursing. Poor little thing can't breath to suckle  Still getting a good feed in the am and pm and one snack in the late afternoon. Maybe we will still make it to a year! Thanks again