9 months, confused about dropping a milk feed

[rachelann]

Hi!  I posted this on the BF board, but realized it's more a solid food or EASY problem.  I'll move it to EASY if that's a better place, I just wasn't sure!

Currently my 9-month LO has 4 BF during the day and 1-2 BF at night (we're working on phasing those out with the help of daddy and a sippy of water).  She is eating solids, but not a ton yet.  I think she may be trying to drop a feed during the day, because she is only nursing for a few minutes at each feed, and doesn't always seem that hungry at her "normal" times.  So I think if I drop a feed, she may be more interested for the other three.  Is 9 months (and she's a little peanut) too early to do this?  When I've looked at the suggested 3-feed schedules, it says 7am, 11:30am, and before bed, but she seems the most uninterested in the 11:30am feed.  If I wanted to space the three feeds out evenly, how would that work with naps, and solid feeds?  I also think she's less interested in the before bed feed because of dinner time being right before bed, but that's when we eat.  I've looked through everyone's schedules and can't seem to find one that fits for us.  Our schedule, on a good non-teething day (which is rare), might look like this if we are lucky:

6:30  wake and reflux meds
7am BF (3 min on one side)
8am solids (4T oatmeal/fruit puree, finger food cheerios and fruit)
9:15-10:30 nap
11/11:30 BF (3 min on same side - she's weaned herself from my right side!)
12:00 solids (6 oz yogurt/fruit/veggie puree, finger food cheerios and cheese)
1:15-2:30 nap
3:30 BF (3 min on same side)
5/5:30 solids (2 T oatmeal mixed with fruit/veggie puree, finger food bites of our dinner)
6:30 BF (3 min on same side)
6:45/7pm  bed

11:30pm/12:30am BF and/or  3:30/4:30 BF

This schedule looks fine on paper, but she is becoming less and less interested in BF during the day, so I need to tweak it!  Any suggestions would be welcome 

I don't think she's ready yet to switch to solids before BF, because wouldn't she then take even less milk?  I'm just confused what to do with her schedule to make her take more milk at each daytime BF.  I'm sure getting rid of the night time feed(s) would help   

Thanks!
Rachel     

[Mimi 2]

There is a chance that she will take less bm if solids is given first.  It does sounds like she wants to wean a feed, however if she is still having night feeds then she will mostly likely not be interested to eat during the day.  Do you think that the night feeds are more of a habit?  When do they occur?  Are they full feeds?  Have you tried weaning them?

I think that you should look into weaning the night feeds first as you don't want her to make up for lost calories at night if the bm is decreased during the day, kwim?  What do you think?

It's fine to still offer bm first, some moms don't even change the order until 12 mos as they want their los to get the more nutritious bm/formula.

[rachelann]

Thanks, Mimi.  I am sure the night feeds are habit now.  She doesn't seem hungry when I first go in, but since I can't usually get her back to sleep, I feed her.  She will take a full feed if I let her, but I usually cut it short.  I'll keep working on those feeds.  Should I just keep the daytime schedule the way it is for now?

[Mimi 2]

Yes, for now I would concentrate on the night feeds.  Could your dh go resettle her when she wakes?  I know that when I weaned ds I decreased the time on the breast until it was 2 mins or less then sent in dh with some water when he woke.  It did took a few days but eventually ds realized that if I'm not around then there's no point in waking. 

Ds was also weaned at around 9 mos.

Good luck

[rachelann]

Yes, we have tried to have DH go in to settle the past few days, and it does work (although it takes an hour sometimes), but as DH works during the day, sometimes at the 4/5am wake up he asks me to go in because he's so tired and I feel guilty so I go in, and end up feeding her!  But we will keep at it.  Thanks again.

[Mimi 2]

I know it hard, dh had the same complaint.   Try starting on a Friday night, that way your dd will have at least 2 nights with just dh.  Hopefully by the 3rd or 4th night it will be much shorter and then she will longer expect a feed should you take over the any NWs in the future.

GL