Too much E???

[AMJ]

Hello to all!

I have a question regarding DD's E throughout the day. our typical day looks like this

WU 5:30ish E bm, A
7:15ish solids,
8:00/8:15ish E bm
9:15 S

WU 10:00 E bm A,
11:15ish E solids
12:00ish E bm
1:15 ish S

WU 2:45ish E bm, A
4:15ish E solids
5:20ish E bm
6:00/6:16 BT
then she might wake up once at night to E

I am wondering if this is too much breast milk for her through out the day? Do I need get rid of the top offs and instead increase her solids? DD also started to randomly ask for breast during play but it is more for comfort then out of hunger because she sucks for few mins and lets go, then she starts to pull on my shirt again and if destructed will forget about it.

Thanks in advance!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

At her age bm should still be the main source of nutrition (before one, food for fun is the saying) but in saying that I would think the top ups arent necessary and she may just be snacking, where if she had less feeds spaced out more she would get the same amount just all in one go. We do similar EAEAS but only because DD3 has long A times for her age and cant do a good nap without a second feed in there...plus it works for us, which is really the most important thing to me!

[AMJ]

thanks for replying. Would you suggest cutting the bm top ups then? I am just worried that she might wake up early from the nap or her NFs will increase?!

[*Ali*]

Does she have water in a cup/sippy at mealtimes?  I'm wondering if she is just thirsty.

Do you offer solids until she stops eating or are you limiting the amount at each meal?

[AMJ]

I do offer water to her after solids but i do limit it since I've heard that too much water is not good and babies should be quenching their thirst with bm. Most of the time she stops solids on her own. The only time I limit solids is when she is eating oatmeal because she can probably finish the whole box and she will never refuse it. I started offering the second bm feeding because I was just afraid that she is hungry and not get enough or will wake early from a nap. So now I'm sure it's a habit but I'm afraid to stop. Also when I mentioned that she is asking for breast through out the play, that's on top of the 2 bm feeding in one A period. And she just suckles for few seconds or just keeps the breast in her mouth.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

thanks for replying. Would you suggest cutting the bm top ups then? I am just worried that she might wake up early from the nap or her NFs will increase?!

That depends....if it is working fine for you and her, then by all means carry on...but I suppose the only way to know for sure is to try cutting the top ups and see what happens.

[*Ali*]

BF babies under 6mo don't need any water but I'm not aware of any recommendations to limit the water taken from a sippy with meals. (I'd be interested to see them though if you know of any that say otherwise).

If you prefer or you are worried about hunger then what about offering breast milk in a cup after meals rather than the breast top up? That might help break the dependency on the breast

Personally I would just try to distract her if she asks for the breast throughout the A time. Maybe she would be happy with a hug if she doesn't actually seem hungry enough for more than a few comfort sucks?

If she is having a decent morning BF and a good solids meal in that first A time then she really should not be too hungry to take a decent nap. I would work on cutting out the top ups and getting back to 4 BFs at the beginning of each of the three A times and BT. Otherwise it sounds like she is just constantly looking for breast when she just needs comfort or sleep.

I'll pop on to your other thread for sleep advice. Re: Please help, multiple NWs and naps are changing too, Can't do it anymore

[AMJ]

Thanks to both!
Ali our dr said not to give more then 2oz of water per day if not constipated, more if constipated that's why I'm always conscious not to let her chug so much water. But maybe I will let her from now on.

TBH I never liked the hassle of pumping and dealing with washing and sterilizing all the bottles but maybe by giving more water she wouldn't need that second top up?! I'll try that first. Thanks for great ideas!

[Bestbees]

Remember that every mother and baby is different. Whilst almost all women can produce enough to feed their baby your ability to store milk varies. Therefore your baby may need to feed more than a schedule says. Empty breasts make less milk so be aware that denying your baby feeds might lead to less supply. Also, snacking is the more naturally way for babies to feed so don't worry too much!

[AMJ]

Thanks Bestbees. I just wasn't sure if all that snacking might be bad for her, but otherwise it doesn't bother me.

[*Ali*]

Empty breasts make less milk

It's the opposite actually. Empty breasts equal faster milk production and higher fat milk than full breast. http://kellymom.com/pregnancy/bf-prep/milkproduction/
By this age supply is driven by demand so you should be able to make the milk she is drinking. If you are happy feeding constantly day and night then by all means go ahead. It does sound though that your DD's sleep (and therefore yours!) is being adversely affected by her breast dependency hence my advice to try something else

[AMJ]

Oh I didn't realize that Ali. So you think her EWUs are because of breast dependency?

[Bestbees]

Sorry that was a mistake I meNt empty boobs equals more milk!

[*Ali*]

It does sound like she is looking for the breast every time she is hungry,  tired or just needs comfort and it is interfering with her sleep and playtime.  It won't do any harm if you are happy with that though.  If she is eating a decent amount of solids then it doesn't sound like it is a problem there either.  They can't really have too much breast milk at this age.

[AMJ]

I don't mind the feeds at all just don't want it to interfere with her sleep. Thanks for your advice !!