Big 14-week old monster - breasts are changing? Am I giving him enough??

[Louandalf]

Dear Everyone,

I would really appreciate some advice, please? I was just re-reading the "Bible" that is "The Baby Whisperer" to get some advice from Tracey, and was interested to note that she said that with larger 4 month old babies it is sometimes advisable to start incorporating solid foods earlier than the recommended 6 months. He is entirely breast feed, with EBM given to him by DH at 10pm, and he sleeps well. (Yes. I know. I am very, very blessed - at the moment!) He is on the 4 hour EASY plan, starting at 7am, and generally goes very, very well... but I am just concerned that nowadays my breasts no longer feel so full, they no longer leak on to my clothes or bedclothes at night, and he is eating much quicker (sometimes 10-15 minutes per feed) and seems to get a bit frustrated with feeds at the moment. Do you think that it would be advisable to think about introducing a small amount of solids given that he is now over 16lbs (not sure about kgs, I'm afraid) and is also 63cm long! He is massive, and I'm just afraid that my breasts are not going to be able to sustain him for much longer? Thank you very much for any help you can give me? 

Love, LouandAlf

I can usually express just over 125mls in about 15-20 minutes in terms of a yield, but the let down is definitely slower these days, and I just wonder if they are not producing as much as they were? They definitely feel much smaller and less full? Is this normal?

[lisi's mum]

LouandAlf,

what you are describing is actually meant to happen  it means your body has worked out what your LO needs, and is making the perfect amount, not too much and not too little! This is the age when they get more efficient eaters - a blessed relief to many who were having to spend an hour per feed at the beginning, but also distraction and impatience can set in.

You may find speeding up your letdown would help - a warm compress and/ or a bit of gentle breast massage before trying to squeeze out a bit to get things going, followed by breast compressions (see FAQs for how) to keep the milk stream stronger for longer. Moving into a quiet room away from distractions.

You're expressing a good amount - I never got more than 50mls even though I (usually) had plenty of milk. Remember, if you're getting that out with a pump your LO is getting way more - he's much more efficient.

Your nights are good which is another indication that he's not hungry - a hungry baby will not contentedly wait for breakfast!

Holding off on solids up to 6 months has a lot of long term health benefits - you can read more about it here: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68263.0 at 4 months you wouldn't really be getting so many more calories into him from solids anyhow - squeezing in more milk would be much more beneficial, but it really doesn't sound like you've got anything to worry about!

[Samuel's mum]

Yes, this is the way it's meant to be. It's amazing how many mothers start to panic when they feel 'less full' but it's important to note that early fullness is about a bunch of different things - blood and lymph collecting in the areas where new milk-producing breast tissue is being developed as well as milk being collected before your supply finds its right level. Some people never really rely on 'feeling full' even from the very beginning.
Eating more quickly is also absolutely standard as your baby gets more efficient. And being more distractible at the breast is about becoming more aware of the world around him.
Pumping output also tends to slow as our breasts become more accustomed to the baby's stimulation.

You're not describing any factors which would suggest going against the 6 month recommendations on solids. My son was also a big baby at that age. He started solids when he was 18lbs 13oz at 5 months and 3 weeks and could have happily lasted longer. All babies are of course different but it's worth remembering that first foods (e.g. rice cereal) are lower in calories than breastmilk and provide no magic answers.

So I agree with Katie - don't worry about anything.

[lovedtodeath]

Solid foods before 6 months is a big no no. Tracey's book was written before the new studies and new guidelines. My LO was 19 lbs at 3 months. I tried giving him solids at 4.5 months and all of them caused some sort of problem. They only have one type of digestive enzyme before 6 months, and at least 4 afterward ( I am going off of my poor memory here.) Anyway, he is 6 months now and eating solids just fine.

All breastfed babies have peroids in which they seem to want to eat constantly. It is a growth spurt and your breasts are producing milk as he is eating, so he gets more for these times. Four months is a major one! It should be back to normal after about a week or less, until the next one starts. Four months is also the age at which breastfed babies become "distractable" and want to be busy instead of nursing. You could try investing in a nursing necklace or feeding in a dark room if this is the case.

I found this link to be very helpful.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html


And this one too:
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html

Hope that Helps

[Louandalf]

Thank you all very much for your responses. Very interesting, and now feeling much better about the whole breast-feeding thing. lovedtodeath: I can't believe your LO was 19lbs at 3 months! What a brilliant bruiser! Thank you for putting my mind at rest about the whole breast fullness thing. Very helpful indeed... I always do feed Alf in a quiet space, but will now try to make it dark too to avoid distraction! I used to love his last feed of the evening when he was smaller, as he would suckle for about 45 minutes, and I could watch an episode of "Alias" on DVD!!!! A guilty pleasure! Now a distant memory as I focus on getting the little monster to eat properly! I am consoled by the fact that he sleeps well at night (at the moment, anyway!) and so is probably getting enough food to sustain him on those periods. I will not start any solids until he is 6 months, as I too have read about digestive enzymes in our LOs. Thank you all three for very wonderful posts and responses. Much love & gratitude, LouandAlf