Author Topic: Extra hungry since weaning!  (Read 3603 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline SW29

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 5
  • Mum of two...
  • Location:
Extra hungry since weaning!
« on: December 30, 2011, 21:43:08 pm »
My baby - 'Mouse' - is now seven months old and began weaning a few weeks ago.  We followed the BW routine with her brother and he slept from his dream feed until about 6/7am from being 11 weeks old, rarely waking us unless he was poorly.  He continues to be a good sleeper at 3 1/2.  Mouse has had the same routine, usually slept well in the day, settled in the evening, woke for her dream feed and went back to sleep.  She continued to wake for a feed in the night (or two) long after three months but always gobbled it up so we kept giving it to her.  She then gave us a few blissful days when she slept through and we thought we'd cracked it when she started waking again!  We began to suspect she was hungry as she was nearly six months, so we started her on solids but it didn't seem to make any difference.  In fact, she almost seemed to be more hungry for milk, even when she was eating two good meals at lunch and tea, and kept waking in the night for at least 4oz of milk at a time.  She's now over seven months and still wakes every night for a bottle, but at totally random times, which is why we've kept giving it to her as (a) being a different time didn't seem habitual and (b) she drank it all!  Lately her first two teeth have come through and she has had a nasty cold, which has disrupted her more so that since then she seems to be waking in the evening quite regularly, say 8.30 or 9.00 wanting milk and then again in the night.  I'm not sure whether my supply is dwindling and she's not getting enough at 6pm or thereabouts when she gets a feed from me?  But actually with three meals a day I don't see how she can be this hungry or need the extra food?  Why might she have started waking more when she's getting so much more food??  And what should we be doing??  Advice would be gratefully received!!  Thanks...
« Last Edit: January 01, 2012, 22:14:35 pm by SW29 »

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Extra hungry weaner!
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2011, 23:01:51 pm »
It's quite normal to have some disturbed nights after starting solids.
I also found DS wanted several more milk feeds per day when he first started solids (I gave solids 1 hr after milk but found I had to give more milk immediately after the solids too, plus some night feeds which he hadn't had for months) but this stopped after a short while.
If the evening solids meal is close to BT I'd move it earlier.  I felt that DS wasn't getting his full milk feed at BT because he was still full from solids and unable to take all his milk.  I believe milk is more important to see them through the night despite popular belief that solids sees them through.

You didn't mention water with meals.  If you are not offering water you need to, certainly at meal times and I would also offer at intervals between meals too.  It could be thirst waking her if she isn't getting enough water.

The night waking could be related to starting solids or could be her EASY needs a tweak.


Offline Shiv52

  • The Diplomat
  • Global Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 585
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 25307
  • Location:
Re: Extra hungry weaner!
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2011, 23:21:39 pm »
It would not be unusual for a BF baby to be taking a NF at this stage. I agree with pp that milk will actually fill them more than solids at this stage.  Has milk intake stayed the same since starting solids?





Offline SW29

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 5
  • Mum of two...
  • Location:
Re: Extra hungry since weaning!
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2012, 22:26:30 pm »
Thanks both!  I've been trying to feed her a bit earlier in the evening as I think she has been too tired to feed properly and so not taking enough.  Other than that her feeds have stayed the same, though the one mid morning is now breakfast and I no longer [on advice] give her milk feeds with every meal as i did when she first began weaning.  So she has milk feeds first thing, afternoon and evening, plus dream feed.  She does have water however, and is getting more and more used to drinking it - I keep it around all day and especially at meals make sure she tries to drink a few sips.

That's interesting that the milk feeds are more important - I shall keep trying to make sure she has more last thing before bedtime and we are back to giving her a dream feed anyway which she still enjoys. 

I guess it's just a matter of time?  I think her brother was an amazingly easy baby so we were a bit spoilt with him! I know Tracy's books always say that if on a proper EASY routine babies should be sleeping through from pretty early days - any thoughts as to what we may have done/not done on that front?  We've been big fans of EASY with both children and before weaning she had regular feeds every 3-4 hours, going back to sleep after her first feed which she always seems to need to do, then with a cat nap later in the morning while we're out and about (largely because she has an older brother so we're not able to stay in all morning) and a big nap in the afternoon, say 2 hours. 

Should we continue giving her bottles in the night if she's still keen to drink them?  We've always felt that we should because she's not just fiddling around...

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Extra hungry since weaning!
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2012, 09:12:46 am »
I do think it takes a while for them to adjust to the solids and they get hungry for milk more than you'd expect so for now I would continue to give milk at night, esp as you say she is not fiddling around.  Although we all follow Tracy's advise to a greater or lesser degree we must also (as Tracy said) allow for their individuality and the big one is to observe and question rather than have a blanket approach to all babies and stick to a strict schedule.
If you start feeling that the night milk isn't really necessary (it's a bottle yes?) you could try taking two bottles to her, one with milk, one with water.  Try the water to see if it is thirst, if not then you already have the milk there as back up.

For info.  You shouldn't give LO's whole grains (brown rice, brown pasta etc) as this fills them up too much and can prevent them taking in enough other food/milk.  It might be tempting to feed whole grains for the health benefit but you should wait a while. x


Offline SW29

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 5
  • Mum of two...
  • Location:
Re: Extra hungry since weaning!
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2012, 14:35:27 pm »
Yep, maybe we just need to wait for a bit and see what happens.  We'll keep going with the night bottles for now as she seems desperate for them when she wakes and guzzles it all down, but will keep an eye on whether she starts faffing around.  As you say, not all babies manage the sleeping through bit so early, even with Tracy's wonderful tips!  She's not on any whole graim at the moment acutally, as I remember being told at some point that it can fill them up too much in the early days...

Thanks again!