Son losing weight on EASY

[GretHall]

Hi, hope I can get some advice as I am very concerned.  My son is almost 8 mos.  We started EASY about three weeks ago and did a night weaning.  He is now sleeping until at least 5am (sometimes later) with a DF at 10:30.  Sometimes he still wakes at 3:00 but he now puts himself back to sleep after a little babbling.  We are on a four hour EASY routine, with solids 3x a day 1 hour after BF.  His naps are getting longer, and are generally at 9 and 2, with a catnap around 5. 

Our problem is that now that he's no longer nursing to sleep, he has no patience with BF.  When he wakes up he just wants to look around and grab things.  I don't think he is getting any hindmilk except at the DF.  He is only on my breast for about 5 minutes, then he's on/off for another 5 minutes while he looks around.  I have tried keeping the lights low and the environment calm, but then he just wants to babble to me (so sweet!). 

I am getting very concerned because when we weighed him a month ago on our home scale he was 17.5 lbs and now the same scale says 17 lbs.  He is alert and active and learning to crawl...doesn't seem to be hungry but am I missing the signs in my eagerness to adhere to the 4 hour routine?  I have started pumping after his morning feed and giving him the milk before we feed solids...but I really hate pumping and am almost ready to go back to nursing to sleep just so he will relax and get a good feed. 

[shelliz]

I feel your concern w/ your son's weight. I haven't had the experience w/ my dd losing weight, but she is light to begin with. At her 6 month appt. she weighed 14.1 lbs. The pedi was not worried, but I was concerned that she eats enough. You and I (and our babies) are pretty much in the same boat w/ our routines. My daughter also is very "busy" with looking at other things when I try to feed her during the day. If I try to talk to my husband or if the t.v. is on....forget it. She wants nothing to do with eating. She wants to know what I am doing! She chug-a-lugs her milk and hardly ever feeds for a solid 10 minutes (accept for DF and right before bed).  I know that the older your baby gets, your milk also increases in calories. You don't necessarily have to feed more or longer b/c they are older. Your body and breastmilk actually adjust in calories/fattiness...kwim?
    Just these past 3 days I have gotten my daughter past the 3:00 a.m. feeding and I have extended it to feed her at 5:00 a.m. I was actually attempting to cut out all night feedings w/ the execption of the DF but after reading, talking w/ pedi and other baby whisperers...I decided to keep the 5:00 a.m. feeding.

  I would almost say that it is just coincidence that you have gone to a 4 hr easy and now your son has no patience w/ BF.  At 8 months, your son is probablly really mobile, sitting, crawling and maybe pulling up on furniture/beginning to try to walk. My pedi just told me that these next few months babies are burning more calories than ever and it isn't suprising to hear yours may be loosing a few ounces w/ the new routine. Are you keeping your DS on one breast the entire feed?   Have you tried offering avacados during your solids? They are such a wonderful food full of the good fats/calories.  I am sure your ds will be fine. He is just getting used to the new 4 hr e.a.s.y and also going through a very busy stage (milestones).  I know that it is normal for them to become very disinterested in BF at this age.

 Hopefully you will be able to stick you your ds new routine and feel confidant that he is getting the nutrition he needs. It sounds like you are doing everything right. You may be suprised when he weighs in at his next Dr. visit!

 Good luck!!

Shelby

[Samuel's mum]

I think the previous poster has given great advice. This is a time when babies are often more interested in the world than bfing. I think if a 4 hr EASY wasn't right for him, he WOULD let you know and you wouldn't miss those cues. I would try and hold off weighing him with scales at home as they are notoriously unreliable. Even if you have proper baby scales I would wait until you visit your doctor before assuming that was correct. I would also add that in 5 minutes an efficient 8 month old could be having a full feed and getting to the hindmilk. You'd be amazed what can be achieved in 5 minutes.

[Shdef]

A lot of babies actually lose weight when they learn to crawl. he is a good weight now and maybe he stored some fat for exactly this period? If he doesn't seem dehydrated I wouldn't worry too much because he will catch up later

[CaedensMama]

I too would keep an eye on him for now - they are at a point where they will stablize out in their weight and slow down a bit. If he is seeming happy and healthy and not distressed after nursing, I would think he is fine.

Give him a few more weeks, I think he'll have a 9 mo checkup and you can see how he is doing at that point!

[GretHall]

Thanks so very much to everyone for your answers...they have really calmed me.  I know he is much more active than he was before, and really starting to hit those developmental milestones.  It's good to know that my milk has more calories, and I had no idea he could get hindmilk in five minutes!  And I know our home scale is a bit unreliable, but I do think he has dropped a few ounces if not a whole half pound.  I will give weighing him a rest and just concentrate on his cues...he really seems to be happy with what he's getting but of course I still worry.  And yes, I am feeding him avacado (he loves it) and I think I may try him on some yogurt as well.

We also did a night weaning of the 3:00 a.m. feed recently, shellliz.  It was very hard (2 hours of crying for about four nights...my own fault b/c I was not consistent enough and was afraid he was really hungry despite the tanking up and the DF).  Funny thing is...he is no longer waking at 3:00 but I still am!  I hope my body can reprogram soon...momma needs her sleep! 

Just want to say also I am so grateful for Tracy's book and the posts on this website...I could see the future and knew if I didn't intervene I would be co-sleeping alone with him and feeding him all night until he was two (DH can't sleep with him in the bed).  I had tried CIO out of desperation but knew it wasn't working when I found the "Solves all your problems" book.  Tracy's method is so much more sensible and compassionate than anything else I've found...and the best part is that it worked!  Preaching to the choir here I know, just wanted to show some appreciation.    Thanks again.

[GretHall]

Also meant to ask you shelliz...when you feed at 5am does she go right back to sleep and sleep til 7?  Right now Collin is waking at 5:30 and I let him babble away until i go in and feed him at 6:00.  Then he poops and goes back to sleep until about 8:30.  This is fine with me except it tends to throw off our EASY day...maybe I should just go in and feed him at 5:30 when he wakes and hope he goes back to sleep sooner?  I have read a lot on this site about these early wakings and it seems to be typical at this age.  So I'm just trying to hang with it and not be too focused on timeslots...but our day just seems to go so much better when he'll sleep til 7:00. 

[shelliz]

GretHall,
 
          In answer to question to me, yes...when Jessica wakes at 5:00 I go ahead and feed her since I have just recently got her to go from feeding from 3:00 to 5:00. I do feed her then and she goes back down really easy and I usually have to wake her at 7:00 to keep her on her schedule. I do go ahead and offer a feed at 7:00 (also just to keep her on the 4 hr easy). She usually doesn't take much of anything but I like to keep her feeds at 7:00, 11:00, 3:00, 7:00.   Also, if I fed her 4 hrs from that 5:00 a.m. I would be feeding her right when she was going down for her naps and I didn't want that "feed to sleep" association, 

I, too, once tried CIO in desperation. I think that is what led me to find a different way. Thank goodness for the babywhisperer!   I think you will worry less if you wait to weigh your baby at the dr.'s (especially if he is happy and seems to be thriving!).  It will surely ease your mind!  In regards to the short feeds, one thing I will do w/ my daugter is to feed her (she will only feed for about 5 minutes too!) then I will change her diaper or do something for 5 minutes, then sit back down and offer the same breast again! Most times she may take a minute or two more. This is not much, but it something!!

  I also will wake up when Jessica used to wake up! I think it is mother's instinct and I wake up thinking..."what's wrong, why isn't she crying!" . I am sure it will change soon!

Please let us know how everything is going!!

   Shelby  (shelliz)

[GretHall]

Thanks again for all the great advice.  I'm going to try feeding him at 5:00 to see if he'll then sleep through til 7:00.  I think he will drop this feed on his own...I'm just happy to be rid of the 1:00 and 3:00 feeds.    Of course, now he has a cold/fever so we are completely off schedule and just trying to BF/Sleep as much as possible.  See you on the "Getting Back on Track" thread!

Gretchen