7 Months Old - Is it time to stop?

[Sadiebird]

My son is 7 months old and in the past two days he has started getting very wiggly during nursing. After about 5 minutes, he starts squirming and won't take any more breastmilk.  We recently started giving him a regular bottle in the evening that's 4 ounces of breastmilk and 3 ounces of formula and in the past two days he's had more than one bottle a day because my husband and I went out and left him with his grandma.  Because he has been squirming for the past two days he hasn't taken enough milk during daytime feeds so he has been waking up in the middle of the night and he nurses for full feedings then (he was sleeping through the night before this). Is the squirming during the day his way of saying he's done nursing or is it something else?  I'm sort of ready to stop nursing.  I would continue doing it if he was still interested in it, but if he's finished I'm ok with stopping.  I'm sure I'll cry, but I'll be ok with it.

[Samuel's mum]

I think the important thing is that you say you are 'sort of ready to stop nursing'. That's the sentence that stands out for me. He's had a fab 7 months and you've done what needed to be done. He's now off on solids and you can be proud. If you want to stop or move to mixed feeding or pumping then do that with pride.

However I'm not going to lie to you and say I think that your LO is indicating he wants to stop as self-weaning just doesn't happen at that age. Lots of things could be going on. Around 6-7 months babies are commonly distracted during the day. Life has become a lot more interesting. If he's been having bottles he's possibly become frustrated with the slower pace of breastfeeding and the fact he has more work to do as that's common too. You could experiment with expressing a little just before a feed to start your letdown going before he comes on the breast. In addition at his age 5 minutes can be long enough to get a full feed believe it or not - super-efficiency kicks in around the time that world becomes more interesting!




Did that last paragraph make your heart sink?


If so, and I'm going to guess it did, I'm going to go out on a limb here and be a bit cheeky. You want to hear that he is happy to give up/wants to stop as that would alleviate any feelings of guilt about weaning you might have. This may not be something you're doing consciously...
but you know what - you don't have anything to feel 'guilt' about. If you want to stop then be confident this is right thing for all of you. You can pump for a while or not. He's obviously very happy with bottles and I'm sure if he could vote he'd want you to be completely happy too. So so many babies and mother do not make it to the significant 6 months. You did that! Break out the champagne and follow your heart.

[Carter'sMama]

Hi there!

Samuel's Mom hit the nail on the head when she said that a 5 minute feed can be a long feed!  When Carter hit 7 months he would maybe last 4 minutes on each breast and was sooooo wiggly!  He also started night wakings (some of which he seemed hungry, others he would just cry and a few he would go right back to sleep).  Unfortunately for us the night wakings lasted almost 2.5 months      We had been used to him sleeping through since 6 weeks old!

I also don't think that your lo is trying to self-wean ... he just has a lot of developmental things going on right now.  In a few days, weeks or months he will go right back to nursing the way he used to.  Whether or not you wait for him to make up his mind about it before you throw in the towel is up to you    You've done great to bf for this long and luckily for you your lo is already good with formula and the bottle.  Basically all the variables are there, waiting to be set in motion when you decide what you want to do.  It is always a roller coaster ride of emotions when trying to decide to wean or keep on going.  I know I questioned it myself many times but ended up just quitting when he was 12.5 months old.

Good luck with your decision!  We are all here for you either way! 
 

[jbepko]

That 7 mo mark....mine was highly distractable. But it passed and he has settled back to nursing attentively. For mine, every developmental stage interrupted his sleep. He always wanted to try his new trick- rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing- in middle of the night. But he always falls back into his routine after a few days.

[aisling]

I agree with posting above. (actually, to all the postings) DS is now 7 months and he is getting much better at blocking out distractions than even last week.  I wear a necklace that he plays with whilst eating and I also often do his 11 and 3pm feed in our bedroom with the curtains drawn and sing quietly to him to keep the distractions down.  Good luck with whatever decision you make and well done for bf'ing this far.

A x

[Sadiebird]

Samuel's Mum,

Thanks for your input.  I've had very mixed feelings about stopping nursing actually.  I had an extremely rough time getting started in the beginning, because I had a c-section and didn't get to nurse him right away.  So there were many screaming sessions while trying to get him started.  It took about two weeks, but then we settled in quite nicely.  I had always said that I wanted to nurse him until he was 6 months old and then I would stop.  Well he's now 7 months old and I haven't stopped yet!  On one hand, I'd like my freedom back a little, but on the other hand, it's soooo sad to stop.  So maybe it would be easier if he just said, "Mom, I'm done now!"  But you're right I think.  I don't think he's done yet.  In fact yesterday I offered him a bottle when he pushed away from me while trying to nurse him and he didn't want the bottle either.  I kind of think that maybe he's just not hungry!  I actually just nursed him a little while ago without much of a problem.  Starting today I changed around his eating schedule and stopped trying to nurse him before his solid food.  So far so good I think.  I'll keep at it for a few days and see how it goes.  Thanks for everyone's input and support!

[melbrad]

To ease your mind about how much your lo is getting, go to a lactation specialist and do a pre and post weight after he feeds.  I do this about once a week. Good luck on your decision

[Sadiebird]

I think I've been able to figure out what the problem was.  He had been starting to nurse twice a night.  From reading the "solves all your problems" book, I learned that at 7 months he really shouldn't need to eat at night, so starting on Wednesday night, my husband did pu/pd when Noah woke up wanting to nurse.  It took  him an hour each time to get him to go back to sleep, but when Noah woke up the next morning he took a full feed from me.  He pushed away and didn't want to nurse after lunch, but I honestly think he was just full because I offered him a bottle and he only took an ounce or two.  He nursed fine yesterday and again pushed away after lunch and after dinner also, I think because he was full.  I realized that I really do want to continue nursing him.  I'd like to switch one feed at a time to bottles so I can do this gradually.  So far I've switched his bedtime feed to a bottle and I'm comfortable with that.  I never would have thought that I wouldn't want to stop nursing. I remember in the first two weeks thinking that 6 months seemed like forever to nurse!

P.S.  I'm so incredibly proud of my husband for pitching in and handling Noah's nighttime wakeups.  I know I would have caved in and just nursed him.  I never would have been able to do pu/pd for an hour in the middle of the night!

[Carter'sMama]

Congrats on making the decision to stick with breastfeeding!  I am glad that things are working out for you!  PU/PD sure can be tough, especially at the beginning.  Good for your DH helping out!!  It really helps when you have a supportive partner who is willing to help out, even in the middle of the night. 

Good luck and let us know what happens!