hi ladies! my lil guy just turned 8m and he seems to be reducing his nursing. he has been eating solid foods now for about 1-2months and is up to 3 meals a day. he nurses great before his 2 naps, at bedtime and wakes up once a night and nurses great then. he nurses "ok" when he wakes up in the morning (before i offer breakfast) but at his "meal time" nursings he has lost all interest. i just pumped about 5oz, so i assume hes eating about that much each time he nurses. so i guess thats 5oz x 4 feedings = 20oz a day. is that enough breast milk for a day plus the food?
My son was only nursing 4 times around then. They eat what they need. Don't worry about it.
As long as he gains, he's fine. My 9-1/2 month old eats 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, nurses before 2 naps and bedtime, then sometimes nurses around mealtime (he's not great with bottles and thinks a sippy cup is a chew toy).
My daughter just turned 8mos old as well. I started her on infant cereal at 5 mos, and baby food at 6mos, per the recommendation of the pediatrician. Once they start eating solids, they are getting some of their vitamins & nutrients from the baby food as well. My ped. said she still needs approx. 18-20 oz of breastmilk/formula up until she's 12mos old. Just like your little one, my daughter is nursing strong before & after sleeping. In addition, she is also getting a smaller bottle with breakfast, lunch & dinner. I give her a bottle of about 4oz of expressed breastmilk, or sometimes formula, since I do supplement on occasion.
Good luck & don't worry too much!! As long as he's growing and your dr. isn't concerned, just go with it. Let your little guy lead the way!!
Hope this helps!
J.
yeah that is fine especially if he is eating well rounded meals some meat like 2x a week and fruits and veggies every day
I am guessing he is getting enough. I would guess he is also getting much more than 20 oz, since the pump is not nearly as efficient as a child at getting the milk out. Using your hands to pump can sometimes get more than an electric pump, but neither can get close to what baby pulls out. Now if they could find a way to make a machine that would work like the manipulation of using hand's and the suction of the electric pump it might be close. But he is probably getting alot more than you think. As long as he is growing well I wouldn't worry. Sometimes kids will slow down and then pick back up.
1) for the 1st year of life, breastmilk/Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition. NOT solids and not other liquids. (This is per our Pediatrician).
2) ALWAYS, nurse, BEFORE solids. If not, baby will be too full, to nurse. (this is per our Pediatrician).
3) Always, nurse on-demand.
4) when teething, some babies nurse less, because it is uncomfortable. This is temporary.
5) At this age & for the 1st year, 'solids' is only an introduction to foods and 'eating.' NOT their main, course. They do not necessarily have to, eat solids 3 times a day, like adults. Mine did not. I nursed, primarily. On demand.
6) what you pump, is NOT an indication of how much a baby is nursing. A baby, is more efficient than a pump. At this age, they usually nurse more than 5 ounces. If direct nursing at breast.
7) Always, direct nurse. Since this will make your body produce milk that matches what your baby needs, intake wise.
8) Babies will also often feed more, more frequently, during growth-spurts. Thus the reason for nursing, on-demand. And they also 'cluster feed' which means feeding even every single hour.
at this age, concentrate on nursing. Not giving him solids, or giving him solids in place, of nursings.
For the 1st year, even if my kids were on solids from 6 months, they still nursed every 3 hours. Heartily. They drank drank.
If you only give him bottles (of pumped milk), your body will not necessarily produce, enough, or not enough to match, 'his' intake needs/amounts. Direct nursing, is best.
Maybe run it by your Pediatrician, if only 20 ounces a day of breastmilk... is fine or not.
all the best,
Susan
Remember that your little one is actually better at getting the milk out then the pump. So if you are able to pump 5oz at a time there is a very good change that your little one is getting even more then that at time. If you are concerned you can always reduce the amount of solids he's getting right now and try to get him back to breast more often. But as long as he seems happy and content with the way things are now then you really shouldn't be concerned.
It is typical for them to slow down when you add more solids. Just make sure you are giving him the breast milk first before the meals since that is what he needs most of now anyway.
