Breastfeeding

When did your LO drop feedings?

Hi everyone! I haven't posted here in a bit because things have been pretty smooth lately despite his first tooth breaking through. So far so good...

Over the holiday weekend I noticed that LO wasn't nursing as much as usual. I didn't count how often he nursed but it just seemed like it wasn't very often (despite offering it a lot), and most of his sessions were pretty short. I'm wondering if he's starting to drop feedings. 

He's 9 months old and while he gets purees at daycare and some fingerfood, he had just finger food from Wed to Sund last week. 

When did your little one drop feedings? If your LO is in daycare, did that affect how you prepped the bottles? 

Thanks!
Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 

Re: When did your LO drop feedings?

  • Thanks for the feedback and me too! Scared about the next one though... he did bite me a few times and I noticed that he was doing it when he was done and I was trying to get him to keep nursing. We both seemed to get the message quickly with the first tooth but I know that might not be the same with the next one! 

    That's a good idea with the bottles. At some point I spaced the bottles closer to try and get him to drink more because he seemed to get easily distracted so I wanted to make sure he was hungry when he got home and would nurse. Maybe I should space them out again though. 

    I was thinking of making it 2-5 oz bottles and 1 2oz for a snack if he was still hungry rather than 3-4 oz bottles to see how that worked but I think i'll try the same amount and space it out instead.

    He has started to leave a bit in his bottles which he never did... I don't feel like he eats a ton of solids but he definitely seems like he is drinking less now. 
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
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  • My DD never really dropped a feeding because we just kept with the routine of a bottle every 3 hours at daycare. She's almost 12 months. Around 8 months she began the baby-led process of weaning. On the weekends during the day she was so distracted while nursing that my supply gradually began to decrease. She continued to take 3 bottles at daycare and usually finished them but sometimes she took a short break and came back to the bottles to finish them. I decreased the amounts I put in the bottles gradually beginning at 9 months. She went from 4.5oz every 3 hours to now about 2.5-3oz every 3 hours. I doubt she even takes that high amount from me on the weekends. I probably could've spaced the bottles out but I just decided to keep with our routine.
    image

    TTC since April 2011. DH Dx MFI in February 2012. BFP #1: 7.16.12. MMC dx: 8.22.12, D&C 8.28.12, TTC Again November 2012. DH Varicocele repair November 2012; Repeat SA showed "dramatic" improvement February 2013 (awesome!)
    BFP #2: 3.26.13, EDC: 12.7.13. Anya born December 9th, 2013!
  • The routine is a good point... I do like him being consistant. It helps me plan my day on the weekends because i know roughly when i need to be somewhere that I can feed him or when to expect him to get cranky.

    I have had a hard time pumping 12 ounces a day at work and if i'm within an ounce or two, i just give him the lower amount rather than use the freezer stash (so sometimes he gets 10.5 ounces instead of 12 for example) and he never seems to have a problem with that. 

    Ugh! So complicated... i wish i could just nurse on demand exclusively :) Now i'm thinking lowering the amount in bottles and seeing how that goes is better. I hate to waste BM when he doesn't drink it but want him to get as much as he wants.
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
  • I have posted this Dr. Jack Newman article regularly on here because I love what he has to say. Maybe you will find it of interest--items #3 and 4. I had a great supply until 8 months when it slowly decreased. I had similar concerns about how much to offer because I was led to believe DD needed a set amount of milk. Jack Newman says this not true and a strategy shaped by formula marketing so that mothers will think they need to give formula if they can't "keep up". So long as baby is getting a few good feeds in and eating a variety of nutritional wholesome foods your baby's needs are being met. Maybe you'll find it of interest :)

    https://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-WFBW



    image

    TTC since April 2011. DH Dx MFI in February 2012. BFP #1: 7.16.12. MMC dx: 8.22.12, D&C 8.28.12, TTC Again November 2012. DH Varicocele repair November 2012; Repeat SA showed "dramatic" improvement February 2013 (awesome!)
    BFP #2: 3.26.13, EDC: 12.7.13. Anya born December 9th, 2013!
  • Thanks for posting this eggmankate! I've seen this before (maybe you supplied the ilnk to me before? haha) and love it! I had forgotten about it though. 

    It makes some great points. That's probably why i have felt comfortable lately just giving him what i can pump in a day vs. stressing and adding frozen milk. I figure so long as he isn't crying of hunger at daycare or not growing, that he will make up for any BM needs when he is with me at home. 

    I guess I shouldn't worry so much about whether it's normal for him to change his feeding patter so much. He is growing great and the Dr. is thrilled with his progress (growth, weight, milestones) and with the fact that he is breastfed. 

    Okay... i need to stop worrying! :) Thanks!!!
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
  • Well it's hard not think about what the best amount is because none of the act of pouring milk into bottles each morning is natural. We don't ever really know on any given day how much our babies need (appetites vary day to day just like adults) sothat is the bbeauty of nursing because your baby gets full control.

    I went out of town 3 weeks ago for a few days and discovered I pump 7oz first thing in the morning. I suspect that if my DD wasn't satisfied with what I gave her at daycare she'd regulate her appetite by demanding more from me in the morning.
    image

    TTC since April 2011. DH Dx MFI in February 2012. BFP #1: 7.16.12. MMC dx: 8.22.12, D&C 8.28.12, TTC Again November 2012. DH Varicocele repair November 2012; Repeat SA showed "dramatic" improvement February 2013 (awesome!)
    BFP #2: 3.26.13, EDC: 12.7.13. Anya born December 9th, 2013!
  • While I respect Dr Newman, I think you need to be very careful with #3 and #4 on that list. I'd never be comfortable just making sure baby had 3 to 4 nursings a day under a year unless they were taking solids exceptionally well. A couple tubs of pureed fruit isn't nearly enough. Many reputable sources out there will tell you that baby's primary nutrition does need to be breastmilk or formula until a year. Most recent studies suggest waiting until 6 months until introducing solids and most babies aren't efficient eaters on solids until between 9 and 14 months and at that point, I'd feel comfortable letting baby take the lead on dropping daytime feeds, but I'd also let baby nurse on demand at home including motn. Other things to note, even if baby drops daytime bottles, you still want to pump at fairly regular intervals to maintain supply for when you're together. Additionally, I'd make sure baby has access to a sippy of water.
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  • I realize I didn't answer your actual question, sorry! My LO is 18 mo now so my memory is rusty but I think she started leaving ounces behind around 9 months and we did some trial and error with reduced bottle sized, same spacing, same bottle size slightly further spacing and bigger bottles with much further spaced feedings. Ultimately we ended up at 2 four ounce bottles by 10.5 months, one mid morning and one mid afternoon, down from 4 oz every three hours at her peak.
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  • My DD's primary source of nutrition is still breastmilk even at 11.5 months--my guess is she takes around 18oz a day through nursing and bottles--that's down from maybe 30oz when she was younger. She has done baby-led weaning and gets a good variety of food to eat and is an excellent eater. Far too often I hear stories of mothers who experience supply drops around 9 months and try to boost their supply again and when it doesn't work they think they need to give formula. Really what's happening between 9-12 months is this slow transition to more solids and less milk.

    image

    TTC since April 2011. DH Dx MFI in February 2012. BFP #1: 7.16.12. MMC dx: 8.22.12, D&C 8.28.12, TTC Again November 2012. DH Varicocele repair November 2012; Repeat SA showed "dramatic" improvement February 2013 (awesome!)
    BFP #2: 3.26.13, EDC: 12.7.13. Anya born December 9th, 2013!
  • Thank you mommatotwo2! My LO is 9.5 months and has started to leave milk in the bottles and seems to be nursing less when we're together. I still nurse on demand and he wakes 1-2 times at night still to nurse. I think he nurses the most at night and first thing in the morning. I feel like i've been tinkering a ton since about 8 months. Mostly been trying to reduce solids and space bottles closer so that when we're together he'll nurse more and ultimately get more nutrition from BM but he seems to be working against me! 

    Thanks eggmankate! I agree... Between 6 and 9 months I was really trying to boost my supply and freaking out because my daily output dropped from 18 to 12. Now that we're at about 9.5 months I feel more comfortable with the supply knowing that he's still doing great. I'm resisting the urge to think i need to increase supply or supplement. 

    From what everyone has mentioned here and in other threads it seems like his change in routine is perfectly normal! :) 
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
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