How many feeds?

[Rainbowbrite]

Yes I know its a stupid question as I demand feed but lately MJ is too pre-occupied with exploring her world to want to bf :( I worry about my supply through the day though she has been snacking on & off all night.

So how many bf should we aim for in a 24hr period? When should i offer it?

Should add that she is almost 9months.

Thanks
RB

[Aprilsmum]

My DD has 4 BF a day. She is a routine bub and so her feeds are usually 6am, 10am 2pm and then 6pm. She doesn't feed at night unless she is teething or in need of a comfort feed if she is sick. :)

[Chickadee]

I'm not sure if this comparison will help or not. At that age Chloe was having 4 bottle feeds: at wake up, before or after each nap and then at bedtime. But some days one of the nap ones would just be a snack. She started drinking less as she was eatting more solids.

I guess the same guidelines still apply at any age: So long as they're having lots of wet nappies they must be getting enough to drink. As they get older & go through fewer nappies I'd also watch out for their urine being strongly coloured yellow in the nappy, which can be a sign of dehydration.

[Rainbowbrite]

Her nappy's are as wet as they always have been, no colour which is good too. The problem i'm finding is that because she wont drink during the day, she drinks all night pretty much. Dont get me wrong, i dont mind her feeding during the night, but its when she wont settle at all unless i;m in her mouth. If she detaches & I put the dummy in, she wakes up & whinges till I attach her again. I'm getting no sleep at all & its starting to catch up with me :(

RB

[Chickadee]

I'm no expert at breastfeeding, I quit within 2 months. But it sounds to me more like a settling and sleeping issue than a supply problem. As lovely as it must be to feed to sleep, it might be time to look at other ways of settling (you'll need your partner's help I think) or maybe co-sleeping so she can snack all night and you can still rest?

[Rainbowbrite]

We do co-sleep but as she crawls all over me to find the breast its waking me up. We have the cot as a side car but if i put her in there she wakes & crawls straight back. Oh well, hopefully its just a phase/growth spurt & will end soon *fingers crossed*

Thanks again Martha
RB

[lukaelmo]

Hey RB,

Your wee lass is one month older than my little dude, but I also had this problem of not really drinking during the day, and making up for it at night... Up until a month ago I used to just feed him all the time, during the day and at night. Now I know that works for tons of mums, but it wasn't working for the dude and I. He is only little and wasn't feeding well, so of course I offered him the breast more and he took less and less.

So, I put him on a little routine. I BF at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm and if he wakes between 11pm and 7am I feed him back to sleep. He has 3 solids a day too, between BFing.

Anyway, I have found that he feeds better when I space them out like this. And, at night he feeds until he is full, and then because he is full, goes straight back to sleep. Anyway, that is what works for me, teehee, most of the time anyway :D

[mella]

:) Hi there,

My little girl is nine months and I bf her 4 times a day 6am, 10am, 2pm and 6pm. At night she sleep's from 7pm to 6am - 6:30am. It was hard getting her to drink water during the day so from the health food section at the supermarket I got some organic apple/orange juice and put a bit in her water. Then I'd alternate between this and the plain water and now she drinks lots of water during the day. I also feed her solids 3 times a day with fruit and she eats loads which I think has helped her sleep through. Hope this helps.

Mella.

[Goosie22]

Hi Rainbowbrite,
When feeding my boys I wouldn't have know how many feeds they had:rolleyes: When they were around 9 months I think I used to make an effort to take them into a quiet room to feed if "I wanted to get a good feed into them" I don't think it was really necessary but I was worried about supply also. With the night time feeding mine did that also and it settles down after a while. I found dressing them a little warmer at night they didn't wake so much(because they cant pull up the covers like us). Hope you find this helpful or reassuring:)

[miss_moe]

ditto a couple of previous posters.

My 9month old feeds 4hourly during the day: 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm and still one at night ...hmmm about that one.

[jarrahsmumma]

I know people whose babies and children would feed 15 times a day! But then there are routine feeders who may only have three. I would not worry, so long as nappies are wet and MJ is content, if you are worried, take her somewhere quiet and offer the breast, but like you said, if she feeds lots at night she may be getting all she needs then.;)

[Rainbowbrite]

Thanks for all the advice. Might have to take her to a quiet room atleast twice a day I think. IT does get annoying when she pulls off all the time, and always as soon as my letdown begins which results in lots of squirts :rolleyes:

I'll just make a conscious effort to bf between meals or just after.

Ta
RB

[Crazy Monkey]

Hi RB,

DS is the same age as MJ, and he is having 4 breastfeeds (with the occasional night time feed, due to teething) plus 3 solid meals plus about 2 mls of water throughout the day... He has the breast about 4 hourly... Like MJ, he is generally too busy exploring but I just offer him the boob when I think it is about time. He is on for about 5 minutes each side, if I'm lucky...

Our routine is a bit all over the place, but generally we start around the following times:

7-8am: Breastfeed
8-9am: Breakfast/water
10-11am: Sleep
11-1pm: Breastfeed
12-2pm: Lunch/Water
3-4pm: Breastfeed
4-5pm: Sleep
6-7pm: Dinner/Water
7-8pm: Breastfeed
8-9pm: Sleep

This is very general, and if it is breastfeed and solid feed at around the same time, I always offer the breast first...

Hope this helps & good luck

[Rainbowbrite]

THanks for the info Silla :) Thats what we're aiming for.

RB