solids question

[SilverStarfish]

I'm not sure which section this should go it, as it seems to be a combined breastfeeding, sleeping & solids question...

From 9 weeks to 6 months I was blessed with a wonderful sleeper and eater. That's not to say that breastfeeding was always smooth sailing, but we must have been doing something right because Sarah gained weight nicely and really thrived.

A bit before 6 months she suddenly started waking up again at night and she'd be HUNGRY!! It wasn't just that she'd woken up and wanted me to feed her to sleep again (she's generally pretty good with just dropping off herself), she was ordering a full two course meal!

We started with solids, ceral and veggies and for a little while she did really well. Then for what ever reason she started to refuse food. I decided it wasn't worth stressing about and jsut stopped offering them for a while and try again in a few days. That seemed to help though her sleep was still broken and she was still waking up at least once and yelling for room service.

Her first two teeth cut through last week and once again she's gone right off her food. And the multiple room service calls have started again, usually 2, sometimes 3 times a night (midnight, 2-3am, 4-5am).

I'm sure it's not a milk supply issue as even after her long last feed I can still express a little.

It's like being nibbled to death by a duck! It's not like I'm up all night, every night (thank goodness!) but being woken up every 2-3 hours, even just briefly (she usually feeds with no fuss and goes right back to sleep) is still messing with my head.

Sarah doesn't feed much during the day. She'll snack BF frequently during the day and then have one or two really big feeds before she goes to bed.

My instinct is to stop trying to give her the solids again - or at least just offer and take away again if she's not interested without comment or fuss. If that's the right thing to do, how long should I wait?

And in the meantime just grin and bear the night feeds?

[the pero clinic]

Dear Faeml,

I’m not surprised that you are finding the frequent night waking to be a bit difficult! For a start, is there anything you can think of that would encourage your bub to have more substantial breastfeeds during the day, instead of the snacks that you mention? Is she more alert and distracted during the day? Would she feed better in a dark, quiet room? Are the two of you perhaps a bit out of sync with her hunger cycle? – Is she feeding to demand or schedule? These are just a few things to think about.

In terms of the solids, I would persist in offering smooth purees at this stage. If you are able to express some extra milk, you could try mixing in some rice cereal with this to achieve a more familiar taste. Also try to return to a previous favourite veggie puree to entice her. It’s understandable that bubs are very sensitive about what goes in their mouth when they are teething, but it is important to reestablish meals as soon as possible. Your approach of calm removal of the food, if it is rejected, is appropriate.

You may need to continue with some night feeds until things settle back to usual during the day. Avoid night feeds becoming a social occasion though. If she is hungry, feed her, but minimize interactions so that she does not continue to wake for just a night time ‘chat’.

It can be frustrating and confusing when babies suddenly change their usual sleep and feeding routines, due to hunger, teething or being unwell. If you continue to have difficulty getting your bub to eat solids by 7-8 months, than it is worth seeing someone about it.

the pero clinic