Enough Breastmilk??

[Crazy Monkey]

I am breastfeeding my 7 month old son, Jack, and I feel like I don't have enough milk for him... He finishes his feed between 5-10 minutes (which I know is normal, as babies become more efficient at sucking) but he still seems very fussy and hungry after the feed... He get frustrated when the flow slows down and he has to work for it...

DS is having about 5 breastfeeds and 3 solid feeds in 24 hours... He isn't having any night feeds and sleeps between 8pm and 5-6am...

I guess what I am asking is, is this enough feeds for him?? I am worried he isn't having enough calcuim/dairy/etc.... He doesn't have any custard or yoghurt.. I have tried him on custard and he was very crancky the following day.. I am thinking he may be lactose intolorant, like me.. I am going to try him again on the custard in a few day (he has been fussy the last few days due to teeth moving)...

Thanks for reading and any advice you may have...

[draught]

5 breast feeds and three solid meals sounds about right to me! At this stage he is getting all the calcium he needs from you - it is a good time to test food and see if he likes it and can cope with it, but you don't need to rely on it yet to satisfy him - your milk is doing a great job of that on it's own.

The fussing etc is probably more of a developmental stage - and possibly teeth - or the heat - or a growth spurt or, or, or.......just one of those phases that babies go through that we can never explain!!:D

Hope it all settles down for you.

[OM]

Has he shown any other signs of lactose intolerance? Perhaps he was cranky the day after feeding him the custard due to teething? :confused:

I think 5 breastfeeds a day is perfectly normal. I am not sure what you can do about the fussing after the feed though, sorry.

[JanetF]

Sounds like a long night without hydration to me and it's not helping you maintain supply. It's normal for a baby to feed 2-3 times a night until well into their second year. Five feeds are day isn't a lot to my mind either. At his age I couldn't have said how many feeds my son had (he's 2 and he's had at least 5 today!), and he was only on bm. He had a feed whenever he asked for it, day or night, and I've never counted or routinised him. Your supply may be suffering because of the long period of time without feeding your baby and then during the day he's struggling to build your supply in such a short time. How do you know he's only having 5 feeds a day? Are you schedule feeding? That too can cause massive problems to your supply as babies regulate supply and breasts don't make milk without that stimulation. If you give your son unfettered access to the breast day and night, he will build your supply to an adequate level. At his age solid food is pretty irrelevant. He's still getting everything he needs, in the perfect digestible form from you! And isn't that fantastic! :D I suggest that you offer him the boob often through the day, always before solids, and rest easy that you're making way enough milk for him then.

[Crazy Monkey]

Thanks for you advice...

JanetF, I keep a diary of all his feeds, solids, nappies and sleeps... DS has reflux and is on Zantac, so I started doing it to keep track of his medication and its just out of habit that I still do it now...

I offer him the breast during the day whenever he asks for it, and also offer him the breast before solids... He has stopped waking during the night, thats why the night feeds have stopped... He occasionally wakes during the night but a cuddle usually resettles him...

Oscar's Mum, he hasn't shown any other sign of lactose intolerance but I must admit I haven't tried anything else.. everytime I am about to try the custard again, he seems to be having a fussy/grumpy day and don't want to give him anything that 'might' upset him...

Thanks again

[JanetF]

When he wakes up at night perhaps you could offer him the breast instead of a cuddle? At his age he really needs to have more than 5 feeds a day, especially if he has reflux. Poor little blighter has had a hard time! He is really receiving optimal nutrition and all he needs from bf. If you have concerns about any allergies, the longer you can exclusively bf him for the less likely he has to have major problems with that. Allergies are SIGNIFICANTLY lower in babies who are exclusively bf, their guts develop optimally too. Rather than experimenting, maybe just stick with the perfect food which you know won't make him sick. The govt health guidelines don't recommend giving dairy to babies under 12 months anyway due to the increase in lactose intolerance by giving it to babes as young as yours.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/LVAprMay98p21NB.html
Myth 5: Babies need only six to eight feedings a day by eight weeks of age, five to six feedings a day by three months, no more than four or five feedings a day by six months of age.

Fact: A breastfed baby's frequency of feeding will vary according to the mother's milk supply and storage capacity, as well as baby's developmental needs. Growth spurts and illnesses can temporarily change a baby's feeding patterns. Studies show that breastfeeding babies fed on cue will settle into a pattern that suits their own unique situation. In addition, the caloric intake of a breastfed baby increases toward the end of the feeding, so putting arbitrary limits on the frequency or duration of feedings may lead to inadequate caloric intake.

Daly, S., Hartmann, R. Infant demand and milk supply: Part 1. J Hum Lact 1995; 11(1):21-6.

Klaus, M. The frequency of suckling. Ob Gyn Clin North Am 1987; 14(3):623-33.

Lawrence R. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Professional, 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby 1994; 253.

Millard, A. The place of the clock in pediatric advice: rationales, cultural themes and impediments to breastfeeding. Soc Sci Med 1990; 31:211.

Woolridge, M. "Baby-controlled breastfeeding: biocultural implications" in Stuart-Macadam, P., Dettwyler, K. Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives. Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1995; 217-42.

[Rainbowbrite]

MJ has, on average (when feeding properly :rolleyes: ) 5 bf during the day, & 2 per night. Sometimes less, most times more. I've tried MJ on yougurt on the advice of the clinic & found it to be really binding for her so i've stopped it. Again with the solids, sometimes she'll eat 3 meals of fruit, veg & cereal, others she'll only have a tsp then no more. As JanetF said, bm is all they need, arent we great being able to provide it to them :)

Goodluck with everything. Sorry I havent been much help.

RB

[Crazy Monkey]

Thanks again..
I think I will leave the custard for a little while longer.. As with the solids, DS just loves them... He actually screams if I haven't given him enough

[xkwzit]

Hi JacksMum
Some kids love their solids from day one and they are really ready for them, others don't want them until 8 months of age. All kids are different and you know him the best. Its a good idea to hold off on the custard if you're not sure, there's plenty of other things to try.

I have to say that with DD2 I tried to expose her to as many new foods as possible (waiting a few days between to check for intolerance). I really wanted her to have tried a wide range of foods before she hit 1, as DD1 got very fussy at age 1. Of course, she never has gotten fussy with food:rolleyes: - just PROVES they are all individual.

Cheers