Baby Led Weaning for Lack of a Better Title...

**babylove81** · 24-08-2010 16:48

Hi all,

Just wondering what are the signs / or if baby will show signs of wanting to be weaned from the breast...

I really want to research this before I make any stupid decisions... DDs feeding has been so up and down lately, it is so frustrating and getting me down... she will have an awesome BF at around 730am, and usually another good one at around 630pm and down for the night (although, lately she has been refusing to sleep too, sigh)... so she has been having around 4 or 5 feeds a day, and her lunch time feed she has formula, has done so since 15 weeks... I'm finding that for her mid morning feed, she just does not seem interested in it, and usually she'll suck for about 2-5 minutes (if that) and then pull off, distracted or not wanting it and if I try to put her back on she just squirms, cries, mucks up! I'm worried she is going to go hungry and this up and down feeding is starting to get me down... she doesn't seem bothered by it...

I'm thinking it could be teeth, but I'm also thinking it could be a sign that she has had enough of breastfeeding (and she is such a great little breastfeeder too, when she wants it)... I feel like if I wean her that that is just being selfish, because it will make 'life' easier for me... and here I am haven't even done it yet and I feel guilty and am second guessing myself!

I've never been good at expressing or have never had huge amounts of extra milk, I could express anyway... having a really crap day, so sorry, this is such a big vent... I just want to do what is best for DD and me... sigh!

Thanks.

**TheCatsMeow** · 24-08-2010 16:57

By the time bubs get to six months they are pretty efficient at sucking. DD would feed 5 minutes from each side at that age and would be content and refuse any more. Now she's 8 months old, and is full in about 5 minutes. She is happy, content, doing enough wet nappies, so I know she's getting what she needs!

You'll also find that a lot of women with good supply can't express a lot. I know that my DD's suck is far much stronger than my electric pump.

Your bub is over six months old... the right age for solids. You can either go down the traditional puree route and spoon feed them or do actual baby led weaning where you give bub control over the food they eat (there are loads of threads about BLW in the weaning and solids section!)

Just so you know, DD is 8 months and still feeding 3 hourly during the day and once at night, without any sign of dropping feeds. Its just one of those things! The way I see it, at least she's getting as much breastmilk as she can!

**babylove81** · 24-08-2010 17:04

Thanks love,

DD is on 2 solids a day, plus the 4 feeds... so she loves her food at only 6 months, but isn't a big baby, only 7kg.

I might keep at the BFing, and if she only wants 5 minutes, so be it...

I can deal with that...

**Seacretsquirrel** · 24-08-2010 17:04

it is the age they are so efficient and also VERY distracted too (well mine were) I found that the only really "good" feeds they had were morning and night esp once they started any solids I changed their routines a bit once they were on solids so they had a feed then at morning tea time they had a feed then food for lunch then an arvo tea feed then a dinner BF then BF to sleep then added the extra meals in there as they started having them.

If I was wanting them to have a good middle of the day feed I tended to have to sit in a quiet spot/room with no TV or other distractions incl other people. but it was still a much faster feed than the mornign and night ones.

I'd jsut play it by ear and see how she goes if she seems content after the day feeds then I would say she is getting enough if she is screaming for a feed shortly after you may have to try something else!
HTH.