is my baby self weaning?

[jessica]

Hi,

In the last couple of weeks my little one has cut down on her number of feeds (from about 6-7 a day to 5-6 usually only 5). She is 61/2months old and has been on solids for almost a month. She now eats 2tbs of cereal with 2tbs fruit for breakfast, a tub of baby petit yiam for lunch and half a jar of Heinz veges for dinner. She also has a drink of water after each meal (she is learning to use her sipper cup so alot of the water ends up down her front!!) She happily guzzles down her early morning feed and has a decent breakfast feed then I struggle to get her to eat properly again, she might have two half hearted feeds (sometimes feels like just a few sips!) and then will have a decent bedtime feed... is this okay?
She seems to be gaining weight and is healthy... its becoming a real battle of wills to get her to even look at the breast in the daytime!!

What are other babies doing at this age? I tried formula a while ago but she wasn't interested.. is it time to try this again?

[Jen]

i, sounds like your baby is self weaning. My first son pretty much did that, I just kept him on morning and night until 11 mths and then finished that then (good timing as they aren't really able to argue then!). babies can digest food from 6 months, and although most midwives and clinics now encourage either breast or formula until tey're one, every baby is different. If yours is happy and healthy then let her set the pace, she is obviously independent.
relax, you will know if she wants more.
You could also try teaching her how to drink out of a real cup. Use a shot glass to start with and in a few months she will hold it herself. Tommee tippee make good knives and forks for babies with curved handles to fit their little fingers. My one year old can feedhimself with a fork and spoon, and drink out of a glass and put it back on the table on his own. He loves it. Encourage herall the way!good luck

[Ivy-Rose]

Hi there,
I think they go through stages. Bub has become very alert of her surroundings and it is common to have problems getting them to feed. I have 3 all the same bottle or breast. It is also normal to start to drop a feed or two as she is now having solids she doesn't need quite as much Breast.
You will notice bub might only take a minute or so to eat and sometimes along time. They do get very efficent in the feeding process.( Excuse Typo's really tired.)

So I don't think you have anything much to worry about.
Emma

[jessica]

thanks Emma and Jen,

She's had one decent feed so far today but is a little off - immunisations and teething I think - I guess if she's hungry she'll let me know!! She is also off her solids a bit - I know this is the wrong forum but could this all be teething? How do I know? How long does teething 'restlessness' last before a tooth appears? Everytime my little one grizzles everyone around says she must be teething!!

[pavel's mum]

hey, my little one has been teething for the past four months...it just goes on and on with more and more teeth appearing. Don't dispare though every tooth seems to have a personality of its own. One will appear after a week of my bubs screaming and being a pain in the you know where while another will appear one morning as if by magic. I have found my baby's feeding goes up and down but this happens to adults when they are feeling a little unwell and teething seems to be rather painful at times...I guess all we can do is give extra cuddles and hope they feel better soon. If it keeps on you should ask the child care nurse as they often come up with handy hints for common problems. good luck

[alicesmum]

Hi there
My DD is almost 7 mths and has been very distractible while feeding during the day for about a month now. it drives me batty too.
I find I just CANNOT feed her sitting up. She just wants to squirm and look around and any noise is apparently sooo interesting. Well, i have found feeding lying down on our bed in the cool, dimly lit room makes her feed better, but, of course, that's not possible if we're out somewhere. And so the whole exposed-nipple-due-to-distracted-ambivalent-baby thing has happened to me MANY times! In that case, I just give her more solids (consequently, she has tried many varied and wonderful "adult" tastes!!!). I'm tempted to stop breastfeeding during the day altogether (she is happy to take formula and is less distracted) and cut back to only the early morning and night time breastfeeds. Question: Does anybody know whether there is any benefit from continuing exclusive breastfeeding? I have heard that even two feeds a day is giving them all the wonderful antibodies and enzymes, so is still as beneficial as 4 or 5 feeds. Do people agree??

Also, can anyone who has dropped feeds tell me how long it takes for your boobs to adjust?? My breasts are quite engorged the last 3-4 weeks since she's been feeding less and I'm scared they will get even worse if I try to drop the daytime feeds altogether.

Thanks.
Rachel

[xkwzit]

Hi
The trick with dropping feeds is to do it gradually so that you manage the engorgement (it would be a shame after all this time to get mastitis NOW). The info I've read (and followed myself) suggests dropping one feed every few days (or wait until your breasts feel comfortable before dropping another one). It may well cause you problems to start dropping feeds while you have engorgement issues. Is there a time during the day when she is more likely to have a good long feed (say before a nap)? Perhaps that is the feed to keep and maybe drop one before or after that. The other thing you could do is express off just enough to make yourself comfortable - it is important to manage the engorgement.

If you're still concerned or have problems - talk to a lactation consultant they are EXCELLENT.