Eventually Learn to Wean???

What does this mean: I remember my first brown getting 8oz ?
Sometimes babes go through growth spurts and need more food.
The question is how is YOUR eating while you are nursing? High quality mom's milk, no caffeine, no sugar...is best!
My twins drink milk every 3 to 4 hours then get a tub & half
of food about an hour half their milk and they are 9 months.
I get my feeding down with my others kids to at bedtime only...from the breast to the cup. I would try Organic whole milk 1/2 gal, then if that doesn't set well go to 2 % and see how that is handled. I always use organice due to pesticides.
I nursed one child for 17 months but was totally over it at that point. He was a good eater, it was more for emotional pascifing...when I weaned him he started grabbing my neck when going to sleep instead of nursing that helped him emotionally. Hope that helps! God Bless!

First, congrats on making it this far given your history of early weaning with Mariah. Even with challenges overcome, I'm sure you'd agree it's been well worth the effort knowing that you're giving her the best start. I agree with Anna's response and would add that even the American Academy of Pediatrics says to breastfeed for AT LEAST 1 year so there is no reason to wean unless you're both ready. How is your daughter's weight and other growth measures? If these are fine and she's developmentally approriate, you have nothing to worry about. Breastfeeding is the gold standard not formula. Formula fed babies tend to overeat (no natural cues to follow as it's hard to overfeed when latching) and are more prone to be at risk for overweight and obesity, so I definitely wouldn't compare how much you fed Mariah to what you're doing with Jasmine-it's really apples and oranges. If you've made it this far, you can do this! As babies eat more they start to drink less, but as long as she pees at least 3 times a day she's drinking enough. You can also give her 4-8 ounces of juice at this age (preferably from a cup).
As far as weaning, when you're both ready...one feeding at a time works well. That way your body will stop producing the milk gradually so you can avoid the uncomfortable engorgement that will come if you go cold turkey. Replace the feeding with some snuggle time or reading a book, something that will still give her the closeness without the breast being involved. My second son wasn't quite ready to wean fully until 18mo and even now asks for mommy milk almost a year after we stopped nursing last April!

If you do not want to wean, then you need to breastfeed first, and offer the solids more as a dessert than as the primary source of nutrition. If she's filled up on solids, she won't nurse as much or as long, which will affect your supply. Try switching it around and getting your milk supply back up, maybe even laying off solids somewhat.

If you aren't in a hurry to wean, I encourage you to continue nursing through the first year. One year old babies tend to become really picky eaters since they aren't growing as fast, and if you're still nursing, you can be confident that they are receiving balanced nutrition even when the only solids they want are crackers and cereal.

First off yes, your daughter will wean eventually. Some folks jokingly say....they all stop nursing before they leave for college :) In all seriousness though, just nurse her when she wants to nurse and give her whatever other foods she will eat and or drink. My 20 month old nurses several times a day and still eats lots food at meal times with us, and always has a sippie cup with water available to her and also drinks cow's milk. Children will self regulate their intake and not over eat or under eat if foods and drinks are available not made into an issue. Maybe your daughter is ready for more grown up foods instead of the stage 3 jars. As long as she is thriving weight wise and hitting her developmental milestones there is nothing really to worry with. Some great advice can be found at www.mothering.com or www.askdrsears.com.

Good luck and hang in there :)
S.

Sounds to me like you are doing great! I have three little ones 6 and under, and they never were big eaters! I'm impressed by the amount of jarred food you can get into your daughter! A couple ideas for your breastfeeding question: remember that when she is nursing, she is getting a lot more than the little bit you are pumping by yourself. If she is getting crabby when she is done nursing, it might be that she is growing and needs a little more time on the breast, or she might be thirsty for something else throughout the day, like having a water sippy around for her to grab as she goes by. If you are wishing you could pump more milk for her, try adding a short session in the morning. Your body responds better after sleep and you produce more milk first thing in the morning, too. In any case, congrats on making it this far breastfeeding! I think too many of us still don't have the support we deserve when we are breastfeeding, especially after 6 months. HTH!

I have a ten month old as well that I am still nursing but she has also been on solid food for four months, and I mean SOLIDS. We're talking apples, cheese, pasta, chicken, etc. I cut everything up really small and she has done fine with it - even though she just barely got her first two teeth last month. I did a little stage one baby food at first and that's pretty much it. You sound like, aside from baby food and oatmeal, she doesn't get real food. Maybe it's time to give her some real stuff in addition to the nursing. I will usually give my daughter three meals a day when I eat, and many times the same things I eat as well, and then nurse before her two naps and bedtime. If your daughter is anything like mine, she needs real food. I have been amazed at times to see how much that kid can put away, and yet will still ask for more.

T., don't give up just yet! You have made it this far and have done a wonderful job. First let me ask, is your baby gaining weight? That is the number one indicator if you are producing enough milk. Second, the older your baby becomes, the more the baby is able to pull out of you, so your feedings may become shorter and it's just because baby has gotten good at pulling that out in big quantitiys. He/she gets what they need and are on their way to do some thing else. Does that make sense?? Last but not least, be careful not to introduce whole milk to baby just yet, wait until they turn a year old. The protiens in milk are hard to break down and can cause intestinal bleeding, not to mention they can become alergic to it if intro. to early. Sounds like you are doing a GREAT job! Of course you are the one who has to decide weather to wean or not and you have given your baby such a great start. There are sooooooo many components in breast milk that formula's can't come close to duplicating. So kudos to you and good luck
J.

If your baby has been seen regularly by a doctor, and there is no concern about excess weight, I would nurse as you desire, and feed all recommended foods and whole milk if she indicates hunger. 10 months is a very healthy amount of time to breastfeed, whether she gets it from a bottle or direct from the breast. It is up to you when to wean fully, just do what seems best for you and the baby. If she's healthy, that's what is most important.

T., I wish I could be of more help. My oldest (now 2 1/2) self weaned at 9 months. Once he was walking that was it. I put him on a cup of breast milk with each meal at 4 months in addition to breast feeding (he never took a bottle). I followed his lead on weaning. He was given 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. After each one he was given the option to nurse if he wanted. He was too busy to latch on for more than a few moments and soon lost interest. From a Moms point, I say follow the baby, feed her plenty of variety of healthy food and the breast as a secondary. You can go to cows milk in 2 months I say just stick it out and wean to milk.