I have an almost 7 month old. I went back to work when she was 4.5 months, when she was nursing every three hours. I have pumped since going back to work and she has not had any formula. Before I went back to work I figured out with her babysitter that she should eat a 6 ounce bottle every three hours. So her eating schedule was and still is nurse in the morning when she gets up around 7:15, then 3 6-ounce bottles during the day every 3 hours, then I nurse her when I get home around 7:15 and then another nursing session before bed at around 8:15 (I can tell she doesn't eat that much at this feeding). At 6 months I started her on solids, which she doesn't like that much. The most she eats during the day is a tablespoon of cereal and maybe 1 or 1.5 jars of stage 1 baby food, split between two meals. So her breastmilk intake has not changed at all, and I am still pumping 3 times a day. My question mainly is whether the feeding schedule sounds normal for a 7 month old? How much food does my baby have to eat before I can reduce the amount of breastmilk she drinks? Right now her babysitter gives her the solid food between her bottle feedings, and she still drinks the full 6 ounce bottles.
Thanks.
Also remember that around 7 months many babies start to get a lot more active with learning to crawl and everything. So maybe the solids are giving her the extra she needs for that. Let her eat as much as she needs/wants. At this age, they will usually just eat until they are full, and it is good for them to learn to stop when they are full.
It is really going to depend on the baby. My son loves solids, so he doesn't nurse all that much. I let him regulate what he eats and how much. For instance, they say to nurse before giving solids. Well, my son wants nothing to do with breastmilk when it's time to eat solids. So I give him his solids and then we nurse. He rarely has a nursing snack in the morning, but in the afternoon likes to have a snack midday.
If you let the baby lead, you can't go wrong. As long as she is growing and seems happy, then everything is "good."
Hi C.W.,
For the first year baby gets most of her nutrition from breastmilk or formula. so you don't want to reduce that, at least for awhile (in fact if she seems to be hungry, you might want to consider increasing it). The solids are just extras, for learning about eating, and of course whatever nutrition she gets from them is like a bonus, imo.
If she is healthy and growing and meeting her developmental milestones, you are doing the right things, don't mess with it.
I think it is great that you are able to continue nursing and pumping while working! Awesome job, mama! ;-)
K. z.
My 2nd daughter is 9 months. She still nurses about 4 times a day, once at lunchtime, when I get home from work, before bed, and (my favorite, not) 3 a.m. feeding. I try to not nurse her first thing in the morning. Then, she's hungry and ready to eat when we feed her breakfast. Try Cheerios, or those Gerber Stars. She might like those and that will encourage her feeding herself (motor skills) and to eat food. Also, we started putting nursery water in a sippy cup at 5 months. She drinks a lot of water throughout the day.
To answer your question of normal, there really is no normal!!! Every baby is different. My first kid had a schedule all her own. All we as parents can do is try to keep up and try to get them to adjust to what we want. Good luck! ;)
The best advice our pediatrician gave us early on was to let our kids be the guide. Babies don't know how to over eat. They learn it from us. The first year is so dramatic in terms of how much their body's and needs change.
We had to change our daughter's bottle quantities several times in the first year. Even though she has an older brother, it was our first experience with day care and having to use a bottle within an hour of its first use. We made many changes around that time until she was ready for milk. Our son had an in-home babysitter, and he was a snacker. An 8 ounce bottle could last him all day, but he'd gorge himself nursing.
If you're really concerned, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician's office and ask. They want to help you make your child as healthy as possible.
Good luck!
Congrats Congrats on being able to do a FTWM and still Breastfeed...I tried it but it only worked out for 2 months as I was not able to keep up with supply and demand. When my DD was 7 months old we started her on baby food. we mixed the cereal with the baby food for tastes and to introduce her to flavors. (I remember this vividly as we were on vacation). Your baby is learning how to eat and a little cereal goes a loong way on that little tummy. My baby at first only ate 1/2 a jar of the small baby food (stage 1) Once she noticed that she liked to eat flavored food, she was up to 1 jar within a few weeks. You might want to see if someone else will feed her (if that is an option) She may not be interested in the baby cereal because her 'real meal' and yummy one is right in front of her.
Good luck Mamma you are doing an awesome job!!!
Sounds great! You shouldn't reduce her milk until at least 12 months. Until then, she gets ALL her nutrition from milk and solids are just about exploration and learning to eat.
She could just be bored with the jarred purees. If you don't have time to make her some food like mashed sweet potatoes, bananas, and avacados, then maybe try stage twos or even threes. Babies who start solids early need purees to over-come the tongue-thrust reflex. But since you waited until 6 months, you could have skipped stage ones altogether! Try thicker, chunkier solids or mashed bits off your plate and see if she's more interested.
All babies are differet and so are the doctors. I have a six month old son and his current eating schedule is three meals a day...breakfast: cereal, fruit and 6oz bottle, Lunch: fruit, veggie, meat and 6oz bottle, dinner: same as lunch. He's eating all of the fruit and veggie and about half of the jar of meat. Sometimes he'll drink all of his bottle and sometimes he's too full. Our doc said to let him eat as much as he wants at each meal...he'll stop when he's full.
Congrats on still being able to breastfeed and pump!!! We only made it three weeks...he wasn't gaining weight and as soon as doc said to suppliment with a bottle my ds decided it was way too much work to nurse when the bottle was so easy. He lost interest in nursing. Tried to pump, but my supply was gone almost instantly. I nursed my dd for nine months so I was really sad it ended so soon with my son :o(
Hope this helps!
