6 Month Old Nursing Issues

Updated on February 09, 2010
C.S. asks from Channahon, IL
16 answers

My baby just turned 6 months old. He is now eating 3 meals a day. He gets a total of 4 tablespoons of cereal a day and 2 tubs of 2nd Baby Food (veggies and fruit). He nurses well 3-4 times a day on only one side at a time including his middle of the night feeding. He simply won't nurse anymore than that. He pulls away and looks around and is just not interested. I am very concerned that he is not getting enough breastmilk. I've read up on the amount of food I'm offering and it seems normal. If he were on formula he would be drinking 6-8 ounces 4 or more times a day according to what I've read. My milk supply is now dwindling. I only get 2 ounces when pumping (4 if its first thing in the morning). Any suggestions? He's a big boy-20 1/2 pounds. Is he getting enough? He's a happy baby. I'd appreciate any suggestions or ideas.

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B.F.

answers from Chicago on

I wouldn't worry about it. My son barley ate anything when he was a baby and he always only fed at one side at a time. I was worried he wouldn't get enough food, but he just wasn't a big eater. As long as he gains weight and the doctor thinks he is healthy, there isn't really anything to worry about. Also I found that the milk supply adjusts to the babies needs. Now that he eats solid food, he doesn't need as much milk anymore and the supply starts to dwindle.

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

The older the babies get, the more efficient they nurse. My daughter could drain both sides in 5 minutes. The one thing I would make sure you do if you are concerned is feed him solids one hour after breast milk, and not the other way around. It sounds like he is eating a lot of solids, which is OK as long as it is not at the expense of breast milk and just in addition to.
So if you feed him at 7 am Breast milk, then 8 am solids, 11 am Breast milk, 12 noon solids, etc.

hope that helps.

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I.B.

answers from Chicago on

of course he is happy. You cannot measure how much he is nursing like formula. Your milk is down due to his eating food. He is well on his way to weaning, due to so much food. But if he is deficating and urinating that is a good sign. Now what is the onsistancy, that is another quwstion. Your anwer of enough is given. He is satisfied. If you want more milk now that is another issue. You both seem fine.
I.

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

If you are worried about him getting enough breastmilk, I'd go ahead and cut back a smidge on the solids.

That said, you don't know how much he's taking in while nursing, pumping is not necessarily a good indicator for how much he is getting when he nurses.

Good luck!
Jessica

C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

If he seems happy, I wouldn't worry about how much breastmilk he's getting. He may be getting more out of one side. I would try pumping on the other side after each feeding. However, if he's not getting the minimum amount of breastmilk per day, I'd try to feed him a little more often or before eating solids.

My son is 5.5 months old, 18 lbs and eats cereal in the morning and 2 jars of baby food (1 at lunch and 1 - 1.5 at dinner). He usually has three - four bottles of 5/6 ounces and then also eats 1x at night and 1-2 times during the night.

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C.G.

answers from New York on

my now 9 month old was similar. he is also big at 26 lbs and big eater. he became less interested in nursing and preferred looking around while eating so i started to just pump and would suggest pumping as often as possible. i also like to see how much he is eating so pumping allows that. i am inclined to think that he is getting plenty - he is thriving and seems content...bbay may need less milk when he is eating 3 meals a day. i assume you use breastmilk in the cereal so he is getting a few ounces of that too..

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi CS.
I could have written this exact thing 3 months ago. My almost 10 month old did the same thing. I still breastfeed when I am home and pump when I am at work. Here is our schedule...
wake up at 7 and nurse
8:45 breakfast of oatmeal and cut up banana or pear

9:00 bottle of breastmilk to go down for nap (about 4 oz.)
12:30 Lunch jar of baby food
1:00 nap (3-5 oz of breastmilk)
I get home around 3:45, and sometimes he wants to nurse, other times he doesn;t

5:45 dinner (stage 3 baby food and fresh fruit or veggies)

6:30 I nurse him to sleep for about 20 minutes

He sleeps from 7-7, sometimes getting up around 4 or 5 to nurse a bit

I was so worried that he was not getting enough, but he is happy and healthy and growing just fine. My ped told me to not worry unless he refused the breast completely. I think it also depends on the type of nursing you beleive in. While I nursed on demand for the first 4 months, I do not comfort nurse anymore. I plan to wean in 2 months when my son turns one, so I am okay with him cutting back on his nursing sessions.
I have never been able to pump alot. This has nothing to do with your milk supply when he nurses directly from you. I pump to an dfrom work in the car (crazy, I know!), on my lunch period, on my prep period (i am a teacher) and occasionally around 9pm after he has been sleeping, and I just make enough (about 8 oz) to get him through the following day.
You are doing great and should not worry!

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

My son is now 19 years old but decided to add my 2 cents.
I know moms like to following a set of guidelines set up by the pediatricians but my husband and I learned over the years that there is no set rules for raising a child. That every child is different and each mom + dad can not go by what someone tells them. If your child is hungry he will let you know.
We put our son on regular milk shortly after 6 months of age. Or doctor was OK with that and our son turned out great. He is now 6'2" tall (195#) and still drinks 4-5 gallons of skim milk a week.
Just remember it is nice to ask for advice but each baby is different and what is good for one is not always good for another. Keep up the good work...

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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

He's probably just a very efficient nurser. I know it seems weird, but some babies get enough milk in a matter of minutes...pumps (even the best ones) are incredibly inefficient when compared to babies.
If he's growing fine, don't sweat it!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

My son was like that. Big boy too 95th-98th percentiles.

For the 1st year of life, per our Pediatrician, breastmilk/formula is the PRIMARY source of nutrition for a baby, not solids and not other liquids. And to feed on-demand.
Nurse BEFORE solids. If you nurse after solids, he will be too full.

Your son is 6 months, they get distracted while nursing, or they teethe and it makes it harder to nurse so they "seem" to reject the nipple... or they get tired of nursing. Because nursing takes work... a lot of mouth/tongue coordination and waiting for the let-down etc. AND you said your milk is dwindling. SO, that probably plays into it too.
BUT, 6 months old is also a growth-spurt period in which they normally increase their intake.

My son, was that way as I said. He had a GINORMOUS appetite too. But, when teething, he hated nursing. My daughter was that way too. But I had lots of milk. If teething, it is a phase. They will return. But if your milk is not increasing, they may not want to nurse. OR, it is that your body is adjusting to his lessening nursing, so it is producing less.

Or, he may be self weaning. But again, its important that they have a certain intake, or breastmilk/formula. Ask your pediatrician ho much he should be drinking.

Next, and this of often criticized... but maybe you need to supplement with Formula. My son, at that age and older, would nurse from BOTH breasts still until they were empty, nusring for about 1/2 hour... and he'd still want MORE. So, per our Pediatrician, I supplemented with Formula. He would then drink an entire bottle.
Then, by 1 year old, he pretty much self-weaned himself from breast.

Some say that breastfeeding for 6 months is enough. Others say longer is best.
I would check with your Pediatrician. Ultimately.

All the best,
Susan

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

My son is done nursing on BOTH sides in less than 10 minutes! He is almost 8 mos old and has always been in at least the 90th percentile for weight! He will let you know what he needs. If you continue to pump consistently and feed on a regular schedule (no matter how long he nurses), your body will take care of how much milk he needs. If you feel full still after he nurses, you could always pump. Keep up the good work!

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A.R.

answers from Peoria on

When we had this problem, my ped. suggested putting him down and make him wait about 2 hours before nursing again. By that time he should be good and hungry and nurse well.

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R.A.

answers from Chicago on

I am still nursing at 9 months....when I started solids, I nursed first then fed the food so they get the BM needed. Worked great for me. The can suck out more than a pump so keep offering or you will have less of a supply. You can get mother's milk tea..health food store. Helped my supply. Good luck and great job on nursing!! It is a huge committment.

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T.T.

answers from Chicago on

your baby is eating way too much food. food at this age is for practice, you have substituted a superior food for an inferior one. cut out some of the food and make sure you give solids AFTER you nurse. dont look at what you are pumping that is no indication of supply. If he is wetting diapers and growing he is fine, but try cutting back on some of the solids.

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A.L.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter is 7mo old and I BF before giving her any solids. I try to make sure that she has emptied at least 1 side since she too pulls away or gets distracted and doesn't want to eat. At her 1030a and 5p feeding I also feed her 3 tblsp of oatmeal (mixed with BM) and an ounce of veg and an ounce of fruit. I too am feeling like she may not be getting enough BM during the day since I know it should still be her main source of nutrients so I try to pump at least 2x a day so that I can create a backup supply. I am thinking about giving her a BM bottle at her 2p feeding, since she doesn't get any food with that one, first, just so i know she's getting enough. I am thinking that she should be drinking about 5oz of BM when she eat with food and 8oz when she's just having BM. Hope this helps.

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S.H.

answers from Hartford on

I decided to postpone solids for my 7 month old because I have a sensitive milk supply (it seems to drop at the drop of a hat - usually b/c of too much time between feedings when he sleeps) Anyhow, have a couple of suggestions - things that you might already know.

1) The formula drinking charts cannot be compared to breastfed babies because breastfed babies on average do not consume as much as formula fed babies. Dr. Jack Newman writes about this in some of his literature.

2) Making sure he is hungry (versus insisting he stick to an inflexible schedule) is pretty important if I want my son to feed well.

3) The decrease in your flow could definitely decrease his interest - make sure you are using breast compressions so that he is able to continually drink milk - the more consistent/greater the flow, the more interest he will have at staying on the breast. If you've never tried this - try googling some U tube videos to show you how.

3) To minimize the effect of introducing solids on your milk supply - make sure he nurses first, before eating.

4) If your supply has already dropped and you would like to keep it from dropping further - you'll want to increase either his demand for breastmilk by dropping some solids or use a good quality breast pump. It will take anywhere from a couple of days to a week to produce results, so don't get discouraged.

6) My baby also gets very distracted while nursing (and appears disinterested) and I have much better success if I nurse him when I know he's hungry and in a predictable/comfortable location with minimal distractions. I usually give him something to grab onto with his crazy wayward hand (like a blanket) and just try to refocus him if he becomes more interested in whatever he's holding or looking at versus eating his dinner.

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