Author Topic: Breast feeding and solids  (Read 4367 times)

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Offline FPT23

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Breast feeding and solids
« on: July 27, 2016, 01:20:48 am »
Hi, :)

Quick question:

My LO is 23 weeks old and b/c of his weight, I decided to start solids this week. He's took to them so well. He was ready; opening his mouth and gobbling it all up as if he'd done this before! ;) ...my question now is, how more or less would it look with breast feeding? I would hate to lose supply, and also b/c his size, I don't want solids to take over breast feeding instead. I would like to add that I've continued to feed around 8xs a day because his size and after the advice of my lactation consultant, since he began sleeping through the night. (One feed a night)

He's very little :(
We've struggled quite a bit but I have high hopes that solids may help plump him up a bit. Either way, I was to keep making sure BFing remains first and good amounts.

Any advice would be appreciated thanks! :)
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 01:23:53 am by FPT23 »
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Offline creations

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2016, 07:22:15 am »
Mine was also 5.5 months when I finally caved in to his demands and let him eat solids.  I hadn't been able to eat in front of him for a month without him screaming at me that he wanted some even if he had only just had his milk. He was very vocal about it!

OK, so for any LO this age the milk should not reduce at all, the solids are additional calories and don't replace any milk feeds.  If you notice a change in BF then you can reduce the amount of solids you give him to ensure his BF continues as usual.
I would say that solids are not likely to plump him up as you might hope as his milk is going to give him more calories than he can get from solids at this point, but the solids may give him a few additional calories so long as the milk intake doesn't drop.

Usually a milk feed wouldn't be dropped for several months yet although that's based on 4 feeds per day and a night feed or two so if you are BF 8 times per day then, yes, that might change, I would just try to judge for yourself if he is getting the same amount of milk.
The general advice at this age is for puree to be only 1-2 teaspoons per day, it is a very small amount.  And to offer one solid meal per day, this would increase to 2 meals and then at 8 months you would offer 3 solids meals (plus continue milk feeds).  To be honest there is no way my DS would have accepted only being offered such a small amount and only once per day - so some LOs go rapidly to larger portions and more meals but as you know milk is the priority so your aim is not to reduce milk at all.

Mine is also little, always has been.  I'm sure you will have already been reassured that so long as your LO is staying on the centile or only moving within one centile line then everything is normal.  All the centile lines are normal.  If your LO is gaining weight it's okay to be small.

Hope this helps


Offline *Ali*

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2016, 07:26:26 am »
Tracy recommended feeding solid foods an hour after a BF. I've found that works well as LO is hungry enough  for the solids but has time to get hungry again before the next big BF. You can also top up with BM as a drink after the solids meal.  Just remember that BM will have better nutrition than any solid food you'd offer at this stage so that is the best way to ensure he is getting the calories.

What food are you offering? I know there are lots that aren't recommended if you start solids early (before 6mo). Have you checked those and that your doctor thinks it's a good idea to start solids this young?  If so then I'd just try to offer foods he is allowed that have lots of protein and good fat to maximise calories. I'd start with just once a day so you don't displace too much breast milk. It's best to offer early in the day so any tummy discomfort as a result of an immature digestive system can pass while they are active rather than disturb the night.

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Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2016, 14:57:10 pm »
Not sure on the rec's in the US but here they are to start "around 6 months of age" as long as baby can:
-sit and hold their head up;
-watch and open their mouth for the spoon
-doesn't push food out of their mouth with their tongue.

Besides honey (botulism risk) and cow's milk (as a drink) we were told when DD3 was ready for solids to feed her anything (obviously not stuff that was a choking hazard or with loads of sugar or salt yk?) This was completely the opposite advice from 5 years prior with DD2! All my kids started with solids at 5.5 months as they were ready, but they were mix fed so not really a good comparison with an ebf baby.
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Offline FPT23

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2016, 19:40:00 pm »
Thanks for the great responses ladies :) I appreciate it.

Creations:
Mine was exactly the same which is why I decided to start early too. He was super ready. You would think he's been eating solids for months! ;D ...he opens up for the spoon like a champ and keeps it closed for the foods he wasn't fond of also ::) haha! Similar LOs then ;) ...he is the same; 1 teaspoon is teasing him. So how did you go about this as to not interfere with BFs? I think I maaaay have been giving too much? He's took to them well. However, when he BFs, he gets off himself, yk? So we finish but sometimes 1 hr later he gets all fussy and that's when I was providing some solids... I WAS feeding 8xs a day and ONCE at night we still feed. But now, it's less feeds a day... :( ...so should I continue 8xs being so little? I mean he's LITTLE... 10lbs and some oz at 4 mth check up. Yes Dr says he's fine and is in his growth curve and hasn't dropped weight. He said keep doing what we do. So I have. He has his 6mth appt soon so we shall see where he stands in terms of percentile.

Ali:
Yes I've been doing 1 hr or so after a feed. I never offered the rice cereal-- here, they allow solids at 4mths (rice cereals) and then move up with solids. Depends I guess but his Dr told me for a BF baby rice cereal wasn't something he felt I had to enforce so I could begin at 6mths. I started early for the same reasons as Creations said; he was just ready! And that he was ;D ! The only foods I've offered were avocado (which he wasn't a fan of haha. But it's not avocado season- so it was prob a bit bitter), banana (which I stopped due to constipation) and sweet potato which he's done fabulous with. I do that as well, offer in the day only. I started with breakfast and then lunch time after his first nap... so something like 9am and 12pm ish. I do offer BM a little before a nap as well too sometimes... But I'm not sure he's even getting much. That's always tricky w BFing.

MaysnSpencerElliote:
Yes those are the qualifications and he does all of those already. He can't sit up alone unassisted but like in a little bumbo chair or even with a boppy support around him. He's been holding his head well for a bit too. Oh interesting on the cows milk!! We can't do that now, nor egg whites and honey. What do you mean they were mixed fed? But he's taking to them well so far! I just don't want solids to affect supply and/or take over and not getting the nutrition he needs
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 19:44:32 pm by FPT23 »
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Offline michaeljacknnugg

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2016, 21:02:48 pm »
My guy is 8.5 mo but at the start we were doing something like:
Wake, feed 6am
Breakfast around 7
Second feed before nap - 9am
Lunch 12pm
Feed 1pm
Feed 4pm
Dinner 5pm
Bedtime feed 6.30pm
1-2 night feeds.

Since being properly established on solids (real toddler poops, able to pick up food in pincer grip so finishing everything - we are doing BLW) he has rapidly dropped his night feeds. We are on 5-6 milk feeds a day, with the morning one being huge!!!
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Offline FPT23

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2016, 00:30:55 am »
Thanks for the post Mj&N... :D

If you could be a bit more specific; when you said lunch was that BM? And feed 1pm/4pm, dinner... BM? Solids?

Since I started a few solids... It seems he's hungry 1hr after BM? Fussy.

If I feed he stops- so I'm just a bit lost right now
Fabi






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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2016, 07:17:25 am »
So how did you go about this as to not interfere with BFs?
I was only able to BF for 4 wks so mine was basically bottle fed. Being bottle fed meant I could see exactly how much milk he'd had and that his milk intake wasn't dropping at all. In fact the first few weeks he took more milk than usual because right after solids he needed a milk top up. I'm not sure how I worked out he wanted milk after solids, I suppose he must have been fuss or pointing or something but I worked it out and so every solid feed he had another bottle right after. I was offering water too which he also took but he definitely wanted that milk at the end of his solids.  As mine had never taken much milk it was a bonus for me to see him have more.
I didn't use purees at all.  I did BLW so it was all finger foods, some dips (eg humus) which is like puree but he wasn't spoon fed.  The first couple of weeks I was still trying to hold him off because I wanted to hit that magic 6 month mark although tbh when I saw his paediatrician (reflux check) and confessed I'd started solids a bit early she wasn't the slightest bit bothered by it and just said it was great he was enjoying solids.  BLW is also recommended to start at 6 months to make sure they are sitting up well and not leaning backwards etc.
I can't really advise on the number of BF in a day. I would have thought dropping a couple would be ok so long as he still takes enough milk but if your doc suggested continuing that number of feeds then obviously take that into account.  I mean, mine did increase the number of milks because of those top ups after solids so I don't see any problem with having more either.
I mean he's LITTLE... 10lbs and some oz at 4 mth check up. Yes Dr says he's fine and is in his growth curve and hasn't dropped weight. He said keep doing what we do. So I have. He has his 6mth appt soon so we shall see where he stands in terms of percentile.
Was this below the average centile lines?


Offline michaeljacknnugg

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2016, 07:59:46 am »
All meals are solids, we went straight to 3 as it was clear that's what he wanted. And after six months, anything goes!

Feeds = milk feeds (ebf)

There aren't many calories in a lot of puréed foods, because of the high water content. He may need more milk at first.
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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2016, 13:54:21 pm »
Mixed feeding means I was bf and using formula. Cow's milk is recommended as a drink starting between 9-12 months - but dairy in other forms or milk used in cooking was fine. We did not do that as all 3 were mpi so stuck with bf/ff for longer than 12 months old. We did a mix of blw and purees (except for DD3 as she was blw except for a few foods she liked that I spoon fed (oatmeal) until she could manage it with her fingers!).

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Offline *Ali*

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2016, 16:29:14 pm »
Not sure what the recs are for the US but in the UK it's 12mo for cows milk as a drink.

I'd try to get at least 4 main BFs plus top ups as required.
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Offline ireneasheard

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2016, 00:19:33 am »
Definitely breast should always be offered before any solids. With my first we didn't drop any feeds when solids were introduced and quickly moved to 3 meals a day (but we introduced solids at 6 months). That's about all the advice I can offer, it sounds lile you're doing all the right things.

Australian recommendations are 12 months for cows milk as a drink. Breastmilk or formula up until then.
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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2016, 07:22:33 am »
Quote (selected)
In the United States (2) and the United Kingdom (3), it is recommended that whole cow’s milk should not be used before one year of age. In Denmark (4), it is recommended that whole cow’s milk can be introduced gradually from nine months of age and in Sweden (5) from 10 months of age. The Nutrition Committee of the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that whole cow’s milk may be introduced at nine to 12 months of age (6). There are potential hazards associated with early introduction of whole cow’s milk.
Looks like US is the same as UK, 1yo before cow's milk is used as a drink, with a couple of other countries starting earlier.
ref: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2791650/
It's OK to use cow's milk in cooking from 6 months so long as there are no known allergies.


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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2016, 12:20:51 pm »
we didn't change anything regarding the amount of breastfeeds in the day when LO moved onto solids. we started BLW at 6 months and at 5.5 months I started to give porridge with a spoon in the evening as like yours I had some concern with weight gain. we quickly stopped the porridge as DD2 wasn't that fond of it. moving onto solids def helped with weight gain. DD2 was at the 75% percentile at birth, dropped down to the 50% and now is up again around the 80%. as they say solids before 1 is only for fun. and if you do BLW LO can regulate their intake themselves and slowly they will reduce their milk feeds and move onto solids.
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Offline FPT23

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Re: Breast feeding and solids
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2016, 04:10:38 am »
Thanks for all the help ladies! I think once he began sleeping all night, he naturally became more hungry in his day. I wasn't sure how to go about it.

I have actually came to the conclusion that I might begin weaning. It's been such a never ending battle. I've posted a few times on here about it. Things haven't let up much, and I've been super discouraged about it all. I've sought soooo much help- but that's for another post I guess ;) ....we'll see at his 6 mth check up what happens!

Yes, in the US it's no cows milk until 1 year. Closer to the actual year you start weaning breast milk and slowly give cows milk... Little by little. You can give anything to eat here except, cows milk, honey and egg whites (you can give them the egg yolk).... I guess for allergen purposes

:)

Creations, yes he's always been low percentile... But his pediatrician said he's ok? I've gone by his judgement. Technically he stopped losing weight so he saw that as an improvement and hes been thriving and reaching milestones- he said to keep on and was very encouraging. He said he's remained in HIS growth curve.
Fabi