I am hoping to jump start my cycle to try for baby #2, but need to wean a bit to help start that process since it hasn't happened yet.
My 8.5 mo old LO still nurses about every 2-2.5 hours around the clock.
I would like to experiment with cutting down on the duration, particularly at night (one trick I read about), as I think he could be comfort nursing. He does nurse off both sides for at least 5-7 min, enough to almost drain me, before he falls back asleep. I'm not sure I can contend with getting up and making him a bottle several times a night, so I'm hoping that changing the duration might help or even just offering one side.
However, during the day, sometimes I automatically nurse him every 2-2.5 hours before he even gets fussy. And sometimes the fussiness is because he is tired, and I nurse him down to nap. I am wondering if I should be waiting for his hunger cues, like fussiness, before I nurse him. The other day, I tried that and he went about 4 hours during one daytime period.
My one concern is that he has fallen off the charts for weight, and his height is only in the 15th percentile. His ped was not concerned though because she thought he looked pretty healthy and his dad is tall and lean. So, I want to be sure he is getting adequate nutrition. I figure he must be because he stops nursing and seems satisfied when he's done.
We did start pureed food 6 weeks ago, but he doesn't always finish his breakfast or dinner (about 2 oz each), so he's not getting enough from solids just yet to fully replace BM. Sometimes he is fussy and not in the mood to eat, and I BF him on one side and then try to feed him solids again, and then top his off with the other side.
Should I try letting him go 3-4+ hours during the day between feedings (or wait for him to let me know he is hungry) or should I continue to feed him every 2-3 hours using frozen BM from the stash I have created? I also have a bit of a concern of adversely impacting my fresh BM supply if I cut back on nursing and not being able to produce enough once I make that change and not being able to unring that bell.
My 8.5 mo old LO still nurses about every 2-2.5 hours around the clock.
I would like to experiment with cutting down on the duration, particularly at night (one trick I read about), as I think he could be comfort nursing. He does nurse off both sides for at least 5-7 min, enough to almost drain me, before he falls back asleep. I'm not sure I can contend with getting up and making him a bottle several times a night, so I'm hoping that changing the duration might help or even just offering one side.
However, during the day, sometimes I automatically nurse him every 2-2.5 hours before he even gets fussy. And sometimes the fussiness is because he is tired, and I nurse him down to nap. I am wondering if I should be waiting for his hunger cues, like fussiness, before I nurse him. The other day, I tried that and he went about 4 hours during one daytime period.
My one concern is that he has fallen off the charts for weight, and his height is only in the 15th percentile. His ped was not concerned though because she thought he looked pretty healthy and his dad is tall and lean. So, I want to be sure he is getting adequate nutrition. I figure he must be because he stops nursing and seems satisfied when he's done.
We did start pureed food 6 weeks ago, but he doesn't always finish his breakfast or dinner (about 2 oz each), so he's not getting enough from solids just yet to fully replace BM. Sometimes he is fussy and not in the mood to eat, and I BF him on one side and then try to feed him solids again, and then top his off with the other side.
Should I try letting him go 3-4+ hours during the day between feedings (or wait for him to let me know he is hungry) or should I continue to feed him every 2-3 hours using frozen BM from the stash I have created? I also have a bit of a concern of adversely impacting my fresh BM supply if I cut back on nursing and not being able to produce enough once I make that change and not being able to unring that bell.
