How many times a day does your 6-month old nurse?

[Hannah'sMommy]

Sorry, kind of a long post...

My 6 month old DD seems to be not as interested in eating or not as hungry the past couple of days. I work full time, so she's at the babysitter and gets EBM. She usually eats 5 ounces 3 times a day (15 ounces total) while I'm gone, plus I nurse her before leaving in the morning and once in the evening. She also gets up 2-4 times in the middle of the night to eat a little.

But now, the past couple of days, she's only had 9 ounces while I'm gone (over two feedings today, more spread out yesterday), plus it's almost a struggle to get her to nurse for any length of time in the AM and PM. She seems to be more interested in what is going on around her than eating. She's also been happy and not asking for food at the babysitter's. She doesn't seem sick or anything.

I am cutting back on solids while she's doing this because I want her main source of nutrition to be breastmilk. She was getting 1-1.5 ounces of food twice a day for the past couple of weeks (she loves purees).

She has been crawling/scooting for about 5-6 weeks now, really crawling well the past couple of weeks. And it seems like her world has recently gone from the rug in our family room to the whole house.

Could this be a developmental thing? Should I be worried or just let it run it's course and trust that she'll eat when she's hungry and not starve herself? How often does your 6 month old eat?

[ein328]

I can totally relate! I work full-time, and pump for my daughter- also six months. Our usual feeding schedule:

- when I wake up/before I leave for work (6:30)
- 4 oz. pumped milk via bottle (around 9-9:30)
- I return home for lunch, she usually nurses for a few minutes around 12:00-12:30
- 4 oz. pumped milk via bottle (around 3:00)
- I get home from work around 5:00, she usually nurses then
- Rice cereal/fruit/veggies following that session
- Nurses again around 8:30-9:00 when she goes to sleep
- Nurses at least once, normally twice at night.

I did notice about two weeks ago that she was seeming really uninterested in nursing, and it was starting to affect my supply. Our solution was to cut back her bottles from 5 oz to 4 oz. 4 oz is enough to satisfy her, and she is more interested in nursing now, as opposed to getting so much during the day that she's not hungry when I get home. Might be something to consider!

Also, she is so interested in everything now that NIP is practically impossible. In fact, nursing at home when a lot of distractions are present is tough, too. You might try taking her in your room and nursing in the side-laying position- we've been nursing on the couch this way lately.

Hope this helps!

[texmati]

My son is only 5 months and we haven't started solids yet. I WOHM full time, and I pump for my LO while I"m away.

DS has been real distracted while nursing lately too--I heard it goes away after 6 months, and they can focus on eating again. Maybe it's just a phase (the world is so interesting!)

I did find this link on kellymom helpful-- it sounds like your little one might be getting a bit to much in her bottle-- so she might not be too hungry when she's with you.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

According to KM, they don't recommend giving more than 4 ounces in a single bottle, and your little one should have 1 to 1.5 ounces of milk for each hour you are gone.


KM also recommends giving a breast milk first, and then offering solids to discourage early weaning.

[Hannah'sMommy]

Originally Posted by texmati

I did find this link on kellymom helpful-- it sounds like your little one might be getting a bit to much in her bottle-- so she might not be too hungry when she's with you.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

According to KM, they don't recommend giving more than 4 ounces in a single bottle, and your little one should have 1 to 1.5 ounces of milk for each hour you are gone.


KM also recommends giving a breast milk first, and then offering solids to discourage early weaning.

I don't think she's been getting too much in her bottle, she usually (but not always) drinks it all down. She is not forced to finish a bottle. We also still have her on the level one nipples. The other thing is that according to the calculator on KM, she's actually getting about the right amount of breast milk, even if it is on the high end. She's been going 3-4 or 5 hours in between.

I am having the babysitter cut back to 3 or 4 ounces for the last bottle and not giving it to her too close to when I pick her up. The babysitter is really good at reading DDs cues and not just feeding her to soothe her. I'm just more concerned because it's a change in her overall pattern. But you're right, the world is so interesting! So that is probably what's going on, she probably will eat just enough to satisfy her for the time being, then get on moving again!

As far as solids, breastmilk is always offered first, and solids are in between feedings, not in place of feedings. This is why we're cutting back for the time being. Solids weren't interfering with her intake before, and I don't think they are now, but I just want to make sure she's getting enough of the really good stuff

[texmati]

Oh, I agree! and with those links, I should have added the caveat that every baby is different-- It sounds like you have a good handle on things.

I just wish there was a way to teach DS to let go of my nipple before turning his head all the way around to look at something!

[Hannah'sMommy]

No kidding!!! DD loves to pick up her head and turn around with the nipple still in her mouth, just keep those teeth off it and keep the tongue in place to protect me! Every little sound distracts her and she has to see what's going on!

[EmilyG]

My baby is 6 and a half months old, but hasn't started solids yet, not that I haven't offered, she just won't take anything I try to feed her. She tried to stop eating much during the day a couple weeks ago, she was just so busy watching her sister and working on learning to crawl, but she started waking up ever 1-2 horus during the night to eat to make up for it! That just doesn't work for me, lol, so I've been trying to make her eat more often during the day. She usually fusses and turns her head, but will then give in and nurse a little, but not a full feeding. She does better if I take her into the bedroom and sit in the dark to feed her, but thats hard for my older dd, she doesn't like to be left alone. I think it's pretty normal for this age.

I work weekends, and she usually takes about 3.5oz in each bottle. I feed her before I leave, then I think she has about 5 bottles while I'm gone and is ready to eat again when I get home, although last weekend both days I worked she had milk left, where previously she'd eat everything I left and sometimes need an extra snack thawed, so maybe their growth slows down a little bit around 6 months and they don't need as much?