Hungry 10mo: enough milk and food intake?

[sky_and_lavender]

Hi! I think my baby is going through a big growth spurt. All of the sudden she wants to eat a lot of food as well as nurse at least as often as before around the clock.

I have been kind of slow in offering her food, usually giving her lunch and dinner food opportunities that she sometimes takes, sometimes doesn't. Now all of the sudden she will eat so much when I offer food! My gut tells me to offer her food more often, so I'm starting to do that. Yet I've read that around 12 months, 25% of the intake should be from food, the rest from bm.

I am really committed to extended bf-ing for her health and nutrition, and I want to protect my supply. How does this work? I should note that weight pretty much falls off of me if I don't stuff myself regularly (haven't been this thin since I was a teenager!), so I guess my body is working hard to produce milk. But if I feed her much more food, won't my milk supply drop off, forcing her to take a higher ratio of food over milk? (I understand that's what weaning is ultimately about, of course.) Can my body increase its production to meet more of her needs? How do I balance all this and make sure she's getting enough calories?

Thank you!

[PatioGardener]

do you nurse before offering solids? that will help to protect your supply and her intake.

[sky_and_lavender]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

do you nurse before offering solids? that will help to protect your supply and her intake.

I sure do! Is that really all I need to do to keep everything good?

Yesterday she ate so much food, more than ever before, because at one sitting she just kept asking for more. She also nursed like crazy, so I guess she's not opposed to breastmilk or anything.

[PatioGardener]

nursing first will really help! the otherthing that may help is to only offer foods that she can feed herself. here is a great kelly mom page: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html

[sky_and_lavender]

Okay, so it seems like what I'm doing is in line with what's recommended. That's good. Thank you so much for making it simple!

[Hannah'sMommy]

If it helps at all, our 10 month DD now gets 3 meals a day in addition to her nursing and bottles (bottles at daycare, I work). She nurses in the AM, gets a 6 ounce bottle of BM, breakfast is about 2 ounces solids, lunch is another 6 ounce bottle, about 3 ounces solids, dinner is nurse 1-2 times, then about 3-4 ounces solids. Plus, she wakes up an average of 2 times a night, and lately seems to really be nursing a lot during those midnight snacks.

She probably gets more solids than other 10 month olds, but she also nurses or gets her bottles before solids. She's just a hungry girl!

[haydn'smommy]

My almost 10 mo old nurses and eats a ton of solid foods. He goes to daycare while I work and his day is like this:
6:30 am nurse
8am 6 oz yogurt + fruit puree
9am 4 oz bottle of BM
11am solids (table food so not sure of oz)
12pm 4 oz bottle of BM
3 pm 6oz bottle of BM + snack
5pm nurse
6pm 6oz solids
6:30pm nurse
3 am nurse
5 am nurse

He is just hungry. Period. And, I'm not about to not feed him. On the weekends, he doesn't get as many solids at times but it's his choice. He often will choose to nurse instead of solids, but he lets me know by pushing the spoon away and grabbing at my chest. I follow his lead on all this stuff. He knows what he wants, and he still wants a lot of mama milk.

[Hannah'sMommy]

Thanks haydn'smommy, I thought our 10 month old ate a lot of solids! We've been having to up her milk and solids intake because she seems so hungry, so I'm glad that I'm kind of on track and not overfeeding her on the solids. I give her as much BM as possible, always nurse before solids, etc. But with how much she moves around (crawling, starting to walk), I'm sure she needs all those calories!

[sky_and_lavender]

Thank you Hannah'sMommy and haydn'smommy! It's good to know what other kids this age are eating.

Originally Posted by haydn'smommy

He is just hungry. Period. And, I'm not about to not feed him.

With my daughter, she's very happy to nurse, and she is usually satisfied with breastfeeding. It's just that she'll bf and then bf again an hour later, which is okay with me, but maybe a sign that after bf-ing an hour later, she could use some food as well. Usually she bf's, then I feed her food, and she bf's more after eating. Lots of eating! She's gained 2/10 lb in the past several days, though, and is changing in appearance by the day.

Her eating rampage continues today... accompanied by a pooping rampage (not diarrhea, just a 2-3 poops/daily). (I am so thankful she's mostly potty trained for pooping. I am so not a fan of cleaning poopy diapers!)

[haydn'smommy]

Hahahaha! That "menu" is on a day I work. When I'm home it's a little worse:
6:30 am nurse
7 am nurse
8 am 4 oz yogurt with pureed fruit and cereal
8:30 am nurse
9:30-10:00am nurse
11:00 nurse
12:00 nurse and finger foods
1:00 nurse
3:00 nurse and snack/cup of water
5:00 nurse
6:00pm 6oz solids
7:00pm nurse
3-4:00 am nurse.

The boy loves his nee nees. Any event (waking, naps, diaper changes, mama doing laundry, mama cooking, mama doing dishes) is something to commemorate with some nee nees. When I'm home he nurses ALL DAY LONG. It's no wonder he's 24lbs and 31in at 10mos.

OP, you are definitely on the right track. Follow your baby's lead. Let her nurse as much as she wants but offer some foods for practice. It's only been in the last month that my fatty has wanted solids when home with me. I just let him lead me. He's the boss when it comes to feeding times and amounts and even to some degree what he eats. He is quick to grab food from me or dad or brother if he wants solids and he will absolutely refuse to eat solids if he doesn't want them.