Just When I Thought I Had This Breastfeeding Thing Down!

My son did the same thing. What I did was, I started breastfeeding him before giving him the solids. I also limited the solids to 1 time a day. That way he was happy and I was happy. Everyone is different though. So try different solutions that you get until you find one that works. If you don't want to limit the solids, you will most likely have to pump more often so that you don't get the overfilled breasts. I used the pumped milk for making the cereal and it worked out really well.

D.

I am just going through this exact same thing. At first he was more interested in food for the first 2 weeks but then he started drinking more milk again. I just pumped the extra milk and saved it for a rainy day. We went to see the pediatrician yesterday and she said to feed him 2 things of fruit, 20-24 oz milk, and mix some rice cereal in with one serving of milk each day. He's happy with that and my breasts are happy too!

I have breastfed my second two beyond 2 months & am still breastfeeding my 3rd. When the time came to start solids my two were just like your son, what I suggest is to nurse him first then give him the solids. My now almost 8 month old will only eat table food, she only ate baby food for about 2 weeks and then refused it after she tasted table food. Also I noticed if I don't nurse her first, she eats the food and isn't interested in teh breast. HOpe that suggestion helps.

Always offer breastmilk before solids. Breastmilk will be his most important source of calories/nutrition until he's one. Solids are more for getting him introduced to food at this age, not so much for nutrition (with the exception of iron). Just think, what do people eat when they are dieting? Fruits and veggies. They are low in calories. Babies need loads of calories, so milk always comes first!

Go get yourself a breat pump. Use it when needed. Save & store. ;-)

Hey M.,

I just wanted to agree with the first two posters, but to let you know that you may need to pump when you get uncomfortable. You won't want to pump enough to fill a bottle, but it will help you relieve the pressure and avoid mastitis, which can sometimes happen if your milk ducts get clogged. It may take your body a couple of days to adjust, so don't be afraid to hook-up to the ole' handy-dandy pump. As long as you don't pump a lot, you shouldn't continue to over-produce.
Good Luck

My daughter is almost 7 months. I had this problem for a little while, but after a couple weeks my body regulated and the only time I sometimes feel uncomfortably full now is first thing in the morning after about 10 hours of not feeding. Don't worry, your body will figure it out. As long as your little guys still has 4-5 wet diapers a day and seems content, he is getting enough.

I think you are doing a wonderful job breastfeeding your boy! The fact that he got only breast milk until he was 6 months old is awesome...way to go Momma! It is natural for a baby who starts on solids to nurse less often. It sounds like he was needing more calories right before you started solids and so your milk supply increased to meet that need. Now that he is starting on solids, some of those calories are being met from the food he is taking in as well as the breast milk. My suggestions would be to offer him your breast before every meal. This way he is getting your nourishing milk first and then the solid foods. I would then wrap up his meal by offering your breast again to see if he needs a little to top-off. Don't worry about loosing your milk supply...it is perfectly balanced to regulate according to demand. Your are currently engorged because the demand before solids was a lot greater then it is now...it will re-adjust. In the meantime you can also hand express some of the milk just to take the discomfort away, but don't do it completely, otherwise your body will continue to produce more than it currently needs. I hope this helps!

I had this issue with both of my girls. They actually self weaned by 8 months and wanted nothing more to do with me and everything to do with what was on the tray of thier highchair. I also worried about my supply, because I still wanted them to get my breast milk until they were a year old. So....I kept pumping!! I had more than a month's worth of milk stored in the freezer that I was able to still feed the girls after I dried up. When you are ready to stop breastfeeding, slowly drop one pumping or feeding every 4-5 days and nature will take it's course. I really wasn't in any pain the whole time I was weaning. I kept the morning and night time feeding for quite some time and that transition to being empty is less painful. As far as trying to encourage your little one to continue breast feeding, try alternating the meal times so that you are not doing both baby food and breast feeding too close together. If he is not hungry because he just had baby food, he won't want to nurse.

If you don't want to lose your supply, I would suggest pumping. My daughter refused the breast after 3 months old, but I still had tons of milk. I would use my pump, and give her the bottle. I would store all my extra milk in the freezer in case of emergencies. We did this for 6 months til I found out I was pregnant again. I would suggest that you keep stimulating them as much as possible.

M.,

Since he is not nursing as often, pump the milk and store it in the fridge or freezer. This will help with engorgement, and keep milk supply up so you can continue for a year. I breastfed my daugher for a year and son for 8 months, and I worked full time. You got to pump, or your milk supply will go down.

Once babies start solids, their quantity of breast milk/formula diminishes because they are filling up on solids. This is normal. I weaned at 6 months when my son started solids and he now takes 4oz of formula and about 8oz of solids. I always start with formula so he gets those nutrients. I would put your son on the breast first, then follow up with solids. If your still full, pump and store. It is always nice to have a freezer supply of breast milk! Good luck!

Hi M.,
The same thing happened to me with my son, he is now 7.5 months old; at 4 months he was only waking up once during the night, during the day about every 1 to 2 hours. One week B4 he turned 5 months I took a month vacation with family in Chicago and that pretty much took him out of his routine, everything changed, he started waking up every 2 hrs during the night as well as during the day, when I came back home and turned 6 months I also started giving him solids and when it came time so breastfeeding him he only fed for 3 – 5 minutes and left me with a lot of milk, it was so painful, I also almost got mastitis for being so full.
I was told to only pump a little bit, just so it wasn’t so uncomfortable and your breast will now to start producing less milk, I’m finally better now but every time he breastfeeds less I have that problem of having too much milk and do what I can so I don’t get an infection.

Hi M. -

If you don't want to loose the volume of milk you are producing, you are going to have to pump if he won't take the breast. If you would rather slow down the production of milk, there are several herbs that will aid in that.

Best of luck,

M. M. Ernsberger
Certified Clinical Herbalist

Your breast fill up by the rule of supply as demand, so if your baby drinks less after a little while you will produce less and your breast won't feel so full. It will even out perfectly, where you can still breastfeed for part of the time. The body is amazing that way.
Good luck.
G.
certified doula

First thing...PUMP!!! This will allow you some relief from swollen breats AND it will ensure that your milk supply doesn't dwindle. Second...you have introduced something new to your baby and he is LOVING it. He is exicted about his new food and probably needs some time to adjust. I went through this with my daughter and have learned a very valuable lesson. THEY ARE ALWAYS CHANGING AND AS SOON AS YOU GET COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR CURRENT "RHYTHM", THEY CHANGE IT!!! I have driven myself (and husband/family) somewhat nuts..only to fully accept (now that she is 13 months)...she will make sure she gets what she needs unless there is something wrong (illness). Relax...have fun...watch for food coming back in your general direction...and trust yourself. It only gets better...and messier...from here. :)

Dear M.-
Be careful not to overfeed him on 'regular' food. Just continue your nursing schedule as usual, but allow him to share some of your food when you eat. I didn't use baby food with my son at all. He could just be growing, so the middle of the night would then be normal. I would deal with the overfill pain, or self-express a little- the quantity will adjust. In general, the child will decide when he is ready to quit nursing. Mine didn't quit until a year and a half.

Hope it helps- S.

Congrats on the milestone! IT is such a great feeling when we have managed to overcome all the obstacles and can enjoy the rewards!

How much are you feeding him? Nurse him first, then feed, so he will always get the milk and the food will only top him off. At his age, he would only be eating food once a day (and not even a full small baby food jar size in amount), and always after he has nursed. Even though he loves to eat, your milk is more nutritious than any food you can give him. He likes eating partly because he sees others doing it. I used to offer my baby crushed ice when she wanted to eat when we were.

[She was always (and still is, at 27 yrs old!) a very healthy person, and she was almost a year old before I introduced food to her, though she weighed well over 10 lbs at birth and could have eaten earlier, but I was staving off food allergies.]

Peace and blessings to you both! Continue to enjoy the nursing journey! You have come a long way and deserve the rewards now! :)

M., don't worry. It is natural that your son went through an increased nursing time at this age - the 3 infant growth spurts are at about 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months. With breastfeeding, it's a supply and demand issue - as his wants and needs decrease, so will your production, but you will still provide for his needs, as long as you still regularly nurse him and have not started on hormonal contraception, which can decrease your milk supply. If your breasts are still really full after nursing, try taking a warm shower and expressing some of the milk (assuming you don't want to store any). That should give you some relief. Hope this helps!

M., you need to hand-express or pump a litle milk, just enough to be comfortable. Perhaps you want to talk with someone at La Leche League ###-###-####) good luck with this problem, you've got a wonderful thing going and should be able to continue as long as you and your wish...
C.