i've some serious & sensitive qns for breastfed mothers...?

Question

have been breastfeeding my baby boy into e 7th mth now..

had fever on sat nite, just recovered...

he actually rejected my breast (ate instant rice cereal), but relented 10hrs ltr back home nursed to sleep..
which left me totally engorged on both breasts (being outside w/o a pump).
e next day, he nursed a little both sides, he seems to nurse only -5mins each feeding every 2hrs.. my breasts feels saggy & empty all day!
he seems to reject me esp when we were outside (agn tdy). no choice fed him w instant rice cereal even when he had it for dinner 3hrs ago..

is there a possibility of my body unable to produce enough milk to keep up his appetite?

is it a indication that i should switch to formular & solids? already feeding him instant rice cereal for dinner, will do lunch soon..

PS: after breastfeeding, breast would shrink & sag tremendously? anybody tried & tested any bust firming treatments? whats e price & sessions completed? is it advisable? any recommendations?

thank you!

oops i meant to do e treatment aft weaned bb from breastfeeding totally.. hopefully wean him when he's 1-2yrs old..

Mommy to David:
I would ditch the cereal [y?]... try some banana or avocado [for dinner & lunch just these frsh foods?]... he should be ready for table food soon as well [what kinda tbl food?]. thx!

yes dears, he's only nursing -5mins 1 side each session...

super distracted when outside, used to be able to nurse him anywhere till recently... but even if i fed him cereal, he's still fussy...

i've tried all gerber first foods stage1 but he dont like any! he'll taste & wanna puke!

he is peeing very little!
he takes 12hrs during my nite sleeping usually 12mdn to 12 noon (stay-home-mum =p ).. to acheive a soaking wet diaper!!
i do change diaper every 3-4hrs during active day & very little pee, esp so if we outside.. is it ok?

every since i started rice cereal & snacks & tasting what ever i eat thats soft, he only poo once on alt day, is it ok?

ya think i'll miss e breastfeeding session, e only time he's an angel while nursing/zzz...

e rest of e time. while he's awake & active, he's a monster! hahaha...

Answer 1

I agree with Mandy S that the reason he isn't nursing well in public is because he is distracted. My kids never nursed well in public because they were interested in what was going on around them. Feeding for 5 minutes on each side every 2 hours sounds about right for his age. As an older baby, he is able to get more milk at each feeding faster than when he was younger. No, it is not possible that your body is unable to produce enough milk to keep up with his appetite. Your breasts have simply adjusted to his needs. They feel saggy and empty all day because you are feeding him well! This is definitely not an indication to switch to formula (there is no need for that), but you can give him solids, including the rice cereal you are already feeding him. Just follow his lead...it sounds like you are already doing that. You are doing a great job, and your baby will be just fine! Good luck! (P.S. I agree with the others...I would wait until you have stopped nursing before trying any firming treatments)

EDITED TO ADD: If he doesn't like the taste of baby foods, you might trying using a food processor to puree your own food. For example, peas, carrots, mashed potatoes...also, my kids liked it when I would soak crackers in some chicken broth (make sure the crackers are mushy). He might also like some banana scraped off with a spoon. Are you sure he isn't peeing very much? Diapers these days are so absorbent that sometimes it is hard to tell how wet they are. The older they get, the fewer sopping wet diapers they will have...Pooping every other day is normal...my daughter does the same thing...

Answer 2

The breasts are complicated beasts. Go figure, right? If I'm getting this right you are BF a 7 month old boy who has started preferring other food when you're out and about but is ok with BF at home. Hopefully that's right because that's how I'm answering the question.

It's most likely not a problem with the amount of your milk. Although being engorged for a long time one day will reduce your supply a bit in the future whenever he nurses he's sending the signal to send more milk. Since he's changing feeding patterns it could take you a while to even out. Even if your breasts feel empty, your body is still making milk. The breasts can make it on demand so that as long as a child is sucking, there is milk being produced. One thing to check though is if you can hear your child swallowing especially when he starts to nurse. It's rare to loose your milk that fast so it probably hasn't happened but checking for swallowing will easy your mind.

For a lot of kids at 7 months they are way more interested in what's going on around them than in eating. That may be why your son is choosing food that he can eat while he gets to look around when the two of you are out. You can feed him finger foods then and BF when you're home if you want. Most times your milk will adjust to that. Or you can look for less active places to attempt BF. Sometimes you may have to take him into a room alone, turn off everything and feed that way to keep him focused on feeding.

Five minute feedings shouldn't worry you. At 7 months your son is VERY efficient at draining your milk and 5 minutes each side may be all he needs to get enough. As long as he isn't acting hungry or unless you're seeing signs of dehydration or lack of growth you are doing just fine.

Other than that I would't recommend trying anything to firm up breasts other than good bras. I'd say ever but that's just me. At least until you've weaned your son for 6 months just because there can be a lot of natural changes that happen when you wean. Also, some methods might make it harder to breast feed in the future.

Whatever you decide to do congrats on BF as long as you have and don't let anyone make you second guess your choice to continue as long as you want to.

Answer 3

He could be ready for more. Don't doctors usually recommend starting them on solids around the 6th month? At that age, you should be able to carefully add other foods into the mix, instead of just rice cereal.

I think I read right, and you're having an issue with him nursing in public, in particular. With that, it could be that he's noticing that as great as momma's boobies are, there's lots of fun and interesting things going on. Try keeping feeding times outside of the home low-key, find a darker room or quieter area if you can, with little to distract him.

You can add solids but still nurse, just work into a schedule where he's on solids, but you either give him a bottle of pre-pumped milk (especially if you're out in public and he isn't wanting to nurse), or you nurse him (a lot of moms continue to nurse early in the morning and at night, even after they cut out the mid-day nursing session), to supplement it. You don't have to switch to formula if you want to continue to nurse.

As far as any bust firming treatments, I'd stay away from anything like that until you're done nursing completely. There's no need to, there's no guarantee it would do anything, it could turn your son off nursing completely (he could probably tell something's different with momma's breast), and it could be ineffective (the nature of nursing means you'd be filling/emptying, which could be starting the problem over again after you did something to firm up). After you're finished breastfeeding for good, then decide if you want to do something about it. For the time being, your breasts' main job is to provide food for your son, and that can mean they aren't all that perky.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Sounds like a nursing strike.

I posted some info from the LLL below.

Other than that, it seems pretty normal... they get really efficient at nursing the second half of the first year and can empty a breast in a matter of minutes. Your supply should be fine, just keep nursing as often as he wants to. and watch his diapers if youre concerned about your supply. he should have 5-6 wet diapers a day.

I would ditch the cereal... try some banana or avocado... he should be ready for table food soon as well.


ETA:

Okay, cereal is really just baby junk food. You, yourself called it "instant", does that not tip you off? If hes attached to cereal, try whole oatmeal or another whole grain cereal (there should be nothing added, just the grains)

I used to spoon banana straight out of the peel (it mushed it a little by doing that) and avocado i just cut in half and spooned out (if its ripe it will spoon out easily, avocados can be tricky... very good for developing babes though!!!)

He may just not like jarred food-who would? Fresh food is SOO much better!

For table food, you can just try things from your plate that are soft... potatos (use broth instead of milk for mashed) steamed carrots, rice, sweet potato. Within the next couple months he should be picking things up and he can start feeding himself, if hes interested.

His output might concern me... so is his diaper FULL when you change it in the AM? My son will stay in one diaper overnight (12 hours) but it will be full. Also, durring the day, are they wet when you change him?

I agree that the distraction while you are out is normal. I would have to hyjack a dressing room to get my guy to nurse for even 5 minutes at that age! Just find the quietest place you can, and make up for it when you get home with a nurse-a-thon.

Answer 5

Well your breasts will empty out and feel saggy. Don't worry about that for now as they will firm up a bit when you are done nursing. Esp don't do any treatments at this time.
Your body works on supply and demand and will make exactly enough milk. Your baby could be self weaning or perhaps doesn't want to nurse for other reasons. Have you changed soaps or anything? Are you using any creams or whatever that the baby isn't used to? Is the baby teething?

Answer 6

It is normal that your breasts would sag after feeding, that's because your baby has emptied it. Don't forget a 7 month old would be a very, very efficient feeder. He may only take 5 mins, every 2 hours.....TOTALLy normal. If he is rejecting the breast he may just not be hungry. Solids should only be a supplement at this point. He is only 7 months old. Keep doing what you are doing and talk to a lactation consultant if you are worried or call the la leche league. But based on what you said I would say everything is fine. My daughter is 5 months, exclusively breast fed and literally takes 5 to 7 mins a feeding every 3 hours...she weighs 18 lbs. Babies are great feeders as they get older. Don't worry.

Answer 7

My baby is 8 months old and I'm still breastfeeding him. Don't worry you will have enough milk for your baby and as the demand increases so will the supply.
At 7mths old you can start him on pureed vegetables mixed with the rice cereal too. It is recommended that you continue with iron fortified cereals. My baby likes oat cereal instead of rice. I mix a little with carrots, strained peas, butternut squash, etc.
His demand for milk has gone down as he now has 3 solid meals a day.
I can't breastfeed him out of the house anymore as he is too distracted by what's going on around him. I usually pump the milk and take it in a bottle when we're going out. Or I pack his cereal and mix it with breastmilk and feed him that when I go out to eat at a restaurant or go shopping.
At one point when he was 6 months old he was breastfeeding a LOT and I felt empty all day but after awhile I caught up with him.
I plan to breastfeed him till he's 1 year old. In the meantime we are enjoying it and also having fun experimenting with new foods for him to taste. He loves bananas.
He did get constipated when we started solid food but I gave him some dilluted apple juice to drink and that helps. Babies need some water or dilluted juice as they begin eating more solids.

Enjoy breastfeeding your baby while it lasts :)

Answer 8

don't switch to formula....just feed him often even if he only takes a couple suckles before letting go.......also you may want to ditch the cereal your only filling him up with something less nutritious then your breast milk......I'm having the same thing right now with my 7 mo old he just wont stay latched especially when were out or when his siblings are playing in the room he just gets distracted and forgets all about the breast...then pops back on for a couple suckles arches his back and rolls over to watch what's going on about him......its just a phase though my others did the same thing it will only last a a few weeks then he'll hit another growth spurt and you wont be able to rip him off your breast lol... hang in there i know it can be frustrating getting engorged and then feeling as though you have nothing for him when he does finally settle down to eat...but worry not!...at those times were your not full your breasts will just produce a more rich milk to supplement your hungry hungry hippo and then when your babe picks back up on feeding they'll come right back to normal....its just simple supply and demand when the demand increases so will the supply...happy breastfeeding

Answer 9

I breast fed my son and daughter. I noticed the same thing with my daughter at one point i had more than enough milk to feed her, then as she approached six months i felt like i didn't have enough. I slowly started to switch her to carnation its supposed to be the best milk and the only formula that's close to breast milk. Be careful when you start some babies become gassie and/or constipated. You can also start the baby on the baby food Gerber 1st stage, mix the carrots, peas and other veggies with the applesauce, pears or whatever treat your baby prefers. And i am having the same problem as far as my breast shrinking and sagging and it's five years later. I've always wondered about busting firming creams and lotions but I'm to embarrassed to buy them to actually see if they work.

Answer 10

i be responsive to somewhat some people who desperate to no longer for distinctive motives. One informed me so as that her mom could desire to take her son and he or she does no longer could desire to problem approximately breastmilk, yet another informed me so she could desire to bypass back to artwork (she basically took approximately 3 or 4 days off after her daughter replaced into born), yet another lady i be responsive to did it interior the scientific institution and then stated it replaced into "too stressful" and stopped. i'm baffled besides, I breastfed my son for a mutually as and that i'm greater desirable than happy with that determination. i think of a great sort of it has to do with immaturity (like the girls I reported), loss of know-how, our society places way too plenty emphasis on breasts being sexual and if the kinfolk does not breastfeed that could genuinely shape their thoughts-set in the direction of it. even nevertheless, a good pal of mine remains strictly breastfeeding her daughter at 6 months and he or she works finished time, so I do have desire for her :)