I apologize if this should be in the Weaning section, but most of the threads there are about dropping bottles, and I am most interested in the breastfeeding perspective.
How did you go about dropping feedings during the day? I have heard from some that babies should drink just as much milk as they were pre-solids, until they are 1 year old. My feeding has been baby-led all along and he used to eat milk every 3 hours on average. Now that he is eating solids with gusto (he is 9 months old now) he has been dropping the frequency of breastfeeds. At first he would just go a little longer - feeding every 4 hours, but now if he has a good meal he does not act hungry for multiple hours after solid food. So he basically now alternates between milk and solids every other meal and eating something approximately every 2.5-3 hours.
My stress over this is that the dropped feedings coincide with me returning to work 3 long days/week, so he takes bottles with his caregiver instead on these days.
He is a healthy weight (average), and has always been fine with breast or expressed milk from a bottle - so I do not think he is "holding out". But he only takes 2 bottles/day of about 110ml (3.5oz) when the caregiver has him for 11 hours. He also has one feed in the morning before I leave, +/- one before bed (I am sometimes home after he goes to bed), and usually at least one in the middle of the night, sometimes more.
Is this enough milk? He is happy eating carbohydrates and fiber foods so I worry he may not be getting enough calories with the solid food. But I like the idea of baby-led feeding in general and if he seems satisfied/not hungry I would like to think that the way he is choosing is fine.
Thank you for any advice/experience you may have.
How did you go about dropping feedings during the day? I have heard from some that babies should drink just as much milk as they were pre-solids, until they are 1 year old. My feeding has been baby-led all along and he used to eat milk every 3 hours on average. Now that he is eating solids with gusto (he is 9 months old now) he has been dropping the frequency of breastfeeds. At first he would just go a little longer - feeding every 4 hours, but now if he has a good meal he does not act hungry for multiple hours after solid food. So he basically now alternates between milk and solids every other meal and eating something approximately every 2.5-3 hours.
My stress over this is that the dropped feedings coincide with me returning to work 3 long days/week, so he takes bottles with his caregiver instead on these days.
He is a healthy weight (average), and has always been fine with breast or expressed milk from a bottle - so I do not think he is "holding out". But he only takes 2 bottles/day of about 110ml (3.5oz) when the caregiver has him for 11 hours. He also has one feed in the morning before I leave, +/- one before bed (I am sometimes home after he goes to bed), and usually at least one in the middle of the night, sometimes more.
Is this enough milk? He is happy eating carbohydrates and fiber foods so I worry he may not be getting enough calories with the solid food. But I like the idea of baby-led feeding in general and if he seems satisfied/not hungry I would like to think that the way he is choosing is fine.
Thank you for any advice/experience you may have.
