Parenthood is a funny thing, isn’t it? One minute you’re bopping along thinking I got this! Then the next minute, someone mentions something that never crossed your mind and you’re questioning everything you’re doing.
This happened to me yesterday. I was talking to Christen, my bff, and we were talking about flights to our bff’s (also Kristin) bachelorette party in July. Apparently I like people named Ch/Kristin and still enjoy using 7th grade-appropriate vernacular, like bff. Also, I enjoy bachelorette parties.
Anyway, it will be my first time away from Hailey for more than a night and I’m a little nervous. Most of the group is going Thursday-Sunday, but 3 days of pumping when I’m not accustomed to doing so has me worried.
Will I have time to pump 5 times a day?
Since my body isn’t accustomed to it, will I get all the milk out? (I often feel like I can’t and it’s so uncomfortable. Not to mention getting mastitis on a bachelorette party weekend sounds like my personal version of hell)
Will I be able to store up enough milk to feed Hailey 5 times a day while I’m gone?
Then Christen said, “well, she’ll be 10.5 months by then so you probably won’t still be nursing 5 times a day”.”
I won’t?“And she’ll be eating more meals, so she’ll have table food, too.”
She’s supposed to be eating MeAls?!
These things never even crossed my mind! I have always planned (hoped) on nursing until Hailey is 1 year old, but I never considered how many times a day I’d be nursing her by then. It makes perfect sense that as we added in more food, that she might nurse less.
I went to Dr. Google (David often mocks me for trusting a search engine to provide the best guidance for how to raise our child) and of course the opinions varied greatly. Some people still nursed their 10 month old 6 times a day, while others were doing just morning and night. I spent some time on Wholesome Baby Food and saw that between 6-8 months, babies typically nurse every 3-4 hours, but between 9-12 months it’s every 4-5 hours.
This means that by 10 months Hailey may only be nursing 3 times a day. This actually makes a lot of sense because I’ve lately felt that I could drop her to 4 times a day since that is all she seems to need, but I wasn’t sure if I should do that or not until I spoke to her doctor.
So there, that should have eased my mind, right? Maybe by 10.5 months I’ll only be nursing 3 times a day, which is a lot easier to keep up with than 5 times a day.
But then… I need to make sure she’s eating plenty of table food. Oh geez.
Hailey has been a very adventurous eater throughout our baby led weaning process, but I don’t know how much she is really eating. I usually give her pieces of whatever I’m eating: an avocado slice, peas, a mango, etc. However, she isn’t really having meals. So I decided to make a more concerted effort to give her structure. For this, I’m going to give her breakfast and an afternoon meal, where she actually sits down and eats, each day.
This morning’s breakfast was a scrambled egg yolk and 1/2 an organic apple, sliced and cooked.
She preferred the apple over the egg (go figure- it’s sweet!) and ate about 1/2 of the whole meal… meaning… she ate 1/2 an egg yolk and 1/4 an apple.
Super!
…right?
…is that enough?
Baby led weaning says that food is more about being exploratory in the beginning. Hailey is a great little explorer, but I’m going to need her to be an eater, too. I have a few organic puree pouches on hand for when we’re out and about and she loves them. So the thought has crossed my mind to maybe add in a homemade puree a day to ensure she is getting enough food. I’m not going to do this quite yet, as she shows no signs that she’s not getting enough food, but I am keeping it open as an option.
So there you have it. A wordy, discombobulated post with no conclusion. I’m such a pro 
I know every baby is different, but if you have some experience in this arena, how many times do you nurse (or give bottles- how many ounces?) a day? How many meals do you give your child? And how much food does a meal consist of?
(don’t forget to tell me how old your baby is)
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I really can’t add much to this discussion since I don’t have kids, BUT I just want to say that she’s getting cuter by the day!!!
Katie @ Pop Culture Cuisine says
Since starting the BLW process, I have just sort of gone with the flow and really not pushed “meals” on Kherie per se, just like you have been giving her bites of our meals or various snacks throughout the day. I will say though in the last week or two and she is ingesting more, I have noticed her be less interested in nursing throughout the day and pushing it back to 4 hours instead of her typical 3. Yesterday due to us being out and about she actually only nursed 4 times and seemed totally fine about it, so I guess we are just sort of moving in that direction. I have actually done a mixture of BLW and some purees, but when I say purees it is really just foods that are already in that form, ie: apple sauce, oatmeal, and banana soft serve, she has loved those too. So I think I’m going to stick to just having her try things at “meal times” and I think she will slowly starting to become more and more interested…How did our girls get so big already 🙁 tear!
Jessie @ Graze With Me says
I’m hoping to read some helpful comments on this post for my own curious mind as well! It’s really not just as easy as “gradually feed your baby more food” is it?!
I started with purees and Lyric did get more food but it really jacked up her tummy. So we switched to BLW & she’s getting much less but she seems happier. I keep thinking that I need to step it up & add more meals but then I remember that she only just turned 7 mo. so I don’t have to rush. She’s not quite ready to drop a daytime feed yet but she did drop her nighttime one…
No point to make – just saying I agree!!
Lisa @ The Splattered Apron says
Caroline is 8 months (and one week, if we’re being very specific) and we just started feeding her 3 meals a day. Up until 8 months she was getting 2 meals a day and nursing (or bottle of breast milk with our nanny) 5 times a day. Once we added in her third meal, lunch, I noticed that she wasn’t as hungry for the midday nursing. We’re still doing it and still providing a bottle of breast milk for the nanny to give her, but she doesn’t finish it and sometimes she isn’t interested at all. So we’re just going by her cues. I still pump 4 times a day just so my supply won’t go down and we’ll be able to get to one year of breastfeeding (though with the amount of frozen milk I have in the freezer, I don’t see how that will be a problem!) We do a combination of purees and finger foods and it’s worked really well for us. I’m starting to think about the weaning process and I’m a little nervous about it. All I know is I want it to be gradual and painless for C (and me too, if possible). I can’t believe it’s already time to think about this!!
jennifer says
I have three kids the youngest is 18 months and I still dont know what the “right” answer is. I think by 10 1/2 months we were down to 4 feeds a day and he probably ate 3 meals a day, but nothing too big. I gave him food till he didn’t want it anymore. You can read all you want but I find the best way is to let baby lead the way. SHe will tell you what she wants. By 10 1/2 months CAmeron was eating almost all foods so he usually just ate what we had for dinner, he loved meatballs, squash, tiny pieces of steak.
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
I obviously don’t nurse anymore but CK has actually upped his oz per bottle. He gets 4 or 5 8 oz bottles a day. He may or may not finish them. And with eating he eats 3 meals a day and sometimes a little snack if we are eating late and he’s 10.5 months. As for how much table food I just give him a buffet if you will, he eats what he wants until he’s full and then usually throws it on the floor to show me he’s done … Yeah we’re working on that!
Cindi says
Molly will be 11 months next week. Our schedule sounds a lot like Susan’s. I nurse Molly 4x a day. Once when she wakes up, then after both naps, and once before bedtime. Then she’ll eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner & if we’re out & about she’ll get a snack. I think if you only have time to pump a few times while you are away – 1 or 2 days shouldn’t mess up your supply. You can drink the mother’s milk tea to help too. You are going to have a great trip!
Danielle says
Our doctor wanted us to start switching to more “foods” when Charlie reached about 8 months old. Apprently they need nutrients other than milk to help absorb iron or something. They also wanted him to start using his pincher grasp and work on moving food around in his mouth. I made all my own babyfood, and rather than just give him purees, I played around with the consistency of things (pureed it less and kept it chunkier) and mixed things together (sweet potatoes and brown rice, oatmeal with fruit). This worked really well for us. Because he was in daycare, at about 8 months he had a morning bottle, breakfast at school, late morning bottle, lunch at school, late afternoon bottle, dinner at home and a night bottle. When he started eating more substantial and high calorie foods, he sort of weaned himself off his bottles just in time to move to whole milk and sippy cups around 12-14 months! And for what it’s worth, he’s 16 months and we still carry the pouches around with us for quick snacks. They’re like baby crack- they love them!!
Jamie @ FoodinRealLife says
I feel like there is definitely not a one size fits all answer for this question. I’d probably ask the doctor. I worry sometimes because Olivia is shy of 3 months but only nurses 6x a day (4am/8am/11am/2pm/4:30pm/7pm) She is healthy but I worry it’s not enough. She won’t eat and gets really fussy when not hungry and we try to feed her.
Megan says
Just have to note that when our daughter was a newborn preemie in the hospital, she was on a bottle fed schedule of only 6 x a day. If she’s healthy/doctor is ok with her feeding, I wouldn’t worry! She must be good at eating a lot at once.
katie says
I think as long as Olivia is gaining and the doctor is ok with her weight then she should be good. My Olivia was only eating 6x a day from about 3-4 months and dropped to 5 times a day around 4 months. Now she goes back and forth between 5 and 4 times a day depending on her third nap at 6 months of age. I agree, not a one size fits all answer.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I have no opinions because I don’t have kids yet, but I just think it’s crazy how much information is out there to decipher through. I’m sure all moms want to do what’s best for their babies … but how do you know what’s “best” for your individual child?? So much to think about!
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
I don’t even have kids yet and this post made me anxious! There are so many things to consider! I hope you figure it out (and I’m sure you will) :).
Kim says
My doc told me to expect my baby girl to keep nursing the same amount until she was 9 months old. And that is pretty much exactly what happened. Right around nine months old her interest in table food really began to increase and her interest in nursing decreased. So she nursed just 3 times a day and was eating food about four times a day (3 meals and one snack).
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
I agree with Kim above – that around 9 months, they really start to eat meals. Miles is 9.5 months, and I’d say for the past month I’ve really tried to structure his eating based on our meals. He gets a morning bottle when he wakes up (I couldn’t keep up supply and weaned at 6 months) and gets breakfast an hour or two later. Breakfast is either cereal or something like whole wheat pancakes or French toast. Everything with fruit. I try to give him another bottle for a snack before I go to work at 10. At day care, he gets lunch (protein + veg + healthy carb) and a mid-afternoon bottle. He might get another smaller bottle or a small cereal snack before dinner. Then he eats what he have for dinner and gets a pre-bedtime bottle. As far as amounts, I really just go by feel. I try to portion stuff on his tray but do so in increments because 1/3 ends up in the chair and he tries to stuff as much as he can in his mouth. Cute but not effective 🙂 Overall, he probably gets 20-24 ounces or formula plus table food.
Darci says
Adelyn is 10 mo old. She is currently nursing or pumped bottle of breastmilk 3 times/day (morning, noon, & night). She also has 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. I work full time so I have to pump during the day. since I nurse her in the AM and PM I only have to cover 1 feeding when she’s at daycare, but I usually pump one more time than the number of feedings I have to cover (ex: pump 2 times to cover 1 feeding). That probably isn’t necessary (and not what you want to hear!)…but I’ve never been a “milk machine” and this way I have a few ounces extra (just in case!). Oh and I’ve had a few trips away from Adelyn and I’m always so worried that I won’t have enough to cover what she ate to re-stock the freezer or that my supply will go down and I always come home w/more b-milk than she had.
Just like Cindi said we didn’t start the actual 3 meals/day until Adelyn was 8 mo old, which is also when she went from 5 feedings to 4. And then at 9 months she became less interested in one of her bottles at daycare so that is when we went from 4 feedings to 3 and she didn’t miss a beat.
Just like you said though each baby is different, she’ll tell you if she’s hungry!
Enjoy the trip! (sorry for the forever long comment!)
Paulina says
I’m about to type a really long comment, sorry!!
I have no idea how many times my baby nurses. OK, let’s see. She is 6 1/2 months old. She goes to daycare for about 8.5 hours a day and while there consumes 18 ounces of breast-milk (3 bottles) and about 1-2Tbs of a puree. In the morning, she nurses once, and in the evenings, she nurses 5ish, 7:30ish, and once more before bed (9 or 10ish) we’re working on a better bedtime routine, it’s tough as she tends to snack rather than nurse til full. Lately, she has been waking at night for another mini feeding or two. I think night feedings are more about comfort and soothing (currently teething) rather than being hungry. So….with bottles and nursing from me, that totals 8!?! OK. that’s nuts. But as mentioned, I could probably cut the night feedings out if my hubby wakes up to soothe her back to sleep. And the 3 evening feedings could be combined into 2 if she wasn’t such a snacker. 6 feedings is probably a more ‘realistic’ estimate. I pump 3 times a day at my job. Consistency is key. If I skip a pumping session two days in a row, my milk production goes down on the third day, so I have reminders every 3 hours to pump. You could build up a nice freezer stash if you start double-pumping once a day. That will also give your body time to get used to the pump. I use a Medela double pump and while I don’t *love* it, it’s not the worst thing either.
Good luck! I had a chance to go to Vegas for a bachelorette party when Amelia was 5 months, but I was too wimpy and couldn’t leave her! We’re going away for a weekend without her in June though and I’m ready for the break.
Katie says
It really will work itself out! I promise! I was worried, too because I have BLEND retreat in just 2 weeks (and never pump!) – but my little gal (11 mo.) just recently weaned herself to nursing only at morning and night. GAH – I was kind of devastated, but it just happened. She ate more table meals and didn’t seem that “into it’ at our regular nursing times. So we dropped them and she didn’t care at all. She eats real food probably every 3 hours, now and although they are really small meals, she doesn’t ever seem like she’s starving.
Good luck!
Meghan says
Hey Brit-
Luke’s doctor has us on a pretty easy feeding schedule that we have honestly followed for the past 2 months and it is pretty easy to remember. He is getting 4 bottles a day at 8oz a each (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm). He doesn’t always drink all 8oz but it is offered to him. Some feedings he takes 4-5oz sometimes he takes 7 or 8oz. You get the point. But in regards to food, they were very clear that he needed to be eating 3 real meals a day plus snacks if he wants. Here is the easy guide they suggested. Breakfast- A fruit and Cereal. Lunch- Fruit & Vegetable. Dinner- Vegetable and Cereal. Snacks can be anything but we like the organic puffs or yogurt melts. We are about to start adding in meat as well and I am actually going to the doctor today and about going to get a proper feeding plan for this stage which includes meat. Ill let you know what I find out but it seems that my doctor agrees with Christen and that they should be getting “meals” by now.
Erica says
I love that you are posting about your process and challenges as you go through H’s first year! I know zilch about introducing solids, but fortunately I won’t have to think about that for awhile with my son (he’s a month old tomorrow!). I do have a question – why just the egg yolk? Does the white contain the proteins that babies could potentially be allergic to? I’m just curious. I’ve had friends not feed their babies eggs until they were over a year old, because they were nervous about food allergies, but I didn’t realize that just feeding the yolk was a possibility!
Brittany says
Hi Erica! Yes, the whites are what cause allergic reactions (if a child is allergic). I’m not too worried about H having egg whites before a year (in fact, some docs now recommend that you do introduce whole eggs prior to 1 year), but since I didn’t feel like dealing with it today, I took the safe route and just did the yolk 🙂
Jenny says
G is 10 Months today!! And he gets 4 bottles of between 6-8 oz per day and eats 3 meals +a snack a day. Our schedule looks like this…wake around 7 and takes 6 oz bottle,breakfast between 8-8:30 usually a pancake or a little toast with a fruit purée+oatmeal. 6 oz bottle either before or after nap. Lunch between 12-12:30 a fruit/veggie pouch and a little bit of whatever I am eating as well. 6-8oz bottle before his afternoon nap and dinner between 5-5:30. Usually another veggie purée + whatever we are eating and an 8 oz bottle before bed. He does well with finger foods(some meals he wants more than others)so I watch his cues. I do the purée with his meals so I can be sure he is getting the nutrition he needs. Seems to be going great for us! You’ll probably be down to less nursings when you go in July and I’m sure you’ll figure out the food thing too!
Laura says
My daughter is 10.5 months right now and she nurses (or has a bottle while I am at work) 4 times a day- right when she wakes up, 4 hours later, 4 hours after that and before bedtime. We also did baby led weaning and she is a great little eater but it wasn’t until very recently that she really started to get a lot of nutrition from solid food. When she was 7 months old she would really just explore food but had no use for purees. We quickly learned that she would much rather eat what we eat. Now the easiest things to feed her to make sure she is getting nutrition from her meals are mandarin oranges, applesauce, hummus (her fav!) and guacamole and of course some of whatever we are eating.
Erin says
Baby G is 4 months 2 weeks and I feel like he eats all day. He wakes at2a/5a/8a/10a/1p/4p/7p goes to bed and nurses again at 10ish. I bf and pump and he gets 5ozThat seems like a ton but he was 10lbs when he was born and weighs 16 lbs currently. He’s just started rice cereal at dinner time and loves it. I’m ready to try something else since I’d like him to sleep through the night again soon. I’m not doing blw but worry about food allergies. I’ve decided to try oatmeal next week. I’m doing more research and checking with friends who’ve gone thru this too.
Elaine says
My baby nursed about 10x a day too when she was that old so I also started with rice cereal at 4 months. I also researched and found that avocado, banana and sweet potato are great 1st foods with nearly no risk of allergies.
This site helps decide which are good options when worried about allergies. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/stage1_homemade_baby_food_recipes.htm
Good luck!
Elaine says
I know you know this but every baby really is so different. While my baby has always been in the low percentile for weight, she is a crazy veracious eater. So at 5 and 6 months I was nursing her 5-6 times a day and she was eating nearly three meals of table food per day. Yeah, crazy amount. That seem excessive to me but my pediatrician advised me to feed her as long as she asked for food. Sure enough, my eater does get full and let’s me know when she’s done. (My child has always been a very, very active baby.)
Now, 11 1/2 months, she nurses 3x a day and eats 3 full (practically adult sized) meals and 1 snack in the afternoon. I’ll be dropping my lunch nursing next week.
Moral of my story is you’ll read all kinds of stories but your baby will give you a good indication when she is full of table food. Just constantly introduce new foods so she appreciates variety (which it sounds like you do) and you’ll have a healthy baby that knows her own body and when she is full.
Good luck!
Janice - The Fitness Cheerleader says
OK – this isn’t meant to scare you…. All 3 of my kids preferred nursing over food. They all refused to be spoon-fed, and explored food on their own (baby-led weaning). They all also refused bottles, cups, straws and soothers. (I hope that your little girl is different). At 10.5 mos they all were nursing 6+ times a day (every 2 hours). Now, many have said I offered breastmilk too frequently for them to be hungry… they may be right, but why would I hold off nursing for them to eat an inferior food? Amber will be 18 mos old soon and still nurses 4x/day: morning, after work, before bed, and in the middle of the night. On weekends she also has a pre-nap nurse, and an after nap nurse. She also eats almost any food you give her in small frequent amounts.
The only advice I can offer is to go and have fun. Pump as often as you can while away, but know that it does not mean you will completely lose your milk. When you come back your daughter will nurse more frequently and build the supply back. I went away to NYC with my hubby when my middle daughter was 14 mos old for 3 days and left her and her sister with my MIL. At the time she was like Amber – nursing 4-6 times a day. She drank a very minimal amount of the milk I had left for her, and I did not pump while we were gone (in my preparations I forgot to bring my pump). She also wasn’t interested in food and ate very little. She was fine – and still ALIVE when I returned. She wanted to nurse as soon as I got home (which I was very happy to do because my boobs were SORE), and we continued nursing until I quit cold turkey when she was 20 mos (we wanted to get pregnant with #3). Our number 1 job as parents is to keep our kids alive. It will never be perfect. Your daughter and you will manage fine away from each other and you won’t regret going. (Though I will fully admit that I stressed out the entire time I was gone and did not enjoy my trip as much as I could have). Enjoy the girls weekend away!
Elizabeth says
Hey Brittany. I am Kevin Middlebrooks’ (I think your cousin) wife and I have enjoyed reading your posts. We have a 13 month old baby girl and I have breast feeding from the beginning (still am) and also began with making all of my own baby food. Now she eats mostly what we eat. My goal like you was to nurse until she was 1 year, however I couldn’t just “cut her off” the day she turned a year, so I am letting her wean herself. Katelyn has been nursing 4 times a day for several months, although I’m not sure how much she actually consumes each time (and never have) because I am a stay-at-home mom who has never had to pump often.
To answer your question about pumping…when Katelyn was about 6 or 7 months, I noticed it was much hard to pump myself dry. I knew I still had plenty of milk and could feel myself full. I called a lactation consultant and she explained that my body wasn’t used to a pump b/c I didn’t do it everyday and that it was used to Katelyn’s “suction” and that the older they get the harder it becomes to pump, especially if your body isn’t used to doing it daily/often. I know that I wouldn’t have been able to pump “extra” to leave that much, especially with her nursing each day. Your body adjust to the amount she drinks during the day and getting extra storage at this age is much harder! You have lots of time so you can probably begin storing now.
As far as meals, I began giving 3 meals a day at 8 months, suggested by a book I love called Super Baby Food. I always stressed about the amount of food b/c I knew breast milk should be her main source of calories, but I wanted to give the “right” amount of food too…sounds like you. This book was very helpful for guidelines about the amount to feed. I still use it!! It goes month my month and suggest serving sizes and how many servings of each category per day. Everything is a suggestion and of course your baby will eat what she wants, but it comforted me to have a guideline to start with. At 8 months, I gave 3 TBS (when dry) of oatmeal w/ breast milk mixed in for breakfast. At lunch she had approx 6 TBS of whatever I fed that day. She had a sensitive gag reflex so often I had to mash her food so it was easy to measure in TBS. For dinner, she had a little more…approx. 8 TBS. I gave her 1 snack (if needed) in the afternoon. I kept these small b/c of the nursing. I have always done structured eating, as in sitting at the table during the same times Kevin and I eat our meals. Katelyn is a great eater and always lets us know if she wants more by fussing or pointing at what we have, or pushing the food away when done.
I hope this helps some 🙂
Brittany says
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, Kevin and I are related!…somehow- haha 🙂 Maybe second cousins? Who knows, but I’m so glad you shared your experience with Katelyn. I especially found it helpful to know that it’s harder to pump extra milk to store this late in the game, so I’ll get on stockpiling milk, soon. I’m so glad you said something, otherwise I was going to wait until June-ish. Thank you!
Michaela says
after reading this I am SO GRATEFUL that I have a mom who is a midwife. I know I will ring her constantly 😀
Anna says
My son (E) is almost 9 months old. We have exclusively BF – and he refused a bottle (so I never know how much he gets at a feeding milk wise). I plan to wean him by/at 1 year and switch to cow’s milk. My husband is a pediatrician. SO helpful. Anyway – E gets 3 meals per day that consist of being breastfed, and then offered a solid meal. He gets breakfast (7:30am breastfeed, then downstairs for some oatmeal mixed with frozen wild blueberries and banana) his first nap is at 9am. After he gets up he gets lunch (breastfeed around 11:30, then downstairs for lunch. Nap again around 12pm. Dinner is table food first (around 5pm) then bath, pj’s, story and final breastfeeding. His meals are a combo of baby led weaning to explore and feel in control of his eating process mixed with home-made purees or mash (i.e. I feed him cooked rolled oats with a spoon, I feed him mashed squash with parm cheese and olive oil, he feeds himself bite sized pieces of an adaptation of french toast made with egg yolk, cream and maple syrup). He stops when he is full. I try not to push it. He dropped down to these “3” breastfeedings around 8 months. Sometimes he will want a 4th “snack” of one boob around 3:15. Hope that helps!
Melissa G says
Babies don’t “need” food if they are nursed till one. I mean not that people do that, some do obv. Apparently my hubbie never had a bite to eat till he was one because his mom couldn’t get him to eat, haha. And by the time he was one he was eating table food anyhow. I wouldn’t worry. I mean unless you decide for convenience of you. I only nurse in the am, and give whole milk after lunch and after supper to our 11 month old boy, our second. Both my kids were started on whole milk just after they turned 10 months, dr said it’s fine at that age , instead of doing formula. Best bet if you have any questions, stick with what the people close to you say and your dr. They have the best advice. I wouldn’t worry…she’s still little. =)
Steph @fitmomtraining says
I don’t think there is any right or wrong way to go about it. Every baby is different. With my oldest, I always had an overproduction of milk and was happy for it. I pumped extra daily (he also had bad reflux/colic so I had to pump down to make it easier for him to nurse), froze it and when it was clear that he was ready for puree’s, I mixed my milk in with the puree. I would feed him a small amount and then nurse him after (I think I started at 1 small “meal” then increased to 2 etc).
With my second, I will likely do the same (he’s 9 weeks old right now). I’ll follow his cues and nurse him as long as I can.
Don’t be afraid to be away for a few days (easier said than done!). Milk supply is very resistant and can be built back up. I contracted a bad infection when my baby was 2.5 weeks old and was in the hospital and couldn’t always have him with me, we both survived and so did my milk.
Good luck finding your rhythm 🙂
jen says
our daughter wanted nothing to do with any food (pureed, table, organic, store bought, homemade-nothing!) until she was about 11 mths old. so, she lived off of the bottle alone and had 8 oz every 4 hrs. she was more than fine and her doctor assured me she didn’t really “need” anything but formula/bmilk until she was a year old. that being said, i was super freaked out about how to make balance meals and bottles when she did start eating more food but honestly, it just kind of happened. as you get closer to the time you will have a better idea of what to expect and what she will need and it won’t seem so overwhelming to you.
Kristy @ Breath of Sunshine says
In Chet’s few month’s of life, I’ve learned to turn off (or at least turn down) all the voices around me. You know your baby best. All of the books, websites, opinions (even the best opinions out there) can make your intuition foggy. Easier said then done – but you are a good mom who is focused on her baby. You’ll know what works best for the both of you. Some woman exclusively breast feed for the first year and their babies are just as healthy as a baby who was weaned earlier (although I’m sure their are lots of opinions about this too).
Trust yourself and your baby. She’ll let you know exactly what she needs 🙂
Shanna like Banana says
My baby is almost 4 mo and I am weaning since I am now back at work. He gets about 20-24oz formula a day and maybe 2-4oz of breastmilk from nursing a day.
Slow and steady is what has worked for me. No pain so far in very spread out feedings and I have stopped puming.
Elizabeth says
Hi Brittany 🙂 I haven’t read the other comments so maybe I’m repeating…. at 10.5 months bm or formula is still main source of calories, so I think minimum 3x day at that point. I was still doing 5, but obvi that’s baby specific.
You said that you’re not used to pumping, but since you’ll be starting to store up milk for the trip soon (I would start now so you’re not worried at all about not having enough) your body should get more used to it. After every feeding you should pump for like 10-15 minutes, you will probably get less than an ounce, but every little bit counts, so just save every bit and pour it together. Soon enough you’ll get enough for an entire bottle. Also just wanted to mention that if you rarely give Hailey a bottle, you should definitely get her more familiar with it the weeks before you leave, just so she’s not in shock 😉
When you’re away you should pump at least the number of times that she’s eating (milk) The pump is not as effective as the baby, so you might notice a drop in supply when you get back, but nurse her often and it should go back up.
xo
JenRD says
Our babies are only a few days apart, so I can tell you our experience (and I am also an RD). We give her two meals of home made purée daily. The first is about two ounces of a fruit or veggie, or both, mixed with a tablespoon or organic brown rice or oatmeal baby cereal. The second meal is two ounces of plain organic yogurt mixed with banana, and an ounce of sweet potato (helps keeps her bowels moving!). That said, there are some days when I try a new food, and she will have nothing to do with it (like peas!), and she just gags and throws it back up.
She is also breasts fed, but since I am working, I pump, and can tell you that she drinks about 20-25 ounces per day. While we feed here 5 bottle a day (and are also thinking of dropping the 5th), I can pump about 30 ounces in 4 pump sessions, so we have some extra to freeze and store…which we will need this weekend when I leave my baby for the first time to also go to a bachelorette party! Eeek! I have complete faith in my husband, but I am also anxious about leaving her!
For the first year of life, I am fairly certain that breast milk or formula provide most of the baby’s nutrients, and food is just learning tastes and textures, and working on oral motor skills. So, I try not to worry so much about how much she is or isn’t eating.
Jen
Lisa says
My little boy turned 10 months today.
He still nurses every 3-4 hours by day (has since birth)
And 1-2 times during the night.
“Until age 1 solid food is fun”
Erin says
Do you own Child of Mine? If not, you should *definitely* buy it! It’s so useful for the stage your daughter is in, older baby, toddler eating habits, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Feeding-Love-Sense/dp/0923521518/ref=lp_B000APPUYQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335966100&sr=1-1
Laura says
I know I’m a little late to the party here but I just found this post and have to thank you. After a frantic Google search of “oh my god how much should I be feeding my 8 month old?!” I found your blog. I could have cried at that first paragraph because that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now. And while my little one is only 8 months and I’m still not sure what I should be doing, it was so nice to hear someone in the same boat. Why don’t babies come with an instruction manual?!
Brittany says
That’s the wonderful thing about the online community I’ve found… so many moms all trying to figure it out together 🙂 I’m 5 months down the road from you and still figuring things out everyday. I’m so glad you stopped by and please let me know how it all goes for you and the feeding- I think it’s so neat to hear different experiences!
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) says
I just found your blog after googling like Laura who commented above! Ha! I have loved reading all of these comments! My daughter is 11 mo and takes 4 bottles a day and 3 solid meals. She is developmentally delayed so she is still working hard on actually getting the food up to her mouth. (We are really working on his hands in therapy). B/C of this I let her practice with some food on the tray of her highchair and then give her some purees/rice cereal just to make sure she’s getting more than a few sucks of a cracker or banana. 🙂 I have been so worried over the last few weeks that she will soon be a year and isn’t eating much and “what in the world am i supposed to do???” Glad to know that I’m not alone!
I know your baby is older now. . . do you mind sharing what ended up working for you?
At 11 months Clara’s eating looks something like this. . .
7:30 wake, bottle (pumped breastmilk/formula)
8:30 breakfast (attempt finger food, purees)
10:30 Nap
12ish bottle
1ish lunch (attempt finger foods, purees)
2:30 Nap
4:30 or so bottle (although she is starting to take less and less of this bottle so I’m wondering if this means it’s time to give it up? Or just let her take what she wants and view this as a snack?)
6pm Dinner (attempt finger foods, purees)
7:30 bottle, bed
Hope it all worked out for you!
Brittany says
Hi Brittnie! Thanks for your comment and yes, it all worked out great! I heard a saying that “Food before 1 is just for fun” that put my mind at ease. I ended up nursing Hailey until 14 months (she is now 18 months) and she is a great little eater. I think different things work for different kiddos, and you sound like you’re doing a great job! I wrote more about weaning Hailey and our eating schedules nder the tab “Hailey Ann” at the top. Good luck!
locate says
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