Weaning

[pameladawn414]

So my daughter is practically 5 months old now and is starting to take herself off breastmilk. She actually turns away from me when I go to feed her. I've started pumping and giving her milk in a bottle during the day so I can monitor how much she is drinking, and figure out "why" she wants to drink because alot of the time with me if she did breastfeed it would only be for like 1 to 2 minutes before she would pull away.
She has naturally went onto a really good meal menu, with meals and snacks of solids, and water at all those meals. She is now drinking only about 6 ounces of breastmilk a day. I'm thinking about starting to pump exclusively and see if she will go for that. Is anyone else's babies starting to wean? Any tips? Is breastmilk absolutely necessary still at this age? She does still nurse at night, but I don't know how that will go if I only pump during the day/once I stop pumping during the day....would I somehow still be able to keep my milk supply up simply for her night time feeds? I know the body is supposed to somehow "know" how much to provide to the baby so would it still work in that form? Lol help!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Sounds to me like she's not getting the milk fast enough at the breast.  She gets so hungry that she wants instant satisfaction.  It also sounds like she's just one of those babies who prefers something with taste and texture over something bland (milk).  As long as she's gaining weight, just go with it.  I'd try pumping and seeing how well she takes it from the bottle rather than breast.  I'd also try and slip it into her diet other ways as well...like using it to mix up cereal.  

[pameladawn414]

Well she is a very big girl and gaining weight is far from an issue for her. She is 25 1/4 inches and almost 17 pounds. She is in the 90% for both height and weight.

I pump only if she hasn't eaten for three or four hours, at which point I"ll typically get 4 oz.

I do feed her purees before she breastfeeds, but that's because otherwise she will turn away from the breast, and if she is really hungry, scream until I do giver her solids.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Until a year of age babies need formula or breastmilk as most their nutrition comes from this.  Feeding baby food at this stage is more for practice and experience with textures and tastes and learning how to work their tongues in order to eat.  It's not meant to replace the milk at this point. A good rule of thumb for figuring out how much formula/breastmilk your baby shoud have is:

"the average baby takes 2 or 3 ounces of formula each day for every pound of body weight, up to a maximum of 32 ounces"

Of course this will vary from baby to baby but should be somewhere close.  

How much water is she drinking??  Rather than giving her water with meals/snacks, give her small amounts of breastmilk or formula.  Many doctors discourage giving water at this age becuase it fills their bellies up too easily and they take of the nutritious stuff.  Personally I see nothing wrong wtih it so long as baby is STILL taking enough formula/milk to cover the nutritional needs.  

I strictly pump and bottle feed so I know exactly how much Lily is getting.  How much are you getting when you pump?  Are you pumping before or after she nurses or at the time she WOULD nurse?

[ku111]

I wonder how much she is getting in those few minutes of nursing?  Ask your ped. if you can come in weigh her, nurse her and weigh her again or go to your breastfeeding clinic.  Some babies nurse really fast and they are really good at it (unlike my children who liked to take forever and then get a little.lol!).  This would give you a better idea of how much she really is getting per feeding.  Do you nurse first and then feed food?  It is recommended they nurse for a year BUT that depends on what works best for mom and baby.  You can still add breastmilk to cereals and food.  Keep pumping and feeding the way you are because at 5 months they tend to become really aware of their surroundings and are curious (and easily distracted!).  The most important thing is she is still growing and gaining like she should.  Talk to breastfeeding clinic or ped.  Goodluck!