How Many Times Should a 7 Month Old Nurse?

I agree with Bernadette, breast milk is the best! Remember, what is "normal" or "average" for every other baby may not be what is normal for your baby. If you are going to supplement, try pumping breast milk between feedings and mixing that with rice cereal. That way she is still getting the benefit of your milk and the extra nutrition of cereal. She will let you know when and if she needs more from you. You are doing great, keep up the good work! Be confident in your decisions. Blessings!

R.

My little girl went through a stage around 7 months when there was just too much to see and do. She would not nurse very long at all. I actually thought she was going to stop nursing all together, which I didn't want. I think 3 to 4 times a day is fine and I would rejoice that she is not waking up at night for that 4th feeding!! It sounds like you are not counting your night feedings as well, if she is eating at night 4 times and during the day 4 times that is 8 times. My doctor told me the goal is between 16-20 ounces of milk for my 11 month old, so assuming it is the same for your little princess, 2 ounces 8 times a day cuts it. I would just feed her whatever baby food you are and keep nursing. I had one doctor tell me that between 6-9 months that genetics take over and that your child might just be small. That was when my first dropped from the 80% to below 50%. The important thing I think is the happiness and disposition of the child. If she isn't acting hungry or upset she probably isn't! Good luck!

Hi!

I have an 11 month old baby boy that I am brestfeeding. I also breastfed my 1st child for 6 months.

Breast milk should be your child's primary source of nutrition. Lactation consultants that I have seen suggest breastfeeding, offering table foods, then following up the feeding time by offering the breast again. Pediatricians recommend rice cereal (for iron) and lactation consultants say that rice cereal IS NOT the best choice for first foods. They give alternatives such as avocado (which still offers high amounts of iron). But of course you have to do whatever you are comfortable with.

If your child isn't nursing for as long as she used to, its probably because she is much more efficient. However, if her weight has gone down maybe she is distracted by her older sibling?? I know my son was at that age. I had to take him into another (quiet) room to get him to focus.

I would suggest getting help from a lactation consultant since your daughter has lost so much weight. If you don't want to pay the going rate of ($75 per hour) most hospitals offer free services once a week...sometimes 2x a week.

All the advise that you are getting from your poster is purely speculation. The best thing I could tell you is go see a lactation professional and have them access your situation.

Lactation Referrals:
-La Leche League
-Sky Ridge Hospital Lactation Program (outpatient)
-The Lactation Program ($75/hr.)
-Bosom Buddies

All the best to you and your baby girl!!

I breast feed my son until he was almost 9 months old. I was a little worried also about if my son was getting enough milk from me or not. His weight also dropped to being below 5%. I didn't know if I was supposed to feed him more times a day or just more at a time. But, everyone kept telling me that if my baby doesn't want anymore than he's full. So, maybe that's just your daughters way of letting you know that you ARE giving her enough. Just don't worry too much about the %'s of what the doctors have. Once I started bottle feeding and giving him more baby food my son has gained so much healthy weight. My son isn't a year old yet and he's already 22lbs. My cousin was a real real small baby, always under 5%, but now he's 6'5" and still growing. So maybe all you need is start on formula and see if that makes a change. It helped for me.

I am a mother of 10 month old twins, who have been in the bottom of the percentiles from day one, as they were preemies. I am also nursing both of them. They went through a period around seven months where getting them to nurse was awful because they were too busy playing and learning to be bothered to eat, so in the end we were only nursing about 4 times a day, my doctor said this is normal, and honestly if your baby isn't upset or fussy, she is probably okay, babies aren't going to let themselves starve, you know as a mother, if she is hungry you know about it. Also feeding her more solid foods may be the answer, my son weened himself at 9 months, which was hard for me, because I wasn't ready to be done, but it was right for him. best of luck

I have to contradict the advice given to the previous poster in this particular situation: it *could* be important to wake a baby who is not gaining weight and may be below the 5th percentile. Many moms set alarms to wake themselves, and then baby, to nurse. We don't know enough about this baby/mom to say "never wake a sleeping baby". This baby is probably okay, but a baby who is "failing to thrive" might not be able to wake up enough to signal to mom that s/he needs to nurse.

THE EASIEST WAY TO TELL IF A BABY IS NURSING ENOUGH IS TO COUNT WET/POOPY DIAPERS. If she is having 4-6 wet and 1-2 dirty diapers (at least a quarter-sized BM) in 24 hours, then she is probably getting enough milk. You said your daughter is gaining weight, so it may just be that she is small and that she will always be in the 5th percentile.

If her doctor wants you to supplement, ask why. Most docs will say "failure to thrive" - but ftt has more than a weight component. Is she alert or lethargic? Rolling over? Trying to sit up yet? Using her arms a lot? Tracking with her eyes?

What does your mama gut say? You don't think three feedings a day is enough- is she eating other foods that may be filling her up?

Most babies at 7 months of age will breastfeed 6-8 times in 24 hours- but some may only breastfeed 4-6 times and that might be normal for them. Have you kept a log for a day to see how many times you're nursing? Sometimes it's more often than you think! And while i would normally say, 'Watch your baby, not the clock', you may want to make note of how long she breastfeeds. Write down any solids she eats, too.

Are you supplementing with formula at all?

Is she getting bottles of water or juice?

And finally, were you yourself a small baby?

There are growth charts specifically for breastfed babies- and it is important for docs to know this- but they only apply to exclusively breastfed babies. You can check them out here: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/growthcharts....

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/growth.html

I hope this helps. You child may simply be what we call a turbo nurser and gets what she needs from you very quickly!

I would recommend that you call a La Leche League Leader or get to a meeting: http://llli.org/WebUS.html

Wishing you & your baby girl the very best!

Naturally, J.

I think as a parent we focus so much on "what is normal" that we fail to see the whole picture. My 3 1/2 year old daughter only weighs 23 lbs. Her height is normal but she is pretty thin. One time (maybe around 9 months or so) the doctor told me that if she had to give a percentage for her, it would have been -15%!!!! She never made huge ups and downs in her weight, but she did fluctuate. She would have larger losses than gains. I even had to take her in between well baby visits to make sure she didn't loose too much. She was my first and I was so worried she wasn't getting enough milk that I started to supplement with formula and I did lose my milk. (Duh!! But I didn't know what else to do at the time.) Then I had everybody telling I wasn't doing this right or that right. Then another doctor just flat out told me that if nothing seems wrong and she is happy not to worry so much. She wasn't acting sick, spitting up excessively or refusing food all together. I have heard of babies that actually ween themselves from the breast. I don't know anybody that has actually experienced that, but it might be a possibility. Did your doctor seemed concerned? I guess the only thing you can really do is take the doctor's suggestions and see if that helps. Maybe somebody else has a better answer for you. Good luck!

My Son is almost 7 months old, he nurses between 5-6 times a day and sleeps through the night with no feedings (about 9pm-7am). I give him a small amount of level 2 baby food in the morning and at dinner time with some baby juice or water. He seems to be getting plenty to eat. Last time I went to the doctor he was in the 97th percentile! I have heard that some babies wean themself off of breastfeeding and also babies know how much food they need and will stop when they don't need any more. She will probably pick up again when she has a growth spurt. Good Luck!

My daughter is only 6 months, but she nurses about 8-12 times a day still.

I disagree with your doctor's advice - breastmilk should be your baby's primary source of nutrition for her first year. While you can increase the amount of solids, you should look at ways to increase the amount of breastmilk that she takes in. Can you try offering to nurse more frequently throughout the day? Sometimes babies get busy and don't think about eating, but if you offer they will show interest.

I will give you one piece of worthwhile adcvice my mother gave me "Never wake a sleeping baby!" If she is sleeping through the night, then let her sleep. She is old enough to have a big enough stomach to make it through the night without eating, so get yourself a good night's sleep! Since you are a SAHM, you have the ability to nurse your baby yourself all of the time, and this is great! You can try feeding her by the breast when she is hungry, and then follow that with a small solid meal. This way you can ensure that she is getting all the benefits of your milk, and also acquiring the skills and experience of eating solids. If your baby is eyeballing your food, keenly interested in watching you eat, grabbing for your plate, can sit unsupported, and shows an interest, then she is well on her way to becoming a discerning culinary critic. You do not have to give your baby meat, however. If you do decide to give her meat, I implore you not to feed her jarred baby food meats. Not only is it unnecessary for her to eat it, the quality of meat used in baby food is pretty questionable. My daughter was in the 95th percentile when she was born, and now is only in about the 10th percentile. Remember, percentiles don't really mean much, and as long as your baby is otherwise healthy, you are doing fine. Good luck!