How long to breastfeed 7 month old at a feeding?

Celeste - posted on 11/05/2010

What about cutting out one solid meal and letting her nurse and see if spit up occurs? For example nurse in the morning, then breakfast. Nurse on demand during the day and then dinner. Maybe see if that will lessen the spit up? Anyway, it's just an idea.

My daughter was also in the 25th percentile. She was born at 8 lbs 12 oz and when she wasn't gaining weight like I thought she was supposed to, I thought my milk wasn't enough. So, I started her on solids. It didn't make ONE lick of difference. No difference at all. In fact, she's 8 and STILL tiny.

Charlotte - posted on 11/05/2010

it sounds to me like your worrying too much! relax! that is the one thing about breastfeeding, you can't tell how much your baby is getting! but if you are nursing you are doing the right thing, if baby is putting on weight then its okay, and, just like all these other posts say weight gain does slow down, and at 6 months they dont need that much solid food. dr's tend to be very... by this age they should be doing this, by that age they should be doing that... they don't really seem to take into account how different babies are! my 9 month old girl has at least one solid meal a day, sometimes 2, rarely 3... and when she does have one she eats hardly at all... yet she's in the 75th percentile! solids really are just about them learning at the mo. if baby seems hungry then nurse baby! dont clock watch as you do it. when baby gets full they stop suckling for milk and might play around, go to sleep or just comfort suck. you can not over feed a baby with breastmilk!

Lise - posted on 11/05/2010

Breast milk has more nutrition and calories than almost all solid food. My daughter is 12 months and just now eating 3 meals of solids. I noticed more tummy upset when we gave her more solids (namely, when family was over sneaking her food). We just slowed the solids and she is doing fine now.

She eats 3 solid meals (about 2-3 tbsp per meal) and a few snacks, and still nurses about 5-8 times per day. When she nurses, she's usually on for about 20 minutes to 30 if a meal, 5 minutes for a snack.

Jacquelyn - posted on 11/05/2010

I agree with the other posters, breastmilk has more nutrients and calories than solids and it sounds like she is getting too many solids and not enough breastmilk, for one I would not limit her time nursing to ten minutes , just let her nurse and stop when she is done, also I would nurse her on demand which might mean adding a nursing session or two - at 7 months my kids nursed at least 6 times a day. :)

Katie - posted on 11/05/2010

Celeste, she's not spitting up that much quantity, it's just frequently.

Celeste - posted on 11/05/2010

It really does sound like she's getting a lot of solids. Her main source of nutrition should be breastmilk. If you take a look at the link I provided, breastmilk has more calories than most baby foods. So, if you were to back off on the solids, she'd probably get more calories with breastmilk.

You are the parent, not the pediatrician. You don't have to start on that many solids if you don't want. FWIW, my twin boys didn't start solids until they were around 8 ish months or so.

Katie - posted on 11/05/2010

Lise, I looked at the link that you gave. Is it saying that she should only get 1 solid meal a day? The main reason that she gets 3 is because her peditrician said at her 6 month appt that at that age she should be getting 3 meals a day. I didn't want to start her on 3 meals until she was like 8-10 months. We really don't want to cut a solid meal out. We're not sure if that would take too much food away from her.

Lise - posted on 11/05/2010

Sounds like a lot of solids to me. We followed this guideline: http://mother-2-mother.com/samplemenus.h...

I would nurse on demand - let her eat when she wants, as long as she wants. If you stop her early, she may not get the yummy, fatty hindmilk.

Celeste - posted on 11/05/2010

Hmm..is she spitting up a lot? Or is it just a little bit? I wouldn't shorten her feeds though. If she wants to nurse for 10 min, I'd let her!

However, I would start nursing before solids though. That seems like quite a bit of solids. And like Amy said, breastmilk has more calories than many babyfoods.http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami...

Amy - posted on 11/05/2010

There is more calories in breastmilk then there is in the solids you're feeding her. My daughter is 7 1/2 months and she gets solids at breakfast and dinner and that's it. Her primary source of nutritien till the age of 1 is breastmilk. Also keep in mind their growth slows down, they're not going to keep gaining at the rate they do as newborns. Unfortunately I can't help you with the spitting up I've never had that problem.