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Breastfeeding/breastfeeding an eight month old

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Expert: - 4/8/2008


Question
My son is eight month old and weighs 17 pounds.  I have nursed him
exclusively and he started having solids around six months.  He currently
nurses three times between 6 and 8:30 before I go to work.  He then eats
gerber oatmeal and half a container of fruit for breakfast at his Grandma's.  I
nurse him at 12:30 when I come home for lunch and then he eats lunch an
hour or so after that.  Lunch is a gerber seconds jar of veggies.  I then nurse
him again at 4:30.  I have been sending two four ounce bottles for anytime
around the solid feedings, but he doesn't seem as hungry when I feed him at
lunch and after work.  I was wondering if it is okay for him to not have those
two bottles and just nurse.  Is this enough milk?  He then nurses on demand
at home and has another jar of food for dinner.  I am having a supply issue
and would like to strictly nurse and not stress about not pumping enough for
him to eat.  I would still pump to have a small supply for when I can't be with
him.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Brigid,

OOPS! I MADE A MISTAKE -- SEE LAST LINE.
Dr. Marks also feels your baby is probably getting enough nourishment. However, she does have two suggestions for you. One is to ask your pediatrician to check your son's growth curve, to see if he is growing at a healthy pace. Also, Dr. Marks wonders whether your baby is getting enough fluids. One way to tell if this is a problem is to see if he is constipated. If he is having normal bowel movements, he's probably okay. If you're concerned about your milk supply, the best way to increase it is to see that more milk is taken from the breast. In your case, this would mean continuing to nurse. [I MEANT TO SAY CONTINUING TO PUMP!]

Regards,

Sally
--------------------------------
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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