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Breastfeeding/Breastfeeding my 8 month old/milk supply

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Expert: - 4/25/2007


Question
I have a very good 8 month old baby.  I work full time from home so was able to work with him to get on a great schedule regarding naps, feeding, and sleeping through the night. He is very easy to please... I am incredibly fortunate, I know : )  Recently I have not necessarily reached a problem, rather an area that I am unfamiliar with...I have been nursing him for 8 months now.  I rarely give him a bottle (of thawed breast milk if I do - he has never had formula), but on occasion when I do (1x every 6 weeks, if that) he is fine with it.  Right now I am nursing 4 times a day: morning, followed by cereal and fruit; afternoon followed by fruit and veggie; evening, followed by cereal with fruit and veggie; then again before bed.  When do I start to drop a feeding? Or should I yet? My goal is to nurse for at least a year... I rarely pump anymore, unless I have something come up where I will be away from him for a whole day.  I do not want to supplement formula... and when I do pump (for example I tried to tonight 4 hours after my son last ate) I could only get 1 oz.  This raises a concern with me because I want to make sure my son is getting enough.  I have never had a milk supply problem.  He doesn't act hungry/cranky after he nurses and eats, and he is having plenty of wet and solid diapers... I just do not know if there are nutritional issues by not getting enough milk.  I know there are a few questions mixes in this... sorry if it's confusing...

Answer
Dear Lynde,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

I wish I received more questions like  yours -- it is wonderful to see how well you and your baby are doing. Now, let me answer your questions:

*  On the pumping: don't worry that you get such a small quantity of milk when you pump. A vigorously suckling baby is much more efficient than even the best pump. From all that you have written, it sounds as if your son is getting ample nutrition. I assume that his weight gain has been steady -- you might want to check this, just to reassure yourself.

* Then, as far as when to drop a feeding: If you are comfortable with nursing him four times a day, you can keep that up for another few months. If you want to drop one feeding and give him only three feedings a day, you could do that at any time, dropping the feeding he seems least interested in. No hard-and-fast rule here. I talk about when and how to wean from breastfeeding in my book (see below).

If you do want to give your son more milk, you can give him formula in his cereal or in baby puddings, but again, it sounds as if he is getting really good nourishment.

Best of luck,

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.  

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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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