When Ewan was 3 months old, if I didn't feed him at two hours on the dot, I would feel way too full. Now, he's 8 months and I can tell my volume of milk is so much lower.
On-Demand Breastfeeding a Crawling Baby Who Forgets to Eat
Ewan is everywhere now! He is 8 months old, crawling, and pulling himself to stand. I have been practicing on-demand breastfeeding his whole life, but now he is too busy playing that he forgets to ask for it. I've had to alter my strategy a little.
Switch-Back nursing sessions
I'm not sure what to call it, but "Switch-Back" seems to be a good term for when Ewan takes from both breasts, but still wants more, so I switch him back to the first breast to trigger another let-down.
Spinach-Peas-Pear Puree Recipe
This content can now be found at my new website: www.MilkMavenBlog.com
I stole the idea from Plum baby food company.
Spinach, Peas, and Pear Puree
1 cup pear (about 2 normal or 1 very large)
handful of fresh spinach
1/2 cup frozen organic peas
Pears
Quarter and core pears. Leave skin on.
Steam in a steamer basket for about 10 minutes.
Remove from basket and allow to cool slightly.
Scrape pear from skin and mush it up.
Spinach
While pear is cooling and heat is turned off on the stove, place cleaned fresh spinach into steamer basket still in the pot. Keep heat off, but use tongs to turn spinach as it is gently steamed. When spinach is bright green and wilted, remove from basket. Send spinach through a food mill by itself or coarsely chop it, mix it with pear and chop in food processor.
Peas
Cook peas per package instructions.
Send through food mill or chop in food processor.
Mix all three together!
How much food does a breastfed baby need?
Ewan has been eating food for 2 months now, but I've been unsure about how much he should eat and what foods are the best, so I looked up the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines. If older babies who are still nursing aren't fed healthy complementary foods, even a baby in the USA can become under-nourished.
Ewan's current eating routine
Ewan doesn't have an eating schedule, but since he has started solid food he does have a routine that we usually follow. These times are approximate. I nurse him whenever he wants to, but I keep a mental note to make sure he nurses enough during the day. Now that he can crawl around, sometimes he gets to playing and forgets to nurse.
I also make sure to offer him water throughout the day. I keep one sippy cup around for the day and keep refreshing the water. He will pick it up and drink when he's thirsty.
Routine:
7am He wakes up for the day. Nurse after waking up.
10am Morning nap. Nurse to sleep.
12pm Lunch. Nurse before or after.
2pm Afternoon nap. Nurse to sleep.
5:30pm Dinner. Nurse before or after.
8pm Bedtime. Nurse to sleep. Sometimes nurse between dinner and bed, sometimes not.
5am Wake up and nurse. Sleeps with Mommy and Daddy until 7am.
I also make sure to offer him water throughout the day. I keep one sippy cup around for the day and keep refreshing the water. He will pick it up and drink when he's thirsty.
Routine:
7am He wakes up for the day. Nurse after waking up.
10am Morning nap. Nurse to sleep.
12pm Lunch. Nurse before or after.
2pm Afternoon nap. Nurse to sleep.
5:30pm Dinner. Nurse before or after.
8pm Bedtime. Nurse to sleep. Sometimes nurse between dinner and bed, sometimes not.
5am Wake up and nurse. Sleeps with Mommy and Daddy until 7am.
My weight loss after pregnancy
Before I got pregnant, I was 130 lbs and wore a size 4. I gained 40 lbs while pregnant, which is over the recommended amount. Now, I have been breastfeeding for 7 1/2 months, and I am 120 lbs and a size 2. Some people might say this is great, but I'm not so sure.
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