The Nursing Baby - Q&A

Brenda asks:
My daughter is 6 months old. At her recent doctor's appointment he told me she has not gained enough weight since the last visit. (only 3 ounces in since the 4 m. check-up) She nurses 4 times a day, plus solids. Her habit lately is to nurse quickly, maybe 5 minutes to a side. She nurses attentively for a few minutes then pushes away to play. How can I get her to nurse longer? I am not sure that I am producing enough milk for her since she will take supplements after certain feeding, how do I know how much she is getting?

Dear Brenda,

You may be unaware of current recommendations to begin solids after 6 months. Solids before 6 months are associated with increased allergies and increased rates of colitis in adults.

Your daughter may be filling up on solids and not nursing enough. Solids are generally not as packed in calories as your milk is. Rather than trying to extend her time at a nursing session, I would suggest offering to nurse her much more often. Nursing her 10 times a day instead of 4 may be helpful to increasing your milk supply and her gaining weight. Most babies her age are still nursing 8-12 times a day. While there are exclusively breastfed babies at 6 months who only nurse 4 times in a 24 hour period, they tend to be the exception rather than the rule.

Unfortunately, offering a bottle of formula after a nursing is not a good test of your milk supply. Many babies will find room in their tummies for the extra milk, and enjoy the ease with which they can drink milk from a bottle. Nursing is much harder work - that's the reason why it makes such a difference in your baby's jaw development (a baby breastfed for two years has only 1/2 the chance of needing braces as a baby bottlefed from birth).

Be sure to keep in touch with your doctor *and* a qualified IBCLC certified lactation consultant. Unfortunately, doctors don't receive training in how to increase milk supply or handle breastfeeding difficulties.

These tips are not intended to be medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have questions.

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