# 5 an a half month old cutting milk intake



## Niki W (Mar 15, 2006)

Hiya,
        I'm hoping u can give me some advice.
My little Lily seems to be drinking less milk now than she was a few months ago an i'm wondering why??  
Rite, she is 24 weeks old 2day, she weighed in yesterday at 14lb15oz an is following the 25th centile which she was born on, she is weaning at the min an is on 2 meals a day where she eats about 1/2 a small tub each meal (like the pink ones in tesco) but sometimes she doesn't, but i'm not worried there coz i'm just takin it slowly with starting before 6 months. She had decreased her milk intake before i started weaning so i know it's not that. Now before i work out what she is drinking each feed i need 2 clear something up............. when u make up a bottle, say a 6 oz, after u have filled it up with water to 6oz an put ur 6 scoops in, it then takes the fluid volume to just under 200ml (7oz) so, when she has drank all she wants, an i'm measuring what she has done, do i count it from the fluid volume eg 200ml or the amount i made it at e.g 6oz 180ml?? 
she is on 3hrly feeds.............. 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, then i top her up at 8pm with a small bottle an she does whatever she likes out of this one, sometimes 60ml, sometimes 140ml, it's just her bottle b 4 bed after her bath. now i have tried in the past but not 4 a while 2 do 4 hr feeds but she didn't seem 2 drink more.......i'm wondering now with weaning shall i try that again? The h.v here don't seem 2 worry as she is doin just over the 20oz in 24hrs, but i know she used 2 do more when she was yonger an can't understand why she is decreasing? she is on cow an gate no 2 hungry baby at the min but will go over to no 3 in a few weeks when 6months old. I put her on the hungry baby quite a while ago when she was struggling 2 last 3 hrs but yet wouldn't increase her milk. I make her up 6oz bottles an she sometimes just has half, an sometimes just leaves an oz an on the odd time drains the whole thing?
Am i worried over nothin? or is there summit goin on here??
thanks in advance
Niki & Lily.xx


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## jeanette (May 3, 2003)

Hiya

I will split up your post so that I make sure I have answered everything!

1) its the volume of water used to make up the feed ie 6oz

2) Based on 2.2 x her weight she is under her daily milk intake. However, she is following the 25th centile so thats fine. If she starts to drop down a centile you will need to take her back to your GP. Some babies have more milk, others less..its a balance of what they need to grow, develop and be happy. So, if she is doing all 3 then she is having what she needs

3) Now that you have started weaning you can increase her calcium intake through giving her milky puddings, cheese, yoghurt's, cereal etc. So this will help with the calcium that she has dropped since reducing her milk. This is normal hun so dont panic.

4) When babies are not having a growth spurt they can reduce their milk a little. So try and get her weighed regularly so that you can keep an watch on her weight on her centile.

5) You may find that she much prefers solids as opposed to milk. Milk remains an important part of her diet until she is one. 

6) When she is well into weaning ie on 3 meals a day she needs a minimum of 500ml milk. That milk can include what you use in her foods.

Hope this helps. If not come back to me.

Jeanettex


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## Niki W (Mar 15, 2006)

Hiya jeanette
An thanks so much 4 ur reply...ur a real gem!! Why can't all h.v b like u   

Rite, i've now changed Lily onto 4hrly feeds so thats 7, 11, 3, 7 an a top up at 8pm still 2 send her off. These last few days since i've been doin this she has been drinkin most of her bottles an all of some, so far 2day she has drank all of both bottles so far (6oz) but yesterday she did 23oz mon she did 23oz as well, is this still o.k? she is also havin about 2oz in her b'fast an yesterday i introduced a lunch, she had a yogurt, but only about 5-6 mouthfuls...but it's a start   I thought if i move her onto 4hrly it gives her time 2 build up more of an apatite as she is nearly 6months old now an i think it's about time things changed, do u think that is o.k?
Ive been feeding her her meals about 45 mins-1hr after her bottle, so 7am bottle 8am b'fast cereal, or yogurt , 11am bottle 12pm yogurt or bit of pureed veg, then 3pm bottle, 4pm pureed meal an fruit pud then 7pm bottle an top up at 8pm, does this seem o.k or is there a better way of doin things? u can tell i've never done this b 4....i haven't a clue   
Any suggestions u have will b greatly appreciated  
Thanks so much again
Take care
Niki & Lily.xx


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## Niki W (Mar 15, 2006)

Hi again, 
Things aren't improving at all in fact she's doin even less now an i'm starting 2 get quite worried  
Since last sat all she has done is 20oz 21oz at the most an now today she has only done 13 1/2, now i know it might just be an off day today, but she has been o.k in herself, i really am worried she's not gettin enough.
She has been having 2oz in her b'fast a full peti fulu thingy yogurt at lunch (small pot) an would prob eat more if i offered, and today she had 5 ice cubes of fish an cheese bake, (1/2 a pot) and 1/2 a pot of fruit puree, so i think she is liking her food! is this amount of food o.k?
i also dropped her 7pm bottle as she has been doin just an oz or 2 of it so i'm just givin her a bottle at 8pm now an the rest the same (7, 11, 3)
I'm gonna get her weighed tomorrow an tell the h.v whats been goin on, but i really would love your advice and help  
Thanks again so much


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