First Six Months
 Now that you have overcome the un-certainties you had during the early weeks of breast feeding, you must have settled down to a comfortable relationship with your baby and have gained confidence in yourself. Your baby is also able to nurse properly, and your breast milk supply has adjusted to the demand for milk from your baby. You have probably become habituated to his particular style of breastfeeding. You may also have experi-mented with breastfeeding in public and have experimented with clothes, positions, and locations that work best for you. With the passage of time you will understand that breastfeeding is a perfectly natural and almost automatic process as simple as going out for a walk or shopping. When you take your child outdoors more regularly, you will be able to predict approximately when your baby will want to nurse, and you will respond quickly to his early signs of hunger, and find extra time for feedings when you are doing some work, or traveling by car. Once you leave your baby at home for any outside duties, you`ll become an expert at expressing breast milk ahead of time so your baby can be cup- or bottle-fed in your absence.
Supply and demand: changes in your breastfeeding rhythm
Your baby`s breastfeeding habits will change over time, though you may have become familiar with his set pattern. The baby feeds repeatedly in first few weeks after birth, the frequency of the feeds decrease with the passage of time, falling into a more regular schedule of feedings throughout the day and night. Sometimes the baby may increase or decrease the amount or the number of feeds due to a variety of reasons. If your baby is a "regular" breast feeder, then the sudden demand on food may signal a growth spurt-a temporary increase in her rate of growth that requires an increase in calories. Sometimes learning an activity, such as learning to crawl or walk, may also cause your baby to nurse more often as he burns up more calories. His interest may be diverted to other activities like learning to turn around or sit and thereby lose interest in feeding. Your state of mind is also reflected in the production of milk for your new born, if you are stressed or over exerted milk supply is likely to decrease, which in turn may lead to your infant remain hungry and demand feed more often.
The increase in demand to breast,- feed due to whatever reasons could be met by increasing the frequency of feed and also the number of times the baby is fed in the course of several days to increase your milk pro-duction and satisfy your baby`s needs. Ensure that you are adequately rested, are drinking enough fluids and undertaking moderate activities during this time. Your baby will appreciate the extra feedings and the coziness, and they will gradually taper off again as her growth rate evens out again, her activity level stabilizes, or your milk supply adjusts. Remember that if this appetite spurt occurs at round six months of the baby`s life, your baby may be demonstrat-ing his readiness to begin eating solid foods. As he begins to sample this extra nourishment, his demand for breast milk will considerably reduce as his calories will come from other sources.
Loss Of Appetite
Sometimes your baby may abruptly lose his appetite, or feed in short spurts or refuse the breast altogether. The reasons for your baby`s decrease in appetite won`t be immediately apparent. He may not be well, the taste of your milk may change due to reasons as varying as introduction of a new food or medication you may be taking. You have to find out by trial and error the different causes and rule out the cause for the loss of appetite. If his pediatrician certifies his fitness, you may simply need to be more patient.
Meanwhile, resist the temptation (or others` urgings) to offer your baby formula or even a bottle of breast milk as a solution to this problem: Formula feeds will decrease your level of milk production even more. By switching to a bottle, you may discourage your baby from returning to the breast when she is ready and able (usually after a couple of days). Alternatively, you may offer your breast to a sleepy baby, who won`t fuss over the taste of the milk, or try new breastfeeding positions that may be more comfortable for him. Try to feed him in a place where he is not distracted by the television or the music systems in a dimly lit dark environment. If he still refuses breast milk feed him with your expressed breast milk with a spoon, eye-dropper, or cup.
Eventually, your baby will probably regain her interest in nurs-ing. If not, it`s possible that she is ready to wean or would be hap-pier with some solid foods in his diet. It is always, better to follow his lead, providing him with the nutrition that best suits his age.
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