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Anyone in the process of weaning off breast onto bottle?

Just looking for anyone going through the same as me as I am doing this with my 7.5 mth old baby and am looking for some moral support.

Is there was anyone currently weaning their lo off their breast onto a bottle for any reason?
If so, how are you finding things? Is lo taking a bottle ok? how much are they drinking? What feeds have you given up already and what are you still bf?

Im finding it a bit difficult cos lo isn't taking that much from a bottle. I have given up most of bf, except during the night (between 5-6 am usually) and dreamfeed (although Im trying to stop just now if lo doesn't wake up for it). Because I know how much lo is getting via a bottle, Im worrying about the amount she drinks. at least with breast, I was unaware of how much she was drinking. Spoke to the HV this week and she had suggested giving her a bottle at 7pm to see if she takes more, since it is the evening, but she is only drinking 3 or 4 oz. This has meant I have stopped this bf earlier than planned, so express at this feed.

HV said that some babies take bottle and breast well, others don't - its either all or nothing in terms bf and she reckons my lo doesn't like to mix breast with bottle.

Im getting stressed out about volume now, and just wondering if its my hormones playing up cos Im cutting down on bfing.

I would love to hear how others are doing, or have done if they have given up bf.

Replies

  • I'm not in the process of doing this at the moment, I intorduced formula in january at 6 months and stopped breastfeeding in March at 8 months, due to going back to work - do I remeber seeing in another post that you're trying to switsh for the same reason? I did find it hard though, so I can offer some moral support.

    Yes I do think your hormones might be affecting you a bit, I remeber feeling very emotional - my lo hated formula when I first offered it, it took a couple of days (with just one formula feed a day) to persuade himt o take any at all, and another week or so to get him to take more than 2 oz, but within a couple of week she'd happily take up to 6oz. I remeber feeling so guilty when he was crying and refusing formula, I knew all he wanted was a breastfeed and I felt like the world's worst mother for not letting him have it - but I also knew I couldn't still be breastfeeding when I went back to work (work with chemicals and didn't want to risk anything passing through!), so I had to keep telling myself I needed to try harder for him to get used to it - with a lot of moral support from hubby!
    If you're anything like me, there will always be something to stress about - I actually went to my HV worrying about how much formula he'd take 2 days after starting him on it!

    If it's any help, when I intorduced formula my lo was on 3 milk feeds (and 3 meals) a day, so I went for the daytime feed first as it was most convenient for me (more likely to ba out and about, and I never mastered public feeding!), he didn;t seem to be confused by bottle in the day and breast morning and night, but he always seemed to prefer breastmilk. A couple of weeks later I swapped the morning feed over, and a month after that (I didn;t really want to stop!) I stopped breastfeeding completely - when I swapped the morning and bedtime feeds to bottles he took to them straight away, and barely seemed to notice!

    At 7.5 months, my lo was on 2 6oz bottles and 1 breastfeed a day - he'd drink anything between 4-6 oz form each bottle, and I was happy with that. I can;t remeber what the guidleine amounts are, but I think we can worry too much about the milk intake, remeber you can include cheese, youghurt, milk on cereal etc in the amount they're having, and she will be getting nutrients from her diet as well as the milk, if she's happy and healthy I wouldn't worry too much - but I do understand, you feel she'd be having exactly the right amount if you were breastfeeding, but like you say, you wouldn't know - how much milk is she actually having in a day? She's not refusing the bottle, she'll take what she needs

    I seemed to've rambled on a bit, but really just meant to offer you some support - I remember reading before about some problems you were having with feeding and think you've done brilliantly to still be feeding now!
  • Thank you for your reply sunflower. It was good to read what you had gone through, to know I am not on my own and you did give me support so I really appreciate your reply.

    I don't know if my problem is timing of milk and solids. I was so used to just feeding on demand or more often when breast feeding, it just feels like a bit of a culture shock trying to give formula and solids. I think with breastmilk she would take it anyway, whilst with formula she doesn't take that much and I feel Im wasting quite a bit of milk.

    Can you remember what times you gave milk and solids (or how long you left between them)?

    Yesterday, she took 25mins to drink 2 oz, she was more playing with the teat. I have changed to fast flow teats and this did help for a couple of days.

    Does your lo take more milk now, than the 4-6oz, how that he is older?

    Thanks for listening to me.
  • At 7 1/2 months he was having breakfast (weetabix) about 8-8.30, then milk 9-9.30 (had milk after breakfast or often used to not eat much breakfast), lunch 12.30, milk 2-3, dinner 6 then milk for bed about 8.15. I think when I was getting him used to formula I'd give the afternoon milk closer to 3pm, as then he'd be hungrier and more likely to drink it, but any later and he wouldn't be hungry for his dinner. Thinking back I think that was pretty much the same routine we had at 6 months when we started on formula.

    TBH, I think once he was on 3 meals a day I wanted him to be becoming more dependent on solids and less dependent on milk, so as long as he was drinking some milk I was more worried about him filling up on milk so he wouldn't want his solids, rather than the other way round - but I wasn't necessarily right in doing that, just what I thought.

    I was in quite a routine with breastfeeding though, I had to be because before weaning if he didn't have 5 feeds in the day he'd be absolutley starving the next day and I couldn't keep up, so I had to time it to fit the 5 feeds in, so for me it wanlt so much of a culture shock to be feeding at particular times. Moving to bottles when you;ve breastfed is a bit of a culture shock though - all that sterilising and thinking ahead, and the cost of formula - that's what it took me a while to get used to!

    My lo takes milk from a beaker now, and I just tend to fill it and he empties it (he's 14 months so on cows milk now) - it holds about 6oz, he was guzzling down 6oz of formula before we switched over but I didnlt try him with any more than that.

    How long has she (is it Skye?) been trying formula? It might just be taking her a while to get used to it. Or it migth be worth trying a different brand? Hvae you spoken to your HV about how much milk she actually needs before worrying too much about how much she's having - you can always try to increase the amount of milk in her diet too.
  • Thanks for your reply Sunflower.

    I have been giving Skye formula since 3 months. Started on aptimal then now on SMA. the HV said she should drink from 4-6oz.

    Its good to know your times, as HV said leave 2 hrs between milk and solids.

    Did you lo always cry for his milk? your point about concentrating on solids - is right as she will get a lot of nutrients from that, so I shouldn't worry. I have been putting a lot more milk into foods now.

    The only problem now is that she takes forever to drink a bottle. The other night, it took 25 mins to drink 2oz and that was with a fast teat. I assume she was using the bottle as comfort. She is teething so I guess that has a part to play too.

    I think giving Skye some milk before she goes for her nap works at the moment. yesterday she had 3x3 oz bottles before she went for her nap, so I guess that is okay.
  • I'm no expert, but if she's taking 3 3oz bottles a day at least she's taking something, it's not bad, some babies take a lot more than that but some take less. You can't force her to take more, if feeding her before her naps suits you both then that's probably a good idea.

    If I were you I think I'd try to make sure she has plenty of clalcium in her diet, and if you'd be happier if she was having more formula you could always try giving it on her weetabix, porridge etc.

    I'm sure she's fine x
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