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From breast to bottle: advice please!

littleroselittlerose
in Breast & bottle feeding
Hello all, my baby girl is 13 weeks old snd I have reached my breastfeeding target! Wish I loved it but I don't so really happy to have made it. Just struggling to swap onto the bottle now...

I have been breastfeeding (exclusively) on demand - so every 2-4 hours. She's a big baba (75th centile!) but since she's been taking bottles I realise that she only takes max 4oz at a time, and that's with a struggle (needs a rest out of the first 2 ...)

How do I work towards a bottlefeeding routine? My auntie suggested only offering the bottle every 4 hours and making her go hungry in between so she learns to take more ... is this cruel? Should I start off feeding every 3 hours? Help!

Replies

  • pumbacatpumbacat
    I changed from bf to ff after 6 weeks so we had no routine to start. I offered lo 5oz bottles (also big and hungry) every 3 hours which slowly increased to 4 hours. I found my lo just wanted comfort rather than feed initially as I think she'd been usuing me for comfort and she had to get used to the change. When I changed to bottle I also introduced a dummy and this did work. Remember formula is heavier than breat milk and so should fill lo up quicker and take longer to digest.
  • LadywithalittleboyLadywithalittleboy
    I am doing the same - have decided to give up breastfeeding. I aleady give ds three bottles day (late afternoon/early evening, bedtime and one in the night). Today I have swapped his mid morning feed for formula. I have tried to space the feeds to work with his bedtime if that makes sense i.e.

    He gets up a 7:15 so has his first feed (breast) at7:30

    He then has his next feed 3hrs later (10:30) (bottle).

    Then he goes 3.5 hrs to 2pm (breast).

    Then 3hr again to 5pm (bottle). Then just under three hours before his bedtime feed and then he goes to bed around 8pm.

    I say this like I'm an expert but today is our first day of trying this ... ha ha ! It's going ok so far ... !

    Kx
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