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Dropping feeds
Hi ladies
After a bit of a shaky start I settled to bf my son really well and now love it, however I am going back to work soon (Booo!) and need him to have a bottle for his two feeds during the day until I get home.
He takes a bottle of ebm no problems and has also had the occasional bottle of formula, the switching really doesn't seem to be a problem for him. What I wanted to know was, how do I reduce the amount of milk I make? At the moment Harry feeds 3 hrly between 8am and 8pm when he goes to bed. He is nearly 4 months old. I express a bottle between 11 and 12pm and by the time he wakes up I am almost bursting (tmi!) to feed him again. If I just miss two feeds a day will I stop producing, or will I find that by 5/6pm I am desperate to feed?
I don't want to switch to bottle altogether as I love the closeness. Ideally I would feed myself first thing (7/8am), him take a bottle for the next two feeds while I'm at work, then feed him again at 5/6pm and just before bed. I am concerned that by messing with how often I feed him my supply will be messed up and I won't even be able to feed him first and last thing.
Have any ladies cut down feeds like this and still made enough milk to keep going half and half, or am I going to have to give up cold turkey?
Thanks for your help - and Happy Christmas!
Clare & Harry xx
After a bit of a shaky start I settled to bf my son really well and now love it, however I am going back to work soon (Booo!) and need him to have a bottle for his two feeds during the day until I get home.
He takes a bottle of ebm no problems and has also had the occasional bottle of formula, the switching really doesn't seem to be a problem for him. What I wanted to know was, how do I reduce the amount of milk I make? At the moment Harry feeds 3 hrly between 8am and 8pm when he goes to bed. He is nearly 4 months old. I express a bottle between 11 and 12pm and by the time he wakes up I am almost bursting (tmi!) to feed him again. If I just miss two feeds a day will I stop producing, or will I find that by 5/6pm I am desperate to feed?
I don't want to switch to bottle altogether as I love the closeness. Ideally I would feed myself first thing (7/8am), him take a bottle for the next two feeds while I'm at work, then feed him again at 5/6pm and just before bed. I am concerned that by messing with how often I feed him my supply will be messed up and I won't even be able to feed him first and last thing.
Have any ladies cut down feeds like this and still made enough milk to keep going half and half, or am I going to have to give up cold turkey?
Thanks for your help - and Happy Christmas!
Clare & Harry xx
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Replies
When Oscar started dropping feeds himself (he was a v hungry baby, feeding 2 hoursly until he was about 2 months old, and now feeds every 3ish) i was concerned about my supply, and spoke to my health visitor. I though that my boobs would think he was weaning himself off alltogether and stop producing, but my hv told me that as long as he is still feeding, even if just once a day, my breast would still produce that one feed a day. So if you drop one feed at first (say the second morning one) for the first few days you will be full and uncomfortable, but your supply will adjust, and start to produce milk for the feed after that. then, When you feel comfortable doing this (ie, your boobs don't feel like they need to explode by missing this feed) then drop the next one. Again you'll feel full and uncomfy but your boobs will learn that he now doesn't need them until 5pm, and they'll adjust to produce milk for this feed, and again for the bedtime. It's really quite clever!
I think the key for your comfort is not to rush the changes, so you body can aclimatise in its own time to the new feeding schedule. As long as you're still feeding him for the three feeds morning and evening, your body will produce milk for those three feeds.
Hope i made sense and some of it is helpful!
(Harry looks gorgeous btw, your avatar pic is so cute!)
Steph xx
[Modified by: JamDonut on December 24, 2008 09:44 AM]
I never realised my boobs were so clever, always considered them more of a decorative item until Harry arrived!
Thanks for your comment re Harry - I totally agree (although I may be a bit biased!) Oscar looks sweet too - really inquisitive like somebody is just off the camera talking to him.
Clare & Harry xx