Breastfeeding and BLW - Help!

[Popplemama]

My lovely four-month old DD is EBF on demand and in many ways we are really lucky - she feeds well every 2-3 hours during the day and for the last month or so has slept from around 9-7 without asking for any feeds at night. Despite this I am starting to feel a bit worn out from the past four months of feeding and was starting to focus on the six month point as my new feeding target.

The HV has just done her four-month review and has strongly advocated that we need to do BLW and to not start until she is six months. She also said she would need at least a pint of non-cow's milk a day until 12 months. I'm really nervous about this - especially as I will have to return to work when she is exactly six months - and was wondering if anyone could advise how they managed this transition given that with BLW they are still so reliant on milk for all of their nutrition.

I would really struggle to express at work and she doesn't currently feed at night so should I just accept that she will have to move onto formula alongside BLW and, if so, should I introduce this before solids to get her used to it?

I am really pleased that we have succeeded so far with feeding after a really tricky start and desperately don't want to let DD down or disadvantage her but was quite looking forward to getting my body back! (Plus DH is desperate to start feeding her as he's had months of just dealing with the end product!)

Sorry for the long post - just feeling very stressed and like there is no end in sight!x

[NickyEds]

How long will your work days be? Are you going back part or full time?

[dementedpixie]

even with puree feeding you would have been aiming for 6 months as a starting point. Also regardless of breast/bottle feeding they still need a minimum of 20oz of milk per day from 6 months up until the age of 1.

[dementedpixie]

What did you think was going to happen 6 months?

[dementedpixie]

At 6 months?

[Popplemama]

Apologies Pixie but I'm a FTM and still learning! I (clearly stupidly) thought they would become more reliant on food after six months and feel stupid and guilty that I hadn't really realised that with BLW she may need my milk- or formula - at the same sort of level for a further six months. (Will now go and hide...)

[Popplemama]

I'll be returning on a full-time basis (8:30 - 5:00 plus travel)

[WorldsBiggestGrotbag]

DD's milk intake didn't really drop substantially until about 8-9 months which is fairly normal I think. Until the age of one year milk is still supposed to be their main source of nutrition and calories.
Have you tried expressing and feeding with a bottle? From 6 months DD was having some of her milk via a sippy cup.

[Popplemama]

Thanks - I have given her expressed milk and she takes a bottle well. I'm just anxious about the volume she'll need when I am back at work.

[DrRanjsRightEyebrow]

'Food before one is just for fun'. Whether you puree or blw, milk is still their main source of nutrition until they're 12 months old, whether that's formula or breastmilk.True they get more in them if you go down the puree route but don't expect it to mean a decrease in milk consumption for some time. In fact you really want to avoid that happening, by giving themilk feeds before they have food, at least until 8/9 months, so you can ensure they're not filling up on food that doesn't meet their nutritional requirements like milk does. Until 12 months food is merely to get them trying flavours and learning how to move it around in their mouths etc.

[Redcliff]

I just Brest fed my baby until 6 months and then, as I went back to work then, he had formula during the day. Making up bottles is such a faff so I would just carry on as you are until you go back to work.

[DrRanjsRightEyebrow]

I would start getting her used to a bottle a day perhaps from now. My little one would never take a bottle at all so some babies can be tricky with them and take a long time to transition. It might take a while to find the right teat and get him used to the taste of formula. You can move straight onto a sippy cup but it also takes them a while to get the hang of them and 6 months would probably be too young to get a decent amount of milk down just using a sippy cup. At that age I'd use a sippy cup for water just with food and bottle for milk feeds. You might be lucky and he'll take to it no problem!

[NickyEds]

Don't feel bad op!! it's just that it's normally around 8/9 months before babies drop a daytime feed so you will have to make some sort of arrangements for milk during the day! You can just use f during the day at nursery and bf the rest of the time- by 6 months your supply will be robust and accomodate this. Be prepared for the re emergence of night feeds though- several of my friends found that after they went back to work their babies made up for the lack of day time bf at night!

[jessplussomeonenew]

Your work should provide you with a lockable room (not a toilet!) with a fridge and a chair for expressing in if you ask them. My 10 month old has about 10 floz expressed milk and 3-4 feeds in the night/evening plus three blw meals - we have a reasonable stock of frozen milk just in case but I try to pump enough for the next day's feeds. A good double pump is very important!

[SueGeneris]

I would start switching the daytime feeds now, one at a time, from bf to formula. You could do one per week to allow your body to adjust. Then keep your morning and evening bf.