combining breast with formula feed: baby says no!

[zoaster]

Hi there, new to mumsnet.

Sorry if this topic has already been discussed to death but feeling particularly fed up today and wanted to offload.

4month old who is breastfed has had a bottle of expressed milk as last feed at 7pm for last ten weeks and sleeps right through (yes we know we are very lucky!!)Has also had bottles of occasional formula since birth given by both myself and hubby. I now want to start weaning her off the breast but she is starting to refuse bottles apart from her last feed at 7pm. It's really weird (and stressful), it's like she knows that I want to stop breastfeeding and she's got other ideas. Any tips? She feeds every 2hrs in day and I am no 'earthmother' who can breastfeed upside down in all locations so I feel very tied to the house at the mo!!

Love Zoaster x

[MrsBadger]

hello and welcome!

my gut feeling is that in the long run it'll be easier for you to increase your confidence re feeding in public than it will be to get a reluctant baby onto formula - and I'm no earth mother either...

[EdieMcredie]

This is going to be hard I think.

You can try different bottles but like you say that is not the problem!

Do you enjoy breastfeeding?

[nannynz]

What is the nipple bottle type she's on.

One of my babies(I'm a nanny) was the same from birth he'd had one bottle a day and around eight weeks stopped. The reason been is the flow was to slow - perhaps(if you haven't already) put him up to the next flow.

If she's taken a bottle for 10 weeks I'm sure she'll continue. Also I'd make sure you husband(for the time being) is the one to give it and make sure he's the one to spend the half hour or so before bottle with her.

[zoaster]

Hi again, thanks for the replies. I do enjoy breastfeeding but just can't get a good position without a v pillow (tend to rugby ball on left side and pull over to feed on right)so feeding out and about unless in the car is a no no. I also feel that she doesn't feed well if I am not comfortable. She will happily take her bottle at her last feed (hubby doing that now) so the teat and flow seems ok. It was very difficult initially to breastfeed her so it's ironic that now it's difficult to bottle feed her.

Zoaster xx

[MrsBadger]

have you a baby cafe near you where you could pop in and get someone to help you with some different positions?
It seem such a shame that both you and dd enjoy it and yet you want to stop...

[honey2theb]

hiya Zoaster!

no advice really, as my dd is 3 months and is my first! but just wanted to say that my dd really likes her MAM bottle. she doesnt like the tommee tippees too much though, even the ones that are supposedly like a nipple! she sometimes refuses bottles compleely too, bu i think it may be that she needs comforting, and likes a snuggle into my boob. bless!

i usually feed dd in the car if we are out too, or in the feeding rooms that some places have. A lot of the ladies here are really confident at feeding out and about - maybe i'll get there in the end

good luck