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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask for only positive stories on switching to formula

82 replies

Changednamesorry · 26/05/2017 21:03

I have to put my baby on a bottle over the next week. he is 4 months. in short I have been told I have a health condition for which I need to start medication ASAP and said medication is not compatible with breast feeding. I fed my first son for over 2 years and I'm sad about it feel awful have searched for everything to see u there's an alternative and there isn't.
please could people share encouraging stories about how the baby will be fine and won't mind?

OP posts:
2014newme · 26/05/2017 21:30

My twins had formula. No days off school ill in five years, very clever and sporty. In the western world the benefits of breastfeeding are over rated.
Also you don't need to give vitamins as formula has them in.

Sittinginthesun · 26/05/2017 21:31

DS1 was FF from 10 days. Strapping, fit, bright, enjoys a variety of good food. No allergies, generally healthy teenager now.

DS2 was BF until 7 months. Asthmatic, more bugs, chickenpox at 4 months, shingles at 7 years.

Guess it's all coincidence, but I really really wouldn't stress about it!

wigglesrock · 26/05/2017 21:32

All three of mine were formula fed from birth - no reason why apart from my own decision. I haven't regretted it for a single moment, I didn't regret it whilst feeding them and I don't regret it now looking back. They're 11, 9 and 6 now. It didn't make a huge amount of different to their sleep, but it did to mine.

Pixie2015 · 26/05/2017 21:36

Able to see the little face completely when feeding - others can share feeding joy - you can wear what you want and no more breast pads - can get colourful bottles - feeds are quicker

smileygrapefruit · 26/05/2017 21:37

Mine both started sleeping through within days of switching...5 months and 7 months. Due dc3 soon and unless a good sleeper while bfing I will move to formula around 6 months again. And you get some freedom back!

londonrach · 26/05/2017 21:39

Seriously no difference. In fact i think its better bounding compared to my sister who bf and struggled to bond (sister admits to this and said if she had her time again she ff from birth) due to sleep. All my friends who breast fed are still struggling with sleep. Seriously there is no difference. Do what right for you and the baby. Enjoy these early weeks they go so quick x

londonrach · 26/05/2017 21:40

Should add if dd does wake up during night pre prep machine (2 mins) and i can get dd fed and back asleep within 15 minutes!

GypsieRoseLee · 26/05/2017 21:40

I had low milk supply after a c section and had no choice but to formula feed. My two year old is happy and healthy and thriving. She does have a very healthy diet which helps but honestly try not to worry. I was formula fed in the 70s and it probably wasn't as good back then. I'm 41 and healthy!

TheLegendOfBeans · 26/05/2017 21:41

Just to add, I may actually (attempt to) BF for the first few weeks then BF/FF and then solely FF by week 8.

There was no design to what I did first time round; DD had a nasty tongue tie so could never latch. It got snipped at 10 days and grew back! So I never BF per se, always bottles.

Remember; fed is best xxxxx

londonrach · 26/05/2017 21:43

Another postive is the fact formula has everything in so you dont need to give the extra vitamins which you have to give from birth if bf. (New guidelines)

AssassinatedBeauty · 26/05/2017 21:45

londonrach no one advised me to give my DS2 vitamins from birth, what do you mean?

OhMrBadger · 26/05/2017 21:48

You've bf waaay longer than I managed with DC1. He was bottle fed from 6 weeks and started to sleep like a dream! Life had structure again, we got out and about, feeds were shared.

What a splendid start you've given your DC. Moving forward? Simply keep up the good work!

HicDraconis · 26/05/2017 21:49

I breastfeed DS1 to 6 weeks but the latch was appalling, he fed every 45mins, it hurt like hell, I cracked and bled ... was one of the worst periods of my life.

We switched to bottles and it all got better. I loved my baby boy, I loved feeding him, he put on weight and slept better - and DH did all the night feeds 😊😊😊

DS2 came along, I tried again, got to 6 weeks, same pattern. Back to bottles.

Fast forward a few years they are now 9&11, in the G&T streams at school for maths and sciences (and art!), fit and healthy young lads with no respiratory or skin problems. I can't tell who in their class was fed what in the first years of their life 😄

Am hugely grateful that appropriate formula exists because if I hadn't had an alternative (& in hindsight probably had undiagnosed PND) I don't know what might have happened.

Jakeyboy1 · 26/05/2017 21:50

It saved my daughters life.

It's easy.

You don't have to get your boobs out.

Daddy can feed baby.

It makes the washing smell nice! (I don't mean I put it in the wash but noticed with the bibs etc you get a really nice baby smell that I didn't get with bf!)

Good luck x

Original poster
Changednamesorry · 26/05/2017 21:53

thank you everyone. he's already sleeping 8 hours to be fair (he's a chubster at 7.5kg haha) and I'm so grateful to you all for being so encouraging. thank you!!!!

OP posts:
londonrach · 26/05/2017 21:55

Assassinated. Talk to your hv. New guidelines which they telling all mums at the weaning courses. Bf babies need vitamin drops. Ive linked the nhs website. The drops by the way are impossible to get hold of as only superdrug stocks them but this was three months ago and as my dd is ff i ignored that bit of advice as wasnt needed and had enough other info to take in.

www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby-foods

From birth, all breastfed babies should be given a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10mcg of vitamin D, to make sure they get enough. If you feed your baby infant formula, they should not be given a vitamin D supplement until they’re having less than 500ml (about a pint) of first infant formula a day.

Primaryteach87 · 26/05/2017 21:57

My eldest child switched to formula at a similar age, my youngest is still breastfed aged 10 months. There is no difference between them except personality. In terms of happiness, body shape, development they are very similar.
I am loving bf my baby, but ultimately it has diminishing returns or rather you have already given your baby the vast vast vast majority of the benefits.
Don't worry. They will be fine!

AssassinatedBeauty · 26/05/2017 22:03

No HV has ever mentioned about vit d drops, neither did any of the hospital midwives or doctors, nor the consultant. Weird if it's official advice and important. I don't know of anyone who gives vit d drops.

Good that formula contains vit d in the necessary amounts as part of the ingredients though.

londonrach · 26/05/2017 22:09

Assassinated..go and question your hv and midwifes as sounds like they might need an update. Strange that they vvv keen on telling us mums this in my area (think all our hv been on same course).

ThePants999 · 26/05/2017 22:17

We also weren't told about supplemental vit D. Quite annoyed about that. We didn't find out until after we'd switched to formula and it was no longer relevant.

OP, we thought BFing was going fine, just hard work, but DS had dropped from 50th centile at birth to 6th after four months. The switch to formula fixed that, made him sleep like a champ and made our lives so much easier.

Hidingtonothing · 26/05/2017 22:24

I bf DD for about the first 5 weeks, before I switched she was unsettled, colicky and seemed constantly hungry despite me having a good supply. DH, who'd done it all before with his eldest two, eventually persuaded me to try her on formula and she was a totally different baby within hours. I was gutted initially but seeing her happy and content sorted that out pretty quickly Smile She's 8 now, very bright, no allergies, very rarely ill and throws bugs off quickly if she is. It will be ok OP Flowers

DrMadelineMaxwell · 26/05/2017 22:28

I completely failed at bf DD1 (bled too much and was ill and couldn't establish feeding - DD ended up under the lights for jaundice after not feeding properly as I was being coerced to keep trying to BF by the midwives and by DH because he'd heard it was the best thing to do.

Meh. She thrived. Is a bright button with good health.

I fed DD2 formula from the start to avoid the same traumatic failure. I do wish I'd tried harder to be fair though.

However, FF DD2 is hale and hearty. My friend's BF to a year old DD has atrocious eczema.

You've given your DC a great start. But it's not the end of the world to have to stop.

vickyors · 26/05/2017 22:29

I breast fed first for over a year. Second time round, I needed to do some bottle. I mixed fed. It worked for us as a family. And me, as a person. You do exactly what you need. Your baby is fed. And you are important too. If it means your family or OH can do a feed- great. No judgement! Bottle feed away- makes no difference between our girls!!

RainyDayBear · 26/05/2017 22:32

I never got anywhere really with BF, so DD was almost fully formula fed. It meant I could share the night wake ups! She's now 16 months and is so clever and happy. To hear some people talk you'd think BF was the be all and end all, but it's such a small part of parenting.

MaQueen · 26/05/2017 23:27

I BF DD1 for the first few weeks. She had dreadful colic, barely slept, reflux, and just always seemed really unsettled and grumpy.

As soon as she went onto formula her colic disappeared, she started sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night and was a much more contented baby.

Nowadays, she's doing really well at her girls' grammar, and has played 2 sports at county level.

DD2 was FF from the word go. She was a dream baby. Slept through at 9 weeks, always contented. Zero colic.

Nowadays, she's in the maths top set at her girls' grammar (just won Gold in the Maths Challenge), is never ill, and plays on two school teams.

I have no idea which of their friends was BF or FF. No one cares.