To give baby one formula feed instead of expressing

[LloydColeandtheCoconuts]

My 8 week old won’t sleep unless on chest or in sling. If I put her in Moses basket she sleeps for 5 mins until she realises where she is. As a result bfing can be a fraught affair with a screaming baby and a race against time.
Would giving one formula bottle reduce milk flow drastically?
What are people’s experiences?
Thanks

Sorry for sounding so dramatic!

Sympathies, am in a similar position, and am also considering it. I have got my dh to give a bottle of expressed milk a few times in the evening & it didn’t seem to make much difference to my supply. But that’s just me.

I find evening feeds most difficult, when she’s most restive and I really want her to just Go To Sleep!

Baby won’t take a bottle from me as she knows I’ve got the goods!

That’s not very helpful, sorry.

Some people manage to successfully mix feed, but I would try feeding her laying down side to side and when she sleeps, move away? Issue is dropping one feed means less milk produced then you have to offer more bottles iyswim. I would persist within nursing tbh

Baby wants to sleep in with the warmth and smell of her Mummy! That's not unusual behaviour at all from an eight week old. Adviceplease360 has a good plan!

My friend managed to successful mix feed but cant remember when she started. Think bf needs to be established. Do you have a hv or a breast feeding expert to call on. A couple of the groups i go to have a breast feed councillor who quietly sits at the back and is there to help any new mums. Otherwises try the children centres. Good luck. My dd was ff so cant answer anymore im afraid.

The advice is to wait 6 weeks before mix feeding so you’re fine from that point of view. However, it’s early days so if you don’t BF, you’ll probably get very full and need to express.

Are you thinking of just introducing 1 feed a day or cutting BF right down and moving to formula?

Babies generally don’t like it when they find out you’ve moved them away so you can either use tricks so they don’t notice (hot water bottle to warm Moses basket, muslin that smells of you etc) or they need to go to sleep where they are going to stay asleep (ie fall asleep from awake in the moses basket if that’s where you want her to sleep). Personally I prefer BF lying down and cosleeping, my DD was never fooled by any of the tricks and I found cosleeping suited us much better. DS has never had it any different.

@Adviceplease360 plan worked for us, just make sure she can't roll off the bed or get trapped under any bedding.

We also found that having a hot water bottle in her snuzpod during the feed and then taken out just before you put the baby down worked a treat as there is a warm patch so it isn't a shock moving from warm mummy to cold cot.

We mixed fed, didn't cause any issues - do what is easier for you.

Fourth trimester. Your baby should still be inside you and is looking to recreate that - being held (not flat), rocked to sleep, fed on demand etc. Moses basket doesn't deliver that, so the baby doesn't like it.

I'm not sure I quite understand the problem. Why is bf fraught?

If she falls asleep at the breast it's worth trying to wake her to see if she can pack in a bit more -that might help (blow on her face or tickle her feet) But the transfer to basket is always tricky. Are you opposed to co sleeping?

I did it every now and again when I was going out and didn't have time to express, (I was very shy about feeding I was public to begin with). It depends if you feel like breastfeeding is pretty well established already. If it is you'll be fine.

Having said that gave him 1 bottle of formula at 1 or 2 weeks as I was so desperate once because he hadn't slept all night. I've only just stopped breastfeeding at 21 months so no ill effects.

I mean fed all night

I mixed fed successfully with my dc2. Breast milk as main source of milk up until 8 months (i.e. he had food as well after 6 months)

Dc1 wouldn't have got any time with me if I'd ebf as who has time for expressing with subsequent children?

DGS has been mix fed since 5 days during the day, and DD pumps if she's working on her dissertation and can't break the flow. He seems cheerful enough, although Bad Grandpa has been Spoken To about permitting hiccups.

Thanks for your comments. I like the hot water bottle idea, will try that one.
I’m currently co sleeping and do the night feeds lying down which is working for us at the moment.
I’m happy to keep going with the nursing but bottles are a good way to get DP involved.
I’m happy to hear that some have seen no difference in milk supply.
Thanks again.

but bottles are a good way to get DP involved. lots of other ways for dad to be involved: changing nappy, bringing you water and snacks etc.

I fairly successfully mix fed mine (didn’t have enough milk, despite being assured this was not possible ). In your shoes I would give it a go.
You’ve clearly established bf which is the main thing.

Be prepared for the fact that baby might not be too impressed, at least initially. Might be more successful if your dp tries.

If you do decide to give formula then ready made cartons may be better as if I remember correctly a tub of formula had to be used up within about a week of opening so 1 bottle a day wouldn't use it all up.

There are other ways to get dps involved. Doing the winding, settling etc. at night is a big one of them! But I did have some sympathy for my ex dh wanting to be able to feed his child tbh (and I know it's about the baby's needs not his wants). It also meant I could leave dc with him, which was important I felt!

Fair points titty It sounds like I’m trying to get out of breastfeeding . I really am not. It’s more to do with what I’ll do if I go out in the evening. Expressing our formula? Am still deciding.

DH does the bathing, changing nappies, sling walking and soothing baby after a feed. There is definitely a bond between them as at six months old, our LO will only settle in his side cot for DH (after Mum has supplied the feed off course - still good for something at least)!

Oh sorry, I crossed posts!

I’m happy to keep going with the nursing but bottles are a good way to get DP involved.

Be 100% sure your DP is willing to help with bottle feeds at night before making these plans. Heard plenty of stories from friends who introduced bottles for this reason and ended up with a snoring DP who did nothing overnight.

Your baby is also really young...DD was the same and honestly it's painful but it does pass. By 4 months she was OK being put down alone and didn't require nearly as many feeds especially the evening cluster feeding.

I mixed fed (BF for 2 weeks but it didn't work out for us) by expressing and using formula for the first six months. If you're happy to mix feed then go ahead, one bottle won't make a difference if that's all it is. If it's going to be a regular thing you need to make sure you pump regularly to keep up your supply. So in the beginning for us DD was probably having 90% BM 10% formula. At this stage I was pumping 8x in 24 hours. Gradually over the 6 months this decreased until I was down to one pump a day before I stopped and DD had 100% formula.

Bear in mind also that some ladies can BF successfully but find expressing tough and don't get as much milk off. I could get 6oz in half an hour so I was fine (and BF wasn't a success) but I do know some people who've been the opposite.

If you just want a break from BF - fair enough if you do it's hard work!- and to let your DH have a turn. It are worried about supply, maybe expressing is the way to go rather than formula (if that's what you'd prefer). You have lots of options.

Sorry, just re-read looks like you are leaning more toward formula. One feed a day won't make a huge difference I wouldn't have thought, your supply will drop a little bit but if you're planning on doing one FF a day then it'll balance out. Any more than that though and I'd pump.