Disadvantages of giving the odd bottle of formula AFTER 6 months please...

[neverquitesure]

Hello, DD is now coming up on 6 months old and is exclusively breastfed. I work part time from home but do have to go to the odd meeting for which I leave expressed milk. This averages out to no more than 1 feed per week.

In the early days I had little trouble expressing this bottle of milk but as DD has got older and my let down reflex has calmed down a bit I find I am finding it harder and harder to express the 6oz I need to bank per week. Currently the only thing that works for me is to pump whilst DD is feeding from the other aide. I can usually get 2-3 oz per sitting this way. Unfortunately this only works in the mornings and only when DS (nearly 2 years old) doesn't want to cuddle up and read a book. Which isn't often!

Ok, bear with me, I shall be getting to the point soon...

There is a course of exercise classes I want to do starting in November when DD will be just over 7 months old. One per week coinciding with her evening feed. I have tried just about everything I can think of to stimulate this lazy let down reflex (I watch videos of DD feeding, do breast massage, the lot!) but realistically I don't think I would manage to express the extra milk I'll be needing.

What would be the disadvantages of giving her formula milk on the occasions when I couldn't express enough milk? Are allergies etc still a concern after 6 months? Be brutal - I haven't booked the course yet so there is still time to change my mind!

Thanks for getting this far

Would you be planning on giving her other food containing cows milk at that age? If so then I cant see the harm in what you are suggesting.

That was my thinking bigstripeytiger - she'll presumably be tucking into the odd stick of cheese etc by then.

It just feels wrong somehow and I can't put a finger on why...

I can't see the harm. She will be eating loads of other stuff by then. Its not as if formula is rats poision.

You may well find that your lo refuses the formula and wakes up in the middle of the night for a feed.

Enjoy your excercise class. I did a class in BSl when my baby was 6 months. Things have a way of working out

Thanks reallytired, I had to use formula with DS and he developed my husband's family eczema so I'm a bit paranoid. DD is the only child in his extended family to escape it so far!

If there are no allergies etc in the family, then formula once a week isn't going to adversely affect your supply. And I agree with reallytired, it's not unlikely that she'll refuse the formula and has an extra feed when you get back.

None at all, just go for it.

Even easier is to start giving them formula in a little cup rather than a bottle and bypass bottles altogether!

I have eczema and dd1 had it as a small baby but it settled. I have it fairly severely. As a result I have avoided formula completely as well as any cows milk until after a year. Dd1 is now 9 and has perfect skin. Dd2 is 19 weeks and I'm going back to work full time in a month. You could express enough if you did it daily. By the sounds of it 2-3oz a day would be enough. You could get the freezer bags and build up a weekly stash. Expressing gets easier if done regularly as your body gets used to making the extra as part of the supply/demand.

Ahh, it would actually be quite nice if she did refuse the formula in favour of good old Mummy milk. Hubby may not agree

I quite like the cup idea, I seem to remember giving DS water in a cup at about that age but it all seems sooooooo long ago already!

Only just read your post mollycuddles - I had previously considered avoiding all dairy but had decided against it, so your post makes really interesting reading.

It's not really a supply issue with me, it's a let down one. I struggle to get my milk to let down even when I have skipped a feed and poor booby is full to bursting. It's so frustrating. I do try to express every morning but DS usually likes to cuddle up too and we usually end up getting milk everywhere!!!

I did this with both children and it didn't interfere with me breastfeeding both until they were well over 2.5years old. I just looked upon it as another type of foodstuff.

If you're not planning to avoid dairy, I don't think there's any harm. Continuing to breastfeed is good for your DD and for you, but there's not much difference between her having an occasional bottle of formula and her having the occasional yoghurt or bit of cheese.

It's the avoiding dairy which is key. If you want to do so, avoid formula (maybe consider goat's milk). If not, it's fine.

If she has cheese, and cow's milk on cereal etc, then formula is not introducing anything new. I guess you may want to avoid it on the basis that you wish to avoid processed foods, but if you use other processed foods then it's a little hypocritical!

She continues to get the benefits of breastfeeding for as long as you feed her for anyway.

But if you wanted to avoid it altogether, how long is the course? Is it not possible you could just feed her before or after it and avoid the need to leave any milk at all?

What pump are you using? Can you feed and pump at the same time? It may well be overkill but it is possible to avoid formula. I just want to feel I did everything possible to prevent problems from developing. I've found with my medela swing that the let down works better now with practice. I just need to think about dd2 and so yoga type breathing and we're off but a month ago it was a real struggle. Good luck.

Sorry - have been manic-busy all day today!

BertieBotts - I'll have to leave at 6:40 and won't be home until 9ish. She'll usually fairly flexible and will go up to 4 hours between feeds but is a bit of a diva when it comes to her bedtime routine. DS goes to bed at 7 and if she doesn't get her feed by 7.15 we have baby tantrums! Any other feed would be fine, it's just that one! For example, she had a feed at just gone 6 this evening but was furiously rooting for her bedtime feed an hour later. Oh and no, I'd never use processed food. Oh no, not me

StarlightMcKenzie - I think the water thing might work if I did decide to delay giving dairy. After all, I'm pretty sure her bedtime feed is more about comfort than food (see above!)

Mollycuddles - an old Avent Isis electric pump, although I do find it easier to pump manually at first then switch to the electric attachment once the milk is coming. At the moment I can only really pump when DD is feeding from the other side, which is a bit limiting as DS (almost 2) likes to sit and cuddle up with a book on the other side. Problem is he likes to 'help' with the pump so it's only really a practical option when he's napping or engrossed in something else. I have considered that my pump could be part of the problem but am a bit reluctant to fork out for a new one in case it doesn't help. Anyone know how much it costs to hire one?

Haha, no judging from me on the processed food front. DS who was weaned lovingly in the BLW fashion on spaghetti bolognese et al from scratch now flatly refuses to eat anything which is not coated in luminous orange breadcrumbs