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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Introducing an occasional formula feed to a breast fed baby, how and when to try first formula feed?

20 replies

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:17

I literally want to use ready made formula when I dont have enough expressed milk but have to be somewhere ( I can't freeze at moment and not enough supply or time stock up for an event in the morning)

When should I try that first bottle? Am wondering if can try this evening before he settles for the night. He is 7 weeks today. I was giving him expressed (refrigerated) this evening as I had 2glasses of champagne but now have something unexpected I have to do in int the morning which could do with saving already expressed milk for.

I don't know why but Im worried about giving it to him before he goes to sleep I suppose because I have breast fed this whole time and keep reading about babies being sick on formula. Would this be a bad idea before night? But then some breastfeeding mums do give formula to make babies sleep at night...?!

I suppose there r 2 questions here...should I not worry about the alcohol?it's been an hour since I finished it. Was12% tho. and when and how should u test out that initial formula feed? Would this evening not be a good idea?

Sorry for poor typing am doing it 1 fingered!

OP posts:

flippyfloppy · 09/09/2011 22:31

Hi, I would feed him tonight rather than give him expressed milk now and use that milk in the morning. I think the amount in your milk would be almost negligible. ( I'm no expert though!)

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:35

Feed him with the formula tonight u think? Thanks. Don't know why I'm so cautious about it. Suppose I feel a little bad too as he loves his milk!

OP posts:

flippyfloppy · 09/09/2011 22:44

Noooo..... Sorry if wasn't clear!! bf him tonight and give him expressed milk when out tomorrow! Avoid the formula for now.

flippyfloppy · 09/09/2011 22:44

Sorry I should have said feed him yourself tonight.

sc2987 · 09/09/2011 22:47

No, she means breastfeed him tonight. The alcohol probably won't be an issue at that level, and then you can save the expressed milk for tomorrow.

flippyfloppy · 09/09/2011 22:48

Thanks SC, that's what I meant ( and my gibberish posts are after just one glass of wine )

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:48

No worries, thanks for replying :) he is out cold at the moment so am nearing 2 hours post drink so don't feel so bad feeding him after a small bit of bubbly.

I might then test him on formula in the afternoon as if he refuses it won't matter as we'll be at home and can have boob instead. He might surprise me and like it which would make the occasional emergency formula feed easier.

OP posts:

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:50

Floppy, I enjoyed my first booze since being pregnant but instantly felt guilty...but god it was good ha ha :)

OP posts:

TitaniaP · 09/09/2011 22:50

I think flippyfloppy meant feed him yourself tonight. iirc - alcohol is absorbed into your breast milk at the same rate as into you blood (at least I'm sure that's what I read) so disappears at the rate of approx 1 unit per hour (hope that helps you to decide if you're ok to feed)

I personally wouldn't give a whole bottle of formula in one go but that's purely because since I've been giving my DS formula top ups ( last two days) he's been bringing up milk more and is going through nappies like there's no tomorrow (and they're green). I suspect cows milk intolerance. That's only my experience though and everyone is different with a different experience.

So personally I would either breastfeed tonight (if you're happy with that) and give EBM jn the morning or give EBM now and then formula in the morning. Just in case it doesn't agree with your LO - you don't want it impacting on your sleep .

flippyfloppy · 09/09/2011 22:56

Glad you enjoyed it! No need to feel guilty, as others have said it will be nearly out of your system now. I have fed on two glasses of wine before, it's nice to chill out after a hard day of b'feeding!

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:56

Thanks it was actually clear but I misread it...probably the bubbles fault sorry flippyfloppy.

I will bf tonight, I thought he would have woken up earlier when would have been more concentrated in my blood/milk. It's not really 2 glasses really as were 2 small glasses....

Good int about interrupting sleep...the alcohol has made me really sleepy!

OP posts:

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 09/09/2011 22:57

Sorry x post....guilty for about 30 mins...but not guilty enough to be thinking about opening the other mini bottle next Friday :)

OP posts:

FormbyDoula · 10/09/2011 13:02

If you are fit to drive, you're fit to breastfeed, as there's only as much alcohol in your milk as what's in your blood, so a couple of small glasses is fine.

Why do you need to use expressed milk/formula when you go out though?

Original poster

JimmyChoo17 · 10/09/2011 15:55

I bf him last night...he had an alert night for a couple of hours mid morning! He never does that! Could be coincidence tho.

Formbydoula, Because the baby couldn't be with me the whole time on this occasion so I wanted to know he was catered for (he was in the end).
Going back to my thread question, I also would also like to know that in the future, I don't just have to have expressed milk for him so if he happily takes the occasional formula feed it would be very helpful even when I am out with him. Not everywhere caters for breastfeeding nor do I want to worry about having to breastfeed all the time as it's proving very restrictive on me at the moment.

Please note I bf him 99% of the time and expressed bottle milk the other1% - before someone flames me for not embracing public feeding!

OP posts:

Maisieskates · 10/09/2011 18:50

I think I'm doing a similar thing to you OP. DD is 5 months old and up until last week was ebf. I feed her 4 times a day and DH gives her a dream feed bottle. As DD needs more and more attention in the days now i was finding it difficult expressing enough milk for the dream feed. I was getting pretty stressed about this until I realised I could top up the expressed milk with formula - in the same bottle. She's taken it no problem and the only real impact to her is that she is now producing less dirty nappies. I'm far less stressed and still feeding 4 times a day and expressing once a day.
I would suggest trying a blend of the two milks when you're unable to breastfeed. That way you should find out if they're ok with formula and not impact your supply ( as long as it's not too often).

snowchick1977 · 10/09/2011 19:05

Hi jimmychoo!

Im in a good position to answer this as i am doing the exact same thing with my daughter today.

She is 9 weeks old tomorrow and ebf. I introduced a tommee tippee bottle for expressed milk when she was 7 weeks old as i wanted my husband to do a feed of expressed milk each night to give me a break of four hours instead of just 2 hours (she is going 2 hours between feeds)

The problem is is that i started expressing and only got an ounce at a time so it took me 4 attempts in the day of 30 mins each (when i got chance) expressing to get enough for one night feed and i havent "banked" any milk, i just use it to have time off from a feed as soon as i have enough.

Anyway, today i introduced a formula feed. I have bought the ready made cartons of sma initially as its only for one feed a day, and to get her used to it. She took 5-6 ounces which seems a lot to me as i cant even pump that over hours. She took it fine and then slept for 2 hours and didnt cue for a feed until 4 hours!!!!! I felt awful!

She was a bit sick after i fed her from the breast but is now back to 2 hours. Her sick was different to normal but nothing to worry about.

My plan is to breast feed apart from one formula feed a day and if i need to express i will do, so potentially i may have enough to leave her with someone else and enough for 2 feeds (evening out?)

I introduced the feed at 11am because i wanted to see and deal with the reaction during the day and not at night. Ill gradually move the formula feed forward until its the 11pm feed, and see how she sleeps with that. I have no issues with her sleep as she sleeps for 3-4 hours through the night so is only up once anyway.

I dont want to stop breastfeeding but i just think that ill be able to have the option of a bottle/formula when i go back to work, whereas if i didnt try her with a bottle now, she may refuse it altogether later, and the id be stuffed.

God ive rambled!

omnishambles · 10/09/2011 19:10

Jimmychoo - am coming late to this but wanted to repeat the adive about trying it for a daytime feed - it can really upset their stomachs the first few tiems and upset their sleep ime - lots of wind and constipation and you dont want that during the night.

FormbyDoula · 10/09/2011 20:13

Sorry, I didn't want to make you think I was trying to start a public feeding debate! I was just curious.

I expressed milk when I was BFing my twins, so that they could have that as their dream feed and so that my mum could do the same as your husband - do one of the night feeds so I could get a decent block of sleep (I only got that once a week though not every night!). It was a life-saver.

I gave my twins a bottle of ebm every night from about 4 weeks old. Then at 3.5m they just refused completely to have a bottle and never had one after that! Tinkers

omnishambles · 10/09/2011 21:14

ooh formbydoula is that you? hadnt noticed this namechange before...

FormbyDoula · 10/09/2011 21:21

Er yes, it's me!

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