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Infant feeding

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

Is he ready to give up breastfeeding?

2 replies

ThisTimeNextYearRodney · 24/06/2012 21:48

DS2 is 9 1/2 months, and has recently started to seem like he is favouring bottle feeds over breast. I had to introduce the bottle at 3 1/2 months when I went back to work (took 8 weeks of trying), so he had bottles in the night 3 nights a week, but at that point it didn't seem to affect how much he wanted to breastfeed - even if he had just had a bottle, he would want a feed from me as soon as he saw me.

I started days 3 weeks ago, 3 days a week, so will give him a feed at about 6 then go to work, then he has bottles all day including his bedtime feed (which is my favourite, cos he's so snuggly, and it's the only feed that he isn't wriggling around like an octopus!). I sometimes do 3 shifts in a row, so he only gets the morning feed and during the night for all that time, which now seems to have made him prefer the bottle, and for the last few days after a feed he still seems unsettled and does his 'milk' cry. He also goes crazy when he sees anything resembling a bottle.

Just realised how long this is, so will wrap it up. Should I continue feeding him myself, or should I start giving him one bottle a day? I'm worried that it will stop him wanting milk from me at all, and I really wanted to get to at least a year

Sorry for rambling!

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ICompletelyKnowAboutGuineaPigs · 25/06/2012 00:25

Bottle feeding is easier for babies, they work less hard to get the milk, so I think this is fairly common in combined feeding situations. I would go with whatever works best for you, your baby and your family life. You've done a fantastic job getting this far so if you do stop don't feel bad. You could also keep expressing so that he still gets BM?

I fed my DD for 2 yrs but she absolutely refused to entertain the idea of a bottle so I'm actually a bit jealous.

Good luck. HTH a bit.

ThisTimeNextYearRodney · 25/06/2012 07:56

Ironic really, as I was so desperate to get him on the bottle as I was signed off work until he did, and now it has usurped the boob!

I'm appalling at expressing, would be a hell of a lot of work for less than one feed, and I don't really have time what with full time work and DS1. He still has night feeds, and I'll stick with breast for that and bedtime, probably give him one bottle a day. JUst a bit Sad about it (not that I have to give him a bottle, just the idea that he might not want breast)

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