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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Mixed feeding back to fully breastfed possible?

31 replies

Xena · 09/07/2006 19:56

DS 12wks old is currently about 60/40 breast/bottle. I don't seem to have problem with supply, can I increase it back up to fully breast fed? He is much happier after BF and settles better less windy etc.

OP posts:
moondog · 09/07/2006 19:58

No rrason why not,if you are committed!
Hope Tiktok or Mears see this to offer more expert advice.
Ceck out the archives too as lots of threads on this.

Out of interest,why did you go the formula route??

throckenholt · 09/07/2006 20:02

just cut down the formula and increase the number of breast feeds - either gradually over a few weeks, or the other way it to go to bed with him for the weekend and feed him whenever he wants it.

Pretty much the more you feed the more you make - it will just be a bit like a big growth spurt - you may take a few days to adjust but should be able to do it.

And make sure you drink plenty of water

Original poster
Xena · 09/07/2006 20:04

He is baby 4 (ds8, dd4, dd2) and I'm back childminding when he hit a growth spirt at 8wks I was topping him up with formula and then also formula when mindees there after school. to give an example DD1 goes to nursery at 1pm back home and DD2 into bed for afternoon sleep make cup of tea sit down 1.15pm DS2 feeds until 3.15pm pick up DD2 from sleep round to school to pick up DS1 and DD1 then back home Ds2 hungrey again.

BTW he is gaining huge amts of weight 8wks he weighed 10 13 10wks 13 8.

OP posts:
Original poster
Xena · 09/07/2006 20:11

If I offer breast feed first and then top up on bottle will my supply increase enough to stop needing the formula?

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CantSleepWontSleep · 09/07/2006 20:14

A friend wanted to do this, and she was advised to put baby to breast for 15 mins before every bottle feed. Baby may get upset at lack of milk and whinge, but it is the way to stimulate more, and baby will soon calm down once given bottle again.

Congrats btw - I obviously missed your birth announcement. (I used to be Tabs)

SenoraPostrophe · 09/07/2006 20:17

yes possible.

I did it with dd at about 4 months. I essentially spent about 3 days just feeding and feeding, most of it was lying down in a quiet room and feeding because she would just get distracted on the settee.

I did try just cutting down bottle feeds but that was v stressful - would recommend the cold turkey approach!

SenoraPostrophe · 09/07/2006 20:18

...just saw your last post - no don't top up with formula. For one thing they just drink the formula whether they're hungry or not so you won't know when you can stop the top-ups and for another it may increase his impatience with the breatfeeding.

Original poster
Xena · 09/07/2006 20:19

Hi csws I didn't post one as I was offline for about 6mths!

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Original poster
Xena · 09/07/2006 20:21

He prefers breast tbh, he fights the bottle and gives himself wind.

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lorna3586 · 09/07/2006 20:34

I had a uterous infection after giving birth so i was put on antibiotics, breastfeeding has been sore from the start for the usual reasons cracked nipples and what have you, but it started getting unbareable my midwife and health visiter said it was normal and that after 4 weeks it would be better, it didnt get better so i went to the breastfeeding clinic and they told me i had thrush which you can get through taking antibiotics by this time id started introducing formula and was very close to switching completely as i was in agony every time i nursed my ds thankfully i didnt and had the thrush treated but my milk supply had got so low that ds was 80% bottlefed anyway with time and without realising i managed to build my milk supply up so that he was just breastfed. So its definatly possible and quite easy if you give it time. Whenever hes hungry put him to your breast even if you havnt had a let down and know its not likely any milk will come and let him suck for a bit before giving him a bottle that way you'll slowly start producing milk for each feed. Sorry ive gone on abit just thought id share my expirience. I really enjoyed breastfeeding and miss it terribly my milk supply dried yp when i was in hospital having my apenics out ds is 10 months though so not too bad...sad i didnt make it till he was one as i planned

moondog · 09/07/2006 20:37

Oh Lorna,you did a fantastic job!!
Well done

Original poster
Xena · 09/07/2006 20:41

lorna really well done. I've never made it to 10mths with any of mine I'd really like to make a year this time. You reasons for introducing formula much better than mine

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glassofwine · 09/07/2006 20:53

Xena - when DS1 was about 12 weeks old I decided to stop bf altogether as he was baby no 3 and DD2 was only 11 months when he was born - life was hard. After two weeks of guilty feelings I decided to try to go back to bf. Even after no feeds for two weeks he got some milk straight away and after about 7 - 10 days was fully bf again. It's amazing what your body can do.

lorna3586 · 09/07/2006 21:19

wow cant believe that after 2weeks..thats amazing. I wish id tried that...its been a month now doubt i have any milk. I found bf hard as my son got older he would get distracted and start riggling and then when his teeth started coming through id get nipped when feeding...mums who manage to bf till there babys are one are brilliant. I think im going to find it hard to feed my next baby till there one but im determined to do it. Its so easy when there new born they just feed so contently. But i do miss the night time feeds he didnt riggle or bite then. Hed make lovely content little sound as he fed..oh i really miss it!!!!i want another baby just so i can breast feed again!

glassofwine · 09/07/2006 21:28

Lorna, i know the feeling DD1 used to turn away from the breast and clearly didn't want it, so I went onto formula. I know lots of people would have something to say about, but anyway I felt I had no choice and felt very sad. I knew we'd go on to have more, so held on to that thought, but it does feel hard to let go at the time.

mears · 09/07/2006 22:35

Xena - if you are giving regular bottles of formula then reduce them by 1oz at a time over a number of days. If you can fit in any expressing, that will also increase your supply.
I helped a friend of mine return to exclusive breastfeeding after she was encouraged to introduve formula because her baby has lost exceesive weight. Baby was 10lb when she was born and was also a 'happy starver' which meant she did not demand feeds. She slept all night at 3 weeks which was not good. Friend expressed milk to increase her supply and also set her alarm to wake baby for night feeds. She kepy a bottle of EBM as a feed mid-day because it suited her. I showed her how to hand express which was faster and more effective than the pump. It took a few weeks but she was able to reduce the formula to nothing then exclusively fed till 6 months. It certainly can be done.

foundintranslation · 09/07/2006 22:40

Xena, just to add my voice. Due to bad advice in hospital ds was mixed fed from 3 days - I'd always planned to exclusively bf but then he started refusing my breast - never completely, but too often for him to be feeding successfully. Anyway, we got off the formula again by 4 weeks. I would try him at my breast at every feed, and express after almost every feed, and if he refused I would give him EBM or (if I didn't have enough, was never a champion expresser) formula. I never had to wake him for night feeds - he did that himself... If your supply seems OK that's a very good sign (I think I also had some probs with supply) and I'm sure you can do it. Good luck.

eidsvold · 09/07/2006 22:59

I did it with dd2 - she started out mixed feeding - took a while for my milk to come in - and then she was fully breastfed. I just decreased the no of bottles and went from there.

Original poster
Xena · 10/07/2006 22:07

It has gone well today although he did get abit frustrated this morning at 10am when there wasn't much there, so gulped 6oz. 2pm fed well and settled really well for a good sleep as he wasn't sleeping. I think in the last 24hrs he has had 14oz of formula compared to 4 bottles of 6ozs (drunk between 4 and 6) so about a cut of 6ozs. Mears do I need to wake him if he gains good weight (he is about 15/16lbs at 12weeks)

OP posts:
Original poster
Xena · 10/07/2006 22:32

If I don't wake him is it going to take longer to re establish breast only?

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mears · 11/07/2006 11:11

There is a possibilty that if youi don't wake him it could take longer. What you could do though is wake yourself in the middle of the night and express if you don't want to wake him. You need to up your milk production and that is only done by stimulating the breast. Are you expressing inbetween feeds? You want to be feeding or expressing 2-3 hourly during the day just to get your supply boosted.

tiktok · 11/07/2006 11:35

I agree with mears. Four hourly feeding and no feeding/expressing in the night just won't go anywhere near restoring a full supply....but you can then 'ease off' when the milk is back

LaDiDaDi · 11/07/2006 16:21

I have been reading this thread with interest as i am mixed feeding after dd was born prem and didn't grow on my breastmilk alone (previous posts a while ago, kindly offered lots of advice).

She has been having three bottles of low-birthweight milk per day but I'm keen to get her back to fully or nearly fully breastfed now that her weight is ok (just above 2nd centile now). One of my probs is that I'm just crap at expressing and it's a complete pain to try to bottlefeed then express three times per day, so much so that if i can't reduce the number of bottles then i might just go to formula entirely which may seem illogical but would make life soo much easier than the current set up. Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed again

tiktok · 11/07/2006 18:04

Great you've made progress, Ladi.

Without more info (age of your baby, how much bf you are doing, and so on) it's hard to say what you could do....but the same principle applies: not breastfeeding and/or not expressing enough will lead to a dwindling of supply. The minimum frequency the breastmilk supply needs to be stimulated is 8 - including at least once a night.

Knowing this might help you do the maths

LaDiDaDi · 11/07/2006 18:12

Thanks tiktok, here is some more info.

DD is 9 weeks now but is actually just two weeks past her due date and weighs 6lb 6oz, double her birthweight. She has three formula bottles per day, taking 60-90mls each time. I either give her her first bottle at 9ish in the morning or at midday and give her other late afternoon and 11ish at night. I breasfeed her twice overnight and about two or three times during the day as well as expressing each time I give her a bottle. Sometimes I also give her a bottle of ebm at some point.

It's the expressing that's getting me down as it's a time consuming faff and I only manage to get 30mls each time despite using electric pump. Have tried hand expressing with no real success.