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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

switching from bf to formula help!!

11 replies

cricketqueen · 10/05/2015 05:21

Hi. I've been ebf my dd for the last 11 weeks and although we've had a few tough time have really enjoyed it. However it looks like I'm going to have to switch to formula due to health issues. I'm dreading this so would like to do it as gradually as possible and I was wondering if you had any advice. Dd has reflux so I want to ease the transition as much as possible for her. I'm dreading losing the bond we have while feeding but needs must I suppose. I need her to be ff by 6 months really. Any help would be great and any reassurance that it's not going to harm dd or our bond.
Thanks

OP posts:
tiktok · 10/05/2015 08:59

Cricket queen, can you share the health reasons for switching to formula? Sometimes women are advised to switch and they absolutely don't need to and their hcp has given them incorrect info.

Of course there are some reasons which are irrefutable and there is no choice.

If you switch, then of course your bond can be the same. Check out paced bottle feeding and see how ff can be responsive and close. Hold your baby skin to skin when you ff, and have the same sort of snuggly togetherness you have now. It will be pretty close to bf :)

Original poster
cricketqueen · 10/05/2015 09:13

I'm having a couple of operations on my upper abdomen. One to remove my gall bladder, then I may need stents to remove any existing gallstones in my ducts. I've been in and out of hospital since I was 20 weeks pregnant with jaundice and severe pain. The doctors have said I may need to stay to be monitored and put on strong antibiotics. They have also put me on a restrictive diet which I don't want to affect my dd through my milk.
I'm also not sure if I would be able to bf through an attack as she gets bigger as holding her can be quite painful.

I will take a look at the things you have mentioned. Thankyou

OP posts:
tiktok · 10/05/2015 11:33

Sounds like a hard time :(

Your restrictive diet won't affect your milk.

There are some antibiotics where caution is advised when bf but there is usually an alternative. Call the drugs in breastfeeding helpline for more info.

Concern about an attack while feeding applies whether you bf or ff or are just holding her, unless I am misunderstanding.

It does sound that it would be worthwhile thinking hard about switching before you do, esp as you are so sad about the prospect.

Hope this helps.

mapetitpuce · 10/05/2015 12:42

Sorry you need to change to ff (rather than really wanting to). Does DD take a dummy or a bottle? I guess that will be the first hurdle to overcome if you do decide to switch. You've already given her 11 weeks of your milk which is really fantastic Star

squizita · 10/05/2015 12:51

OP I have different health needs but one of my symptoms is severe pain radiating from my back to my abdomen. I found a breastfeeding pillow taking the weight of the baby helps with feeding now dd is bigger. What I do is put her on the bed or sofa, sit down, position a v pillow round my waist and rest the baby on it. It takes a while to switch boob, but I feel safe even if I flinch, the pillow holds her weight and she's strong enough to hold on to me iyswim (it's not a dramatic flinch btw - just being cautious with my pfb). Grin

However you have to do what's right for you. If you feel you'd be more comfortable as a ff mum then do that: worry about health and bf is v stressful! Been there! In my case I have decided to bf till 1 only even though in an ideal world I'd natural term bf. This is because I want the option of v strong pain relief and anti coagulants next winter. To me, once she's older, a mum who can play and so forth will be vital for bonding. However until then I have been ok BFING.

squizita · 10/05/2015 12:51

As Tiktok says I use the pillow breast feeding or bottle/beaker feeding. It works for both. Smile

Blarblarblar · 10/05/2015 13:01

Sound like your having a pretty hard time.
I've been cutting out now for over a month. I drop one feed every week and replace it with a formula feed. The swlen boobs are bad but they go down. DC is 6 months and is also reflux he has actually not been as bad as was expected and doesn't seem bothered. I am but that's a different story Sad
Good luck with your operations I hope you get well soon.

NewMumSept2014 · 10/05/2015 20:20

I don't know if this helps at all, but I also had to stop BF at 5 months due to sudden health issues. I didn't have time to plan things so just one day had to stop BF and change EBF baby to formula, cold turkey. It was a little sad for me, as I had planned to continue for a while, but I can honestly say that altho I was really worried about how DD would react (she hadn't even had bottles of expressed milk very often) she really didn't even notice. As long as she gets food she doesn't seem to care where it comes from. I had to continue expressing when boobs got really engorged for a few weeks to prevent mastitis, but it was much more straightforward than I had thought it would be.

Original poster
cricketqueen · 11/05/2015 09:23

Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to carry on bf till 17 weeks and then I'm going to slowly introduce formula. This gives me 8 weeks to wean her off the boob. My dd will take a bottle and a dummy so hopefully it won't be too much of a fight.

OP posts:
Blarblarblar · 11/05/2015 10:13

Good luck cricket I'm sure she will be fine.

coniferssilhouette · 11/05/2015 18:05

If you would rather not wean her onto formula it is possible not to, I've had my gallbladder out whilst feeding my son, had stents in etc. and it all been fine. Gallbladder pain is bloody awful! I hope you feel better soon! xx

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