How to switch from breast to formula (5 week old baby)

[CorBlimeyTrousers]

I don't 100% know that I want to stop breastfeeding but I 80% think I do for a number of reasons (some medical) that I won't go into now because I don't want to write an epic. One of the barriers is the actual logistics of giving up breastfeeding and I'd like some advice on that.

This is a personal choice I know that not everyone would agree with and what I'm really looking for is some practical advice on how to reduce/stop rather than reasons to keep breastfeeding.

Currently my son has 7 or 8 feeds per day. Five or 6 are breastfed and 2 are formula since about a week ago - these are a late night feed my husband does and another feed roughly in the middle of the day (feed 4 or 5 counting feed 1 as the first feed after midnight).

I think I have a lot of milk (presumably making stopping more difficult) and since adding the formula feeds my breasts often get very full and uncomfortable over night especially if the late night formula feed is later than usual and this makes me nervous that dropping more feeds will be difficult. My right breast is usually more full than the left (the right breast is always the one I have struggled with).

I am also worried that the full breasts mean my son is getting more of the sugary milk at the start of a feed and less of the fattier milk. His poos have been a bit dodgy recently and he has a very sore bum. I worry the more feeds I drop the worse this problem will be. Any thought on this?

As I drop one or more feeds should I keep the existing formula feeds at the same time, meaning I would have consecutive formula feeds soon? Or should I attempt to space the breast / formula feeds as evenly as I can throughout the day as I reduce feeds, by moving around the formula feeds? That is - is it the overall balance of breast / formula that will reduce my breasts feeling overfull or do my breasts 'know' the typical timing of feeds (although with a 5 week old this can vary very considerably)?

Also I'm not sure how long to leave before dropping feeds. I have read 3-7 days but if I leave a week for each feed I'll still be breastfeeding him at 11 weeks having decided to stop at 5 weeks. I wondered what other people's experience is?

I hope this all makes sense. I would appreciate any advice or experience please. A lot of the information online assumes you are stopping breastfeeding a much older baby. I think if I could easily switch to formula tomorrow I would and I feel a bit 'trapped' by breastfeeding which I also think is having an impact on my mental health (one of the reasons for stopping). I never considered when starting that it might be difficult to stop.

Thank you for any advice.

Firstly, don't worry about the whole foremilk/hind milk thing as it doesn't work how you've described. The dodgy poos and the sore bum could be for a huge variety of reasons, or for no real reason at all - baby digestion is a mysterious thing!

The reason for dropping breast feeds slowly is to minimize the risk of getting mastitis. You could try leaving 3 days between dropping feeds and see how you get on. You could also hand express a little if you get too full, although only enough to relieve the immediate discomfort a bit. It could be a good idea to change which feeds are formula to help with that process, so that you're not going a really long time between breast feeds to begin with.

Thank you. That's helpful.

A couple of things:

oversupply have a look at this website about this as you may be find following the tips helps you a bit more Kelly Mom website

mental health feelings of being trapped is quite a normal feeling tbh and this feeling transforms over time in to a huge feeling of responsibility. Even formula feeding has this responsibility so have a think if feeling trapped is because of just BF or becoming a parent as a whole. I remember feeling very overwhelmed by it - all eyes on me and not DH and I wanted to walk a few times, not because I didn't love them both but because I felt others could do it better. I talked to my HV who was good as were several friends who said they felt similar.

bf to ff as pp said, you will need to leave a gap as you drop feeds and be prepared for full boobs. I found that at 5-6 weeks it was the hardest as boobs are just getting used to supply. I had over supply so would keep dd on the same boob for two feeds. I remember at 6.5 weeks I changed my mind and didn't want stop. Everything seem to settle from 6week + which I've since heard is really common. With breastfeeding, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You could successfully mix feed and still feel like you have a bit of space.

Congrats on your baby OP

Thank you. I know stopping bf won't solve all my problems but I admit I do have some doubts about stopping too (thus the 80% decided rather than 100%). Bf could offer the potential to be a better way of feeding but no guarantee. Bf is still difficult and somewhat painful (despite seeking advice on latch and having his tongue tie cut) and Bf is a big component of my current anxiety for a number of reasons. Currently when I bottle feed my son I enjoy it more.