How do I move to formula?

[CheersTearsFears]

My little one is three months. She was six weeks early (small but all fine) and has never been a great feeder although is breastfed most of the time with two formula feeds at night.

She's recently gotten worse at feeding (on and off, seems to feed all day rather than proper feeds etc) and pretty much cries all day and night. She has silent reflux which we are treating but I'm also worried part of the crying is me not having enough milk. She produces plenty of wet nappies and is gaining weight reasonably but something isn't right and I don't know if it's hunger. If I offer formula top ups in the day she takes it but then sicks a lot up.

As much as I would really love to carry on breastfeeding I just can't continue like this and think we need to move to formula. I'd like to still give her two bottles of expressed milk a day to retain some benefits but my main question is about the logistics of formula feeding.

How do you formula feed using the powders when out and about or at night? Is it a case of taking the financial hit and buying the ready-to-go bottles? All the instructions seem so impractical when they say boil the kettle and cool for 45 minutes etc and then use within 30 minutes! I can't do that at home let alone when out!

Also how easy will it be to keep my milk supply enough to express two feeds? She does better from a bottle which is why I plan to do this rather than actually feed her myself.

When you are BF babies go through stages of building up your supply by constant feeding. If your baby is growing and producing plenty of wet nappies then she is getting enough milk. If she is crying might it be the reflux? You should ask your HV. My DS when he was a baby seemed to feed constantly but he did grow like a weed. I also tried to give him formula in the evening at 3 months because everyone said he would sleep better. He didn't and he was always sick in the night when he had formula (about 2 hours later). So I stopped that and stuck with the BF.

I use the ready to go formula. 1 litre bottles at home which are good for 48hrs from opening when kept in the fridge. We just take it out, fill the bottle and pop it in microwave for about 20seconds which brings the milk up to about room temperature; instructions say not to do this in case of "hot spots" but just make sure you shake the bottle to mix once it's out of the microwave and it's fine.
We consciously didn't give him warm milk as we didn't want to then be in a situation when out and about that we would need to warm milk up. He takes it really well like that.
At night and when out and about we use the smaller 200ml bottles and just pour into a sterilised bottle and off we go!

We plan to do this til he's weaned and then might switch to powder... but maybe not.

Life is busy and difficult enough with a baby without adding in the complication of making up bottles.

Best of luck!

You can get plastic pots with sections and a pouring hole to keep the right amount of powder in. Then pour in into a bottle with boiled water from a thermos or wherever you can get boiled water and shake it up. Like these www.kiddicare.com/p/Tommee_Tippee_Closer_to_Nature_Milk_Powder_Dispensers.htm?product_id=545358&utm_source=pla&affiliate=KC-google-shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwxo3OBRBpEiwAS7X62Xr1jg8UV8bLvQKFQ--iFHz_RshPpPI4VVOjthisTUkohAtD3shM3hoCzEgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had the same problem with my daughter. At 6 weeks old she was diagnosed with silent reflux because she would arch her back while crying and fuss for hrs after she ate. We gave her babies magic tea, and it really helped her. I would also prop her for 30 mins after she ate, and try to keep her bedding elevated.