Giving Colostrum but then switching to Formula?

[ml01omm]

Hi

I am planning on FF from pretty much the offset ( due to a variety of reasons, equally I do not plan on pumping and expressing either) but as a compromise to DH who is pro BF and is worried about the babies microbiome, - I've agreed to feed the baby colostrum for the first 2- 3 days.

Is there anyone else out there who has done this and what was your experience?

Also, wondering will this cause boob confusion? Both for me - in the case of it stimulating the milk to come in properly, which I then won't use?

And for the baby, who will have 2-3 days of actual nipple, but then get switched to a bottle teat? Is there a risk he could reject the bottle?

Not sure but watching with interest as thinking of doing similar. It will probably stimulate your milk to come in, but after a couple of days it will dry up (just might have hard / leaky boobs in the meantime!)

DD (now 3) was bf for a few weeks before I moved to exclusive FF and she had no problems taking a bottle.

I BF for about the first 9 days with both of mine. Then expressed and FF. TBH, I wouldn't bother with the expressing again, as it was more to asuage my (stupid) guilt. Both DC switched to FF first time with absolutely no problems. They are now both happy and healthy children, no allergies etc. Do what is best for you. Happy Mum=Happy Baby. Good luck and congratulations!

I think the main potential problem is sore breasts for you when your milk comes in. But there are probably remedies for that I'm sure someone more experienced will know.
I don't think there will be any problems switching your baby to formula after initially bf though.

Usually your milk doesn’t come in until day 3/4, I think that happens regardless of if you’re actually feeding because it’s triggered by the delivery of the baby and placenta (If I recall correctly). The baby sucking then increases the supply. I know people who haven’t breastfed at all but have still had the engorgement, I think there might be a drug they can give you to suppress it. Otherwise it’s a case of waiting until the discomfort passes. As for the colostrum it’s very wise to give it if you can, if you don’t want to actually feed from the breast you can hand express colostrum. My baby was fed with colostrum in a syringe for the 1st few days. It’s only a tiny amount that actually comes out but it’s very calorie and nutrient dense.

I did it

I wanted to breastfeed both of mine, but ultimately I couldn’t do it past 48 hours as it caused me unbearable pain.

However, they both had colostrum and transitioned on to bottles fine

I have been thinking of doing the same. I only FF DD1 so I thought I would give BF a go this time around, even if it is just for a week or so to get the good stuff into DD2. I was concerned about how DD2 will take to the bottle after FF but its good to know it wasnt a problem for others.

I did it with both mine and it was fine, boobs were massive day4 but I am pretty sure they settled quickly. I went to a christening on day 7 and had a pre pregnancy dress on so they must have (it was a full skirt dress so my stomach fit in it too 😂).
I think I did 3 days BF then onto FF. I could never feed from the left boob, even with plenty of advice from midwives, so ended up in extreme pain as well as bleeding from the right.

I combi fed from day 3. For the first few tries with the bottle my baby would sometimes take a few moments to work out how to suck from it, but always managed to get going with it pretty quickly

Find your local breastfeeding support group or la Leche League. They will be experts and really helpful in supporting you with any issues you have weaning off the breast once you want to switch. You may have issues with soreness once your milk comes in and they can give you advice on how to manage that without a) putting yourself at risk of infection by not removing any of the milk or b) accidentally increasing your supply by removing too much. Don't worry about them being a bunch of judgy breastfeeding obsessives, they are generally very professional and lovely people.

I think your milk will come in either way and then production would ramp up as the demand increases from more feeding, but as you plan to stop once your milk comes in I don’t think you’d have more trouble than if you ff from the start. (Hope that makes sense?)
And I wouldn’t have thought that a newborn baby would get nipple confusion as they are programmed to suck anything; plus a bottle is easier to work than a boob. They tend to get fussy a bit later

If your husband is pro bf it is worth researching paced feeding and feeding on demand as this means that the baby takes in their food in a similar way to bf. (Can’t think of a better way to put it but just to be clear, I’m not trying to offend anyone! )

This was basically me. I bf for 3 days and moved onto bottles after the sheer hell and pain of it all. DD took to bottle immediately, it didn't even cross my mind that she wouldn't. The milk came in and my boobs went really hard. The midwife said to wear a supportive bra and not touch them or try to express and then the milk will dry up, which it did, there was some discomfort there but not as much as my bleeding and scabbed nipples

My experience was exactly the same as @Raaaa albeit I think I switched on Day 4. I was in a bit of discomfort for a few days but I was already taking painkillers because I had a c section so they helped. Definitely wear a tight/supportive bra you don't mind getting mucky though!

I also did this - had to hand express colostrum into tiny oral syringe because baby wouldn't latch. Gave up and bottle fed after 48 hrs. Milk came and went on day 5 fairly quickly - rock hard boobs for a few hours but not unbearable. Just don't do anything to stimulate them.

I did exactly this for two of my 3. Hand expressed colostrum and fed it using a syringe in addition to formula. Once the colostrum started to look milky I stopped. I think at about day 3 or so. Breasts were rock hard and sore for a few days. Middle baby was in nicu and I pumped until day 8 so there was actual milk. Again boobs hard and painful for a few days. None of them really fed directly from me.