Breastfeeding and weaning.....

[dal21]

Morning all

Have posted some questions on the weaning thread but thought some of you on this thread may be able to give some advice also.

DS is 18 weeks and am starting to read up on (another minefield) of baby information. DS is exclusively bfed and am considering what I do when DS gets to 6 months. I may continue to bfeed (this is most likely initially), however if I don't...what do you all recommend?

Do you switch to formula? If so, which brand/ type to you go for? I have read on some threads not to use follow on milk?
Also - do you continue to give feeds via bottle or introduce a cup?

thanks all!

Morning

I carried on bfeeding after six months and only introduced cows' milk after DD turned one. So I bypassed the need for formula and I'm not sure of the difference between infant and follow-on types. I'm sure someone more expert will be along to help soon.

You can avoid the bottle altogether and just use a cup I think.

If going back to work is putting you off carrying on bfeeding, I can help with tips on expressing as I went back when DD was six months.

It is not recommended to give cow's milk until the child is over a year old.

I BF until DS was 7 months, and switched to formula. F/O formula is fortified with iron, if I recall correctly. I didnt' do follow on milk, and just switched to organic formula.

Also, I found DD needed fewer feeds after six months as we introduced solids into the diet. So if you're considering giving up BF because of the frequency of feeds, it might be worth carrying on for a bit before deciding.

Thanks for the replies.

Oldestcat - am not planning on going back to work yet (and my company are great if I was - they have a room/ fridge for expressing). Nor is it to do with frequency of feeds, there is just a part of me that thinks it may be nice to have my body back for a little while before planning for DC2. I won't give up straightaway though - will see how DS and I both get on.

dal21 - I am going through similar thoughts and under pressure from DH to stop. i think I will just wind down as solids go up and maybe keep morning and evening feeds. I think... not sure. But I am really enjoying BF and feel lucky that it has worked for us which is why I am hesitating and considering continuing.

I got a few comments over christmas re - you will stop all that nonsense now that he is six months. I think that has probably made me more determined to continue . It actually really upset me that someone could call it nonsense

tiddlertiddler - aaarghh it's so annoying and ridiculous that some people still think that feeding your baby beyond 6m is nonsense!That kind of attitude makes me more determined as well to continue -if needs be until ds is at least 15!!

dal21 - with you on that. DD is 14 months and I'd like to stop now. Easier said than done as DD isn't keen on changing things...

I've also had a few stupid comments from people so maybe that's influencing my decision, like tiddlertiddler. Emiliosmum - you've got the right attitude I think!

tiddler/ oldestcat - those peoples comments are bang out of order . fortunately my side of the family is very supportive. Every woman on my side of the family has bfed - some for up to 2 years, so it has actually been really great. My DH has also been really supportive - and says he will support whatever I decide to do. I just know we will probably want to think about DC2 when DS is 12 months old, and I think it would be nice to have my body to myself for 6 months before going through pregnancy and bfeeding again. It isnt easy though as I am enjoying the feeding now - and we are down to 4 a day....so I guess I will see...

With my DS1 I stopped b/f at around 9 months as I was going back to work and like you I felt I wanted my body back for myself. I used cow & gate for no particular reason and then swapped to cows milk at 1.
I am still b/f my DS2 he is 1, and he has 1 feed of cows milk a day.

This time round I really feel much stronger about wanting to continue b/f for as long as he wants as I feel really proud of it.

thanks pippy. do you wish in hindsight that you had bfed for longer or do you believe that it was the rught decisin for you at the time?

right decision even. sorry, feeding ds.

I also planned to BF to 6 months but am still going now DS is 8 months. I can't be bothered with all that sterilising and mixing bottles, far easier to get the boob out! Once DS started solids he fed less anyway, at 8 months he has a big morning and evening feed and usually feeds mid morning and mid afternoon. He has been having water from a cup since about 5 months and will take a bit of expressed milk that way - he just spits out formula!. BF is now very manageable and I don't feel like to milk machine I once was. I think we'll keep going, he'll be going to nursery just after turning 1 so he can have cows milk then.

Dal21
I did miss it for a while but it was the right decision for me at the time. He had never been a great bottle lover but I had to get him to drink from a bottle as I was going back to work and so it just seemed that once we got him that far it was the logical next step.....

However this time round (maybe because he's going to be my last baby) I really want to carry on.

I suppose the things I wanted to do like leave my DS1 overnight to go out clubbing or something are not the things I now want to do.