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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

8mo and considering starting mixed feeding - struggling mentally with pgp

12 replies

Londonrungirl · 31/08/2024 12:48

Hello,

Wanted some advice. My baby has been EBF so far and we’ve had our fair few ups and downs with fast let down, reflux and lots of crying. We are in a better place with feeding now but still feed on demand so it doesn’t really feel it’s got much easier.

I’ve still got post partum pelvic girdle pain so struggling quite a lot mentally now. So trying to sort that with physio and osteo but also contemplating other things that may be able to help.

LO unreliably takes a bottle from me or his dad but it’s quite hit and miss - often it’s just the odd 60ml or so I pump from one side and we are a bit inconsistent with it because it often ends up being wasted which I then worry I’m removing from his supply. If I go out he sometimes takes a bottle but sometimes doesn’t so I’m still tied to about a 3 hour window. He’s on solids but taken to them slowly so we are just building thaf up.

I think I have two options and just wondering about insight;

  1. Try and increase my supply to be able to pump one extra feed a day, I used to be able to pump 100ml or so from one side in 5 minutes but I sort of stopped pumping and think it’s less now. I wonder if I could increase supply so that I can pump once a day and actually create a big bottle for him without taking away from his supply. I can then maybe freeze the excess if I don’t end up giving it to him. Does anyone know how you do this alongside ebf? He often only feeds on one side but still quite frequently including overnight so I rarely feel “full”.

  2. I start doing one formula feed a day - could be the night feed or one before bed. This might help him take a bottle more regularly from his dad or my mum enabling them to help a bit more when I’m physically struggling. Maybe then it will matter less if it’s wasted so we will try more consistently?

However I’m unsure about the formula route as it feels like a bit of a faff to introduce it at this point in time when in a few months he could be drinking cows milk out of a cup. However it does seem like it might make it easier for me to wean if I need to for medical reasons eg taking stronger medications or trying steroid injections. Appreciate the advice - thank you.

OP posts:
Superscientist · 31/08/2024 16:45

I would avoid anything that creates more work for you. I would try to make the formula more regular and go from there.

I ebf until 10 months and had to stop cold turkey. I had been trying to combi feed for 2 months but my daughter developed a severe bottle aversion after the GP prescribed a formula she was allergic too. I probably should have started combi feeding around 4 months but I couldn't formula on prescription and my daughter has a suspected dairy allergy at that point later multiple allergies were confirmed. My daughter had severe silent reflux and I had awful depression and psychosis. It took me being admitted to a mother and baby unit for me to start putting my own health needs above my daughters. It went against every thing my body and what I thought society was telling me but there's a reason you put your own oxygen mask on first in a plane crash. You need your own needs to be met to meet theirs. You have done a brilliant job to ebf as long as you have. If you need a bit of formula to get through now it doesn't diminish what you have achieved.

Original poster
Londonrungirl · 31/08/2024 20:07

Superscientist · 31/08/2024 16:45

I would avoid anything that creates more work for you. I would try to make the formula more regular and go from there.

I ebf until 10 months and had to stop cold turkey. I had been trying to combi feed for 2 months but my daughter developed a severe bottle aversion after the GP prescribed a formula she was allergic too. I probably should have started combi feeding around 4 months but I couldn't formula on prescription and my daughter has a suspected dairy allergy at that point later multiple allergies were confirmed. My daughter had severe silent reflux and I had awful depression and psychosis. It took me being admitted to a mother and baby unit for me to start putting my own health needs above my daughters. It went against every thing my body and what I thought society was telling me but there's a reason you put your own oxygen mask on first in a plane crash. You need your own needs to be met to meet theirs. You have done a brilliant job to ebf as long as you have. If you need a bit of formula to get through now it doesn't diminish what you have achieved.

Thanks so much for your message and so sorry to hear what you went through but so glad to hear you got good support.

Yeah I don’t mind a using a bit of formula - I guess I’m hesitant to stop bf totally - mainly because I'm so reliant on it to calm him down and he’s quite high needs. So maybe there’s a worry there that it’s the beginning of stopping. But I guess that’s ok too.

Silent reflux is such a nightmare and we had a lot of suspected allergies which to be honest I still don’t think we have fully figured out. I think it’s partly why it’s taken me this long to be struggling with the pelvic girdle pain because I spent the first 6 months of my life going mad and round in circles with his various health worries

OP posts:
Chillimuma · 31/08/2024 20:10

I ebf my DC1 until 15 months. I tried to move over to bottle loads of times and he wouldn’t.

DC2 I had some awful MH when they were 11 months and my supply tanked, started bottles and they were so hungry they took bottle really well. 2 months later and I’m doing bottles in the day and BF at night to keep some BF going as I agree it’s magic to have a little of that still going on for emergencies. I vote you slowly intro some formula, don’t bother with expressing x

Superscientist · 31/08/2024 20:30

It was tough to relearn how to sooth her without breastfeeding but within a week or so we had a few new strategies. I collapsed the day before I stopped breastfeeding after dropping to a very low weight and I had very low blood pressure and blood sugars. I was on a limited diet due to her allergies. She wasn't diagnosed with allergies until 17 weeks and it took until then to get adequate reflux treatment. It took months to figure out her main allergens. It was all consuming I couldn't even say my needs came second it was more like 10th!

It was tough having to make the changes overnight, my partner shouldered most of the load to which I will be eternally grateful. I really think if I had been able to get the combi feeding to work at 8 months when we first had dairy free formula prescribed I would have stayed out of hospital. I think at 8 months breastfeeding is so well established I wouldn't worry about finding yourself quickly at exclusive formula, unless that is what you want. You might find that as you go towards 10-11 months that the milk needs reduce and you could drop the formula as the milk demands are what you can breastfeed. This was another complication we had. When I had to stop breastfeeding my daughter was still almost exclusively breastmilk fed and she reduced to wean until about 13 months and she had stopped gaining weight.

Kitkat1523 · 31/08/2024 21:18

Superscientist · 31/08/2024 16:45

I would avoid anything that creates more work for you. I would try to make the formula more regular and go from there.

I ebf until 10 months and had to stop cold turkey. I had been trying to combi feed for 2 months but my daughter developed a severe bottle aversion after the GP prescribed a formula she was allergic too. I probably should have started combi feeding around 4 months but I couldn't formula on prescription and my daughter has a suspected dairy allergy at that point later multiple allergies were confirmed. My daughter had severe silent reflux and I had awful depression and psychosis. It took me being admitted to a mother and baby unit for me to start putting my own health needs above my daughters. It went against every thing my body and what I thought society was telling me but there's a reason you put your own oxygen mask on first in a plane crash. You need your own needs to be met to meet theirs. You have done a brilliant job to ebf as long as you have. If you need a bit of formula to get through now it doesn't diminish what you have achieved.

What age did you start to wean then ? After 10 months?

Original poster
Londonrungirl · 31/08/2024 21:51

Chillimuma · 31/08/2024 20:10

I ebf my DC1 until 15 months. I tried to move over to bottle loads of times and he wouldn’t.

DC2 I had some awful MH when they were 11 months and my supply tanked, started bottles and they were so hungry they took bottle really well. 2 months later and I’m doing bottles in the day and BF at night to keep some BF going as I agree it’s magic to have a little of that still going on for emergencies. I vote you slowly intro some formula, don’t bother with expressing x

Hey - thanks so much. Sorry to hear you were suffering too. Yeah there’s been so many tough times and so many up and downs so far but I’m finding it the hardest at the moment. So definitely need to think about ways to make things easier and take the pressure off a bit. Even though bf itself isn’t a pressure so much but he’s always been very dependent on me to soothe him. Good to hear you managed to do a bit of both also

OP posts:
Original poster
Londonrungirl · 31/08/2024 21:52

Superscientist · 31/08/2024 20:30

It was tough to relearn how to sooth her without breastfeeding but within a week or so we had a few new strategies. I collapsed the day before I stopped breastfeeding after dropping to a very low weight and I had very low blood pressure and blood sugars. I was on a limited diet due to her allergies. She wasn't diagnosed with allergies until 17 weeks and it took until then to get adequate reflux treatment. It took months to figure out her main allergens. It was all consuming I couldn't even say my needs came second it was more like 10th!

It was tough having to make the changes overnight, my partner shouldered most of the load to which I will be eternally grateful. I really think if I had been able to get the combi feeding to work at 8 months when we first had dairy free formula prescribed I would have stayed out of hospital. I think at 8 months breastfeeding is so well established I wouldn't worry about finding yourself quickly at exclusive formula, unless that is what you want. You might find that as you go towards 10-11 months that the milk needs reduce and you could drop the formula as the milk demands are what you can breastfeed. This was another complication we had. When I had to stop breastfeeding my daughter was still almost exclusively breastmilk fed and she reduced to wean until about 13 months and she had stopped gaining weight.

Edited

Gosh you poor thing. I trialled giving up eggs, dairy and oats for a few months and was struggling with hunger. Can’t imagine it going on for months and months. Hope things are easier now

OP posts:
MyOpenEagle · 31/08/2024 21:56

Londonrungirl · 31/08/2024 12:48

Hello,

Wanted some advice. My baby has been EBF so far and we’ve had our fair few ups and downs with fast let down, reflux and lots of crying. We are in a better place with feeding now but still feed on demand so it doesn’t really feel it’s got much easier.

I’ve still got post partum pelvic girdle pain so struggling quite a lot mentally now. So trying to sort that with physio and osteo but also contemplating other things that may be able to help.

LO unreliably takes a bottle from me or his dad but it’s quite hit and miss - often it’s just the odd 60ml or so I pump from one side and we are a bit inconsistent with it because it often ends up being wasted which I then worry I’m removing from his supply. If I go out he sometimes takes a bottle but sometimes doesn’t so I’m still tied to about a 3 hour window. He’s on solids but taken to them slowly so we are just building thaf up.

I think I have two options and just wondering about insight;

  1. Try and increase my supply to be able to pump one extra feed a day, I used to be able to pump 100ml or so from one side in 5 minutes but I sort of stopped pumping and think it’s less now. I wonder if I could increase supply so that I can pump once a day and actually create a big bottle for him without taking away from his supply. I can then maybe freeze the excess if I don’t end up giving it to him. Does anyone know how you do this alongside ebf? He often only feeds on one side but still quite frequently including overnight so I rarely feel “full”.

  2. I start doing one formula feed a day - could be the night feed or one before bed. This might help him take a bottle more regularly from his dad or my mum enabling them to help a bit more when I’m physically struggling. Maybe then it will matter less if it’s wasted so we will try more consistently?

However I’m unsure about the formula route as it feels like a bit of a faff to introduce it at this point in time when in a few months he could be drinking cows milk out of a cup. However it does seem like it might make it easier for me to wean if I need to for medical reasons eg taking stronger medications or trying steroid injections. Appreciate the advice - thank you.

What do you think would be best for you OP?

WhiteJasmin · 31/08/2024 22:13

You can put formula in a sippy cup suitable for the age (one with the spout not the straw) so it can be easier to transition to cow milk later.

Ididntmeantoyou · 31/08/2024 22:25

I’d just give him some formula to give yourself some time off. I’ve been doing that most days since my LO was 8 weeks - now she’s 6 months and it has not affected my supply at all. Some days she gets a bottle, other days just breast milk - there is enough there. I usually give her a bottle when she is fussing and can’t get to sleep. It’s like magic! Your baby will still get 100 percent of breastfeeding benefits. One bottle is such a tiny proportion of what they take in in 24 hours.

ETA If you can get LO to sleep after a bottle feed, you might also be able to rest or even take a nap, which will help you produce more milk, too.

Superscientist · 31/08/2024 22:55

Kitkat1523 · 31/08/2024 21:18

What age did you start to wean then ? After 10 months?

Show quote history

5 months but she didn't start eating until 13 months

Original poster
Londonrungirl · 02/09/2024 12:11

Hello thanks for all the advice.

I think I just want him to reliable take a bottle and I don’t mind too much whether it’s formula or pumped milk. I don’t find pumping that stressful if it’s a small amount - but I don’t love the waste. He’s never been that keen on sippy cups but I haven’t tried milk in one of those yet - just water. So maybe that’s the thing to do. He’s also quite funny about how he accepts a bottle - he doesn’t like being cradled. So the best attempt currently is if he’s in the carrier quite sleepy. But ideally I’d like him to take it before bed so my mum or his dad could more easily put him to bed. Maybe I just need to experiment with a bit of formula and see if he likes it first off or it makes him more likely to finish a bottle.

OP posts:
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