weaning breastfedbaby onto formula - complicated!

[Cathbell]

Hi,

My 9 month old baby has been breastfed since birth, and refused bottle consistently (expressed milk). He has been dropping feeds and shorteningthe ones he takes for the last month and a half to the point where I have been really worried he isn't getting hardly any fluids, and feel my supply is low to non-existent. I read the stuf about how babies rarely self-wean before 12 months, and know that its not self-weaning but a combination of other factors, but having read the stuff on how to get him feeding again I don't have the time or motivation to do it only to start real weaning in a couple of months anyway. I have given him a bit of formula from cups the last couple of days & hes had maybe a couple of ounces a time. I just want some advice on a number of things really. Should I stop offering my breast altogether? Taking into account he gets really frustrated anyway as there is hardly anything there and hes impatient (slow let-down) and then not really interested for long once its there... How may formula feeds per day do I offer and how much in quantity? Should I bother with a bottle or just use a cup? If the cup does this work at bedtime? Do I need to sterilise cups/ bottles?

Sorry this is long but I am really confused at the moment!

Thanks,
Cath

We're kind of in the same boat (my son is 8 months). I guess this is just my opinion, but I don't think you should give up offering the breast quite yet...I've read some things about how they will sometimes go on mini strikes from the breast. At this point I don't think you should try a bottle...use a cup, seeing as though they reccomend weaning from the bottle at a year anyways. We are practicing with the cup as well. I think with practice, he will get better with the cup. I am wanting my son to formula feed from the cup...this weekend I went shopping and did not want to bf him (he gets really distracted and will not feed in public) so I used the cup...let me tell you, when he was hungry, he sure was pretty efficient with it which leads me to believe he would be fine with it at any time. You just need to sterilize the cup the first time you use it...every time after I've just put it in my dishwasher (be careful with valves though..you want to remove them so that they don't collect gunk and stuff when you wash them).

Lurking as I have a similar situation with my 9.5 mo DD.

instead of bottles, you could try straws, sippy cups, normal cups etc. it will save you all the hassle of getting him used to a bottle only to have to change to a cup by 12 months in any case. what does he use for other fluids during the day?
ds1 and ds2 at 9 months were having maybe 3 breastfeeds a day and by 12 months ds2 was only feeding morning and evening. bottle feeding would be similar amounts/times.(dd1 is a different matter lol she always demand fed regularly throughout the day and never cut down!).
I am wondering if your ds has just got more efficient at feeding, so feeds are getting shorter and more spaced out as he is getting more milk each time?

could you manage to keep bf if it was only a few feeds a day like that or are you keen to stop now? at 12 months you could also miss out the whole formula thing altogether and move straight onto cows milk if you wanted to stop bf. if now is the right time for you to stop, then gradually replacing breastfeeds one by one with formula instead (dropping a feed every week for example) will allow your body to slowly adapt nd produce less milk. if you stop altogether all at once,you risk developing mastitis.c so slowly slowly over a few weeks should do the trick

Don't have any answers but just wanted to say we're in a similar position at 8mo. I find LO likes taking water from a doidy cup but not so keen on taking formula.
If you want to carry on BFing do persevere though. We were at a point a week or so ago when I worried that there was no milk left and let down was so slow that I felt LO was getting frustrated but milk supply seems to be back up all of a sudden. I think it does fluctuate.

Thanks so much for all the advice, as commiserationsfor those in the same boat! I think I will carry on with morning and bedtime feds but use a cup of formula to offer 2 other feeds in the day. One of my concerns is that my supply is very low and I think this is true, having not fed at all yesterday and breasts still feel empty... Anyway, will try and keep up a couple of breastfeeds mainly to stave off my own guilt! and see how it goes. After refyusing mky breast mostdays all day, he was hungry for 3 oz of formula twice through the day today so I do think its a feeding problem.

Thanks again for all your help,
Cath