moving from breast to bottle

[georgep]

Hi
Just joined mumsnet and found some useful words - keep up the good work!! However be very grateful of some advice...

First baby born in January and from the start had problems breastfeeding - cracked/shredded/extremely painful nipples even though DS was latched on properly. Was ready to give up at 2 weeks but then discovered nipple shields & lanolin ointment and was able to continue whilst they healed. I have had thrush, blocked milk ducts, milk blisters, nursing blisters and suspected mastitis during the first 3 months so am really pleased to make it as far as I have with the breast feeding.

3 weeks ago I introduced a bottle which has been remarkably well received by DS (guessing that's down to the shields) and have managed to replace 2 feeds so far - 10am and 6pm. I want to replace a 3rd but so far my milk supply doesn't seem to be reducing. Breasts are hard, full and uncomfortable at the night feed (any time between 10pm and 2am) so I don't feel I can replace that one, similarly if I replaced the 2pm feed they would be even worse at night... ???

Does anyone have any advice to get through this stage???? I am desperate to be completely off the breast as I am still suffering the occasional painful hard lump and blockage.

Welcome to Mumsnet! Don't have any magic answers, but just wanted to say congratulations on persisting with the feeding for this long - must have taken real strong will. Hope you have patted yourself on the back!

I have been unfortunate enough to get struck by mastitis twice in the time I've been breast-feeding, and I have to stay that if you are still suffering from blockages, it sounds as though you might be cutting down too quickly (3 weeks doesn't sound that long in the life of a breast if in that time you have cut down two feeds). So ironically you might have to keep going with the feeding a bit longer in order to reduce the likelihood of blockages, and cut down very gradually.

Obviously this isn't medical advice and I'm not at all medically qualified, but hope it helps. Have you seen /talked to a breastfeeding counsellor about minimising the likelihood of lumps and blockages? I could give you some links if that would be helpful.

Hope there might be some others out there with some more advice too.

Thanks Wigeon - much appreciated.

Thanks for the encouragement. Other people (and my lovely hubbie) have said the same but as a mum you'll do anything to give your baby what he needs eh?

I have spoken to NCT, La Leche and a local HV who all advise differing the positions and ensuring correct latch on etc and I go a couple of weeks with nothing and then one appears.

A friend of mine suggested going completely cold turkey as she reckons the pain (& milk) goes within a couple of days. I think I am going to stick with alternate feeds for now but he does seem to be going off my milk - he seems bored, distracted and wriggles and squirms on those feeds but is perfectly relaxed with the bottle. Oh it's so complicated!!

Have breast fed for 6 months exclusivly. Tried the bottle a couple of times when he was littler, was okay with it. Now he goes nuts at bottle and dislikes the taste of formula.

Trying a trainer cup with a little bit of liquid. Has been playing with it and tasting it but spits it out.

Any tips.

I'm in a similar position...I've breastfed my son for 11 months and want to start weaning him off (my hormones are crazy just now and doc recommends going back on pill to sort them out...this will however have adverse affect on producing milk)...i've tried numerous formulas, even cows milk but he pushes bottle away and attempts to pull my bra strap off....i don't know what else to do other than keep feeding him and deal with haywire hormones....

Do you express at all?

If you really want to stop breastfeeding, you could give all bottle feeds and express milk, gradually increasing time between expressions until production reduces. The baby is the best stimulus for milk production so a pump might slow down your production.

It is a shame you are now stopping as you have got through the worst part of it and you should be getting to the stage where you find it enjoyable.

Do you have any good feeds and experiences?