Is there a recommended schedule for moving from breast to formula?

[mariael]

My son is 6m and I am ready to move from breast to formula. I have enjoyed very much although I shudder to recall those 1st 6 weeks :-) He does take the bottle from his Dad, which has been done 3 or 4 times in the evening. Was wondering is there a right time of the day to substitute. My instinct is the evening when my breasts arent exploding, but then is that not supposed to be the best milk? many thanks for advice

I don't think the evening is the best milk its more about the hormone that encourages milk flow is more prevalent during the night.... I think...

Are you wanting to completely change over? We found mixing was great. Mainly cos I was very laxy in the mornings and would rather lift my top than make a bottle!

Why are you changing? Cos if its so others could feed you should start with feeds where dad or others are around to do it. If its cos you're knackered [no shame there!!!! Thats why we did a bit of bottling!] maybe start when most convenient for you. If you want to mix feed then maybe every other feed is formula.

If you did want to reduce feeds and wanted to give as much breast milk as possible he'll be weening soon or is weaning and there'll be less feeds anyway....?

I don't know what the 'correct' thing is to do, but I'm (very slowly) moving from one to the other, and I figured I'd be less at risk of blocked ducts etc if I kept as even a time as possible between feeds - i.e. rather than dropping an evening feed and perhaps not feeding between, say, 5pm and 7am (on the odd night DS sleeps through), I dropped a mid morning feed. I started with (roughly):

7am BF
10am BF
12pm BF
2pm BF
5pm BF
7pm BF
night time BF

and moved to

7am BF
10am bottle (he now often doesn't take much, and takes a bit more before his lunchtime nap)
2pm BF
5pm bottle
7pm BF
night time he mostly sleeps through, but BF if he wakes

Next feed to go will be 2pm one, but I keep it up at the moment mostly so I have a decent supply so that if we want to be out and about I can BF him all day instead of taking bottles.

DS is now 8 months, so we've been doing it v slowly, but I think the ideal is to drop no more than a feed every few days, to give your supply a chance to adjust.

None of that is 'textbook', just what's working for us.

Aye, adjust slowly oryour boobs will feel like puffer fish....

thank you for all your messages. Very helpful. Dad travels a lot for work and also have a 7 year old (who has been very patient on sharing her mom... but needs her time too). Went out today to a kids race in the park and with screaming baby .... daughter and no where to sit and breastfeed.... think the time has come. Ahhh but the guilt :-)

You'd need to sit down to bottlefeed too though wouldn't you?

I agree, how would you have gone about bottlefeeding in that situation?

If you're ready to give up breastfeeding and move to formula, start with whichever feeds are most easily substituted with formula for you, your baby and your lifestyle. So far as there's any guidance, I think that's it .

I have been doing this in preparation for DD starting at nursery and me going back to work. My priority has therefore been the day feeds - am quite happy to keep feeding morning and night if I can.

Anyway, I have been following the Gina Ford approach (although do not believe in anything else she says!), which is substitute one feed a week, starting with the mid-morning one. This gives time for boobs to readjust, although lovely rockmelon effect for the first few days and allowed DD to learn the bottle (although I had to top up the first few days and it took a while to find a bottle she would take).