Trying to start BF baby on some formula

[joolzr]

Hi all

I've been trying to start my 14 week old girl on some formula. I'm planning a trip back to the UK from New Zealand which involves 26 hours of flying each way. I'm pretty stressed exclusively breastfeeding on the journey and during our busy schedule in the UK.

I started her on a 30% formula, 70% EBM mix which was fine but gave her 50:50 today and she cried. She wasn't that hungry but only took about 40ml in about 30 (stressful) mins. Should I persevere? Will she stop screaming? Should I give up on the mix and give 100% formula?

Any advice gratefully recieved.

Joolz

I hope you don't mind me saying, but if I was flying so far with a baby then the last thing I'd want to be dealing with was formula! The number of threads on how to take formula on flights would put me right off the idea.

Thats not a judgement on your choice at all btw, if you want to introduce formula for whatever reason then yes, do persevere. But if its just because you are worried about BF and the trip then I honestly think that it will be far easier than using formula.

The formula isn't for the flight- I agree it's much easier to BF on the plane. It's for the jet lag afterwards. I have this fear that the baby will sleep on the plane but I won't. Then she'll be up needing feeding every 3 hours and I'll end up going 2 days without sleep... And doing that 4 times! At least if she will take a bottle OH can feed her once and I can get 4 or 5 hours.

hi,

I have very international family which required a lot of visiting to see all of them plus going to different hollidays and i must say that one of the major reasons that i ended up breastfeeding my daughter until she was 2 was because how easy it was to travel with her. It was so easy to comfort her and send her off to sleep compare to all of those crying babies that were on the bottle. I used put a lot of blunkets and pillows around me, feed her to sleep and dose of to sleep as well. Also, when you would have feed yr little one give her to your husband and let him walk around and swing her to sleep and leave you to sleep.

If that doesnt sound right to you then persevire with the bottle and then just express, freeze yr milk before the flight. I have noticed that a lot of babies take time with getting used to the bottle.

It's all really depends whether you want to supllement with formula in general or is it all just because of this one flght? And just to remind you how wonderfull breastfeeding is for yr baby

I do want to be able to supplement DD, and to be able to go out once in a while without her. There are going to be a lot of family demands on me during the month trip and I'm not sure I can manage them all while breastfeeding. I'm expecting to just BF on the plane and am fine with that- it is very comforting for her and will be a lot easier than waiting for the aircrew to supply anything we need. We had a bad trial run to Oz recently where the crew were rubbish and it made the journey so much harder.

I've tried expressing but haven't got a huge supply and find it makes DD really hard work for the rest of the day. So much that it isn't worth the pain for the time out. Also, we will be moving around a lot so I won't be able to reliably store EBM.

Has anyone else started DC on formula and had this problem? What did you do?

Your baby should be fine just going onto the 100% formula for a feed or two a day. It's best to try when they are hungry(or not hungry - depending on baby). Feeding on 100% formula will give you more ease, which it sounds like what your're after. It also doesn't mean that when you return to NZ that you can't return to full BFing.

Probably best not to do more than one feed a day of formula.

I've nannied a 3 month old that had being exclusivly BF. When I started he would not take a bottle of anything, it took six weeks of consistent trying to get him to take the bottle, there was some crying but he did get there with a lot of perserverance.

Hope that helps.

Thanks nanny- that does help. She's a stubborn wee thing. Can't think where she gets it from....