Weaning - Am I doing the right thing?

[AliFar]

Recently I deceided I would stop b/feeding my 5 month old dd. My reasons being that over the last 3wks she was feeding 1-2hourly from about 2pm-8pm, I was feeling exhausted and I really felt she may not be getting enough milk from me as she was constantly fussing at the breast and crying etc especially if we were out in public. She also started waking at night.

Over the last week I have dropped 2 feeds - 2pm and 10pm and replaced with formula. She does seem to have spaced out her feeds to closer to 2 - 2.5hrs and is sleeping at night again. I am now wondering if I am doing the right thing. I love the closeness of breastfeeding and most of the time enjoy it - just not so frequently. Is is possible to mix feed at this age or will my supply decrease too much or return to full time breastfeeding - does it get easier and is it possible to get my supply back? Sorry a few questions there.

Mixed feeding should be possible now, your supply will decrease naturally to meet demand. I found this the best compromise for me and meant I carried on BF for a lot longer than if I had bf exclusively. I finally stopped around 10 months.

AliFar - your breastfeeding is well and truly esatblished at 5 months. You have obviously felt stressed out over the past 3 weeks and doubted yourself. If you want to phase out the formula again, just offer the breast at those feeds that you had dropped, or just decrease the bottles by an ounce at each feed and offer the breast as well.
If you prefer you can continue to mix feed as you are. Just don't drop anymore breastfeeds and you milk supply will remain. You might find that as you feel more relaxed your milk supply will be boosted. HTH.

I mixed fed ds from about 6 months. First replacing the two day time feeds with formula and then dropping morning feed at about 13 months and finally stopping at about 17 months. dd was different altogether as she took fright at my reaction to her biting at about 8 months and lost interest gradually thereafter. She dropped evening feed first, before finally giving up at 13 months. She was really difficult to get to take a bottle at all (despite having had expressed bm at least once a week from 6 weeks ) so at least you do not have that problem.

Thanks for all your advice. Your right Mears I have been extremely stressed out over the last few weeks. I think I will continue to mix feed. I'm really pleased that this is an option and think if I hadn't found mumsnet (hadn't heard much about mixed feeding prior to this site) I may have resorted to formula feeding. Thanks again everyone.

Good for you AliFar!

I almost gave up several times but my son is now 11mths and I am still b/f once a day. I have been mixed feeding since around 9mths and he doesn't seem to mind (although, as I have posted previously, he is not a big drinker).

PS Remember to look after yourself too!

HI AliFar, Just to add my two pennies' worth, I've found mixed feeding to be a great solution. I started around 5 months (and my sister even started earlier, at 2 months) and am still at it with ds2 who is now 8 months. He's down to one evening bf now, but I find I can crank up milk a bit if I put him to the breast before his other formula feeds.

AliFar - you don't need to stop breastfeeding. I started to mix feed my dd when she was 6 weeks old and continued mixed feeding until I stopped breastfeeding when she was 7 months old. You don't need to worry about your supply going down as long as you feed her 5 times a day (from both breasts) - that's what I found. I used to make up 2-3 small bottles of formula a day, then if she was still hungry straight after a breastfeed, I would give her a bottle. This meant I didn't have to spend all day on the sofa!
I felt a failure when she was 6 weeks old and not putting on much weight, also going frantic at my breast all evening because she was so hungry. The formula top-ups meant she started putting on weight properly but we still had the closeness of breastfeeding and she got the benefit of breastmilk.
If you always breastfeed first and use the formula as top-up only you'll be fine.

AliFar - you don't need to stop breastfeeding. I started to mix feed my dd when she was 6 weeks old and continued mixed feeding until I stopped breastfeeding when she was 7 months old. You don't need to worry about your supply going down as long as you feed her 5 times a day (from both breasts) - that's what I found. I used to make up 2-3 small bottles of formula a day, then if she was still hungry straight after a breastfeed, I would give her a bottle. This meant I didn't have to spend all day on the sofa!
I felt a failure when she was 6 weeks old and not putting on much weight, also going frantic at my breast all evening because she was so hungry. The formula top-ups meant she started putting on weight properly but we still had the closeness of breastfeeding and she got the benefit of breastmilk.
If you always breastfeed first and use the formula as top-up only you'll be fine.