Can you just switch a baby to formula?

[CJ1990]

Just wondering. Have battled with breastfeeding issues from the start due to various reasons e.g tounge tie, milk coming in late due to c section...I’ve limped and managed through 6 weeks but after a lot of mental debate, I feel it’ll be better for me and DD to move over to formula (I can’t express enough). I’ve seen breastfeeding support groups 4 times but we still can’t fully get there with it.

She has a bottle or two at the moment as we’re combination feeding. My question is can I just move her to formula full time? Or is it a case of weening her off?

Bit disappointed breastfeeding hasnt worked too well, but I guess 6 weeks is better than nothing! And I’ve really given it my best shot

Yes you can just switch. Formula milk isn’t poison, your baby will be fine. More than three quarters of my generation were fed on formula as babies, and we’re the healthiest and longest lived generation in history!
Look around you at kids and adults - can you tell which ones were breastfed? No, because it makes very little difference.
If you’re not producing enough and are struggling to breast feed, you will just be stressing yourself and depriving your baby. There’s no shame or failure in bottle feeding - go for it. You will have a contented well fed baby and the peace of mind that goes with that.

You sound like you have done great in persevering for the 6 weeks. It may be disappointing but you have done your best and your mental and emotional state is vital when having a new baby, so we'll done you firstly.

From a body point of view, I just dropped a feed in the night, then reduced it again and again slowly reducing the feeds so my body stopped producing milk.

For your baby, If you baby is happy on formula and would not be distressed by missing the boob, the swapping will be fine to just do exactly that, but you may need to wean them if it's more the point that they like being "on you" , but every baby is different.

I initially didn't give my DS enough credit and thought he would be distraught with the change, but he has embraced change really well and just took everything in his stride, so it will depend on your baby wether you have a bit of crying or just fine with it.

I'm sure it will all be fine and don't let people try and tell you that you need to breastfeed or express, once you have made up your mind ( or can't in your case ) for both your well being, ignore any insensitive people pushing it down your throat, when quite clearly you have really tried, so good luck.

Fine to switch, but to avoid pain for you, I would suggest dropping one feed initially, leave it a few days until your body has adjusted to the lower demand, then drop another feed etc until you are completely bottle feeding. If you just stop all breastfeeding cold turkey then you're going to get engorged and possibly risk mastitis which isn't pleasant.

I agree with a pp. She'll make the switch grand, you'll need to taper off a bit. Happiest day of my life was the day I allowed myself to stop breastfeeding. Felt like I could finally enjoy my baby.

Thank you :) I don’t know why I’ve not done it sooner really. Seems silly to be stressing myself out with it so much! Baby is gaining fine etc but it’s just relentless..!

the main reason for not switching so far, apart from the breast is best guilt trip they put you on which Ive now realised is ridiculous, Is the guidelines for taking bottles out is blowing my mind 😳 is it best taking a flask of boiled water, the formula and a pot of cool water to cool it down and make it while out?

Yes of course you can switch and if she is already taking bottles she should be fine. Maybe start by giving her one or two bottles a day and gradually decreasing bf so you don't become engorged. Over a few days should be fine by increasing bottles and decreasing breastfeeds.

You can take out ready milk cartons. My DD does this with her 5 month old. I think they are also good for 2 hours when made. If you are going to relatives my DD just takes a sterilised bottle and a measured out pot of formula powder for one bottle. You can then just boil a kettle and wait for it to cool and make up bottle and cool it further in cold water if needed. At home she uses the perfect prep machine which takes a few minutes to make up a bottle. Wonderful machine I wish had been around when I bottlefed my DD2 as a baby.

I could have written your original post and also have up at 6 weeks. I just stopped as my milk had all but gone.
Dd was a bit constipated for a week or so but was like a different child once I’d introduced formula. I realised that she’d been really hungry and felt awful.

Hope it all goes well for you.

I used to take a flask of boiling water and a flask of cooled boiled water with me.

Yep I did this with both my kids - combi feeding for a number or months then just stopped and full on formula

I even swapped formula brand with my second child as aptsmil wasn't meting enough and he was passing small lumps of in- melted powder, Hipp organic was much better for the melting part for us and he liked it too

I found it much better for me and my mental health, didn't look back and was pleased I managed some bf

Don’t worry your baby will be fine and don’t feel guilty. I felt like the breast is best message was pushed so hard I felt so guilty but in reality it was the best thing for us and my baby benefitted much more from a happy, relaxed and mentally healthy mum than he would have done from being bf.

Practicalities of it, I highly recommend getting a prep machine. Makes bottles so much easier and at the right temperature in less than a minute, amazing in the middle of the night. For out and about I took a flask of boiling water, added a shot of that to the powder then added cooled boiled water from a separate flask.

I did this with all three of mine, I did it gradually (switched one feed at a time) mainly to stop painful engorged breasts.

Never feel guilty about what is best for you and your family! You're doing great! xx

Hiya, I've bottle fed both my boys from the start we use the perfect prep to make our bottle and then take it out with us, no faffing with making up the feed on demand or carrying hot water and formula about with us, we just make the bottle up and go. I had a brilliant health visitor that said that as long as the room temp isn't excessive the formula will be good for 6 hours, if it's been a few hours and I'm a out to feed the little one then I just do a smell test, spoiled milk smells (only had this happen once when it was a really hot day). Its the same at night. I make up an 8oz bottle at 10pm and that does us for two feeds until 8am. There is a lot of hysteria about formula and only leaving it for two hours but would you throw away a bottle of milk if you haven't refrigerated it for 2 hours? We've always found common sence and the smell test works. As a result we've never faffed and have two healthy boys. All the best x x

Top tips: get a perfect prep machine and a microwavable sterliser, my bottles can be ready to feed in 4 minutes!

Try and avoid suddenly stopping. Not only may you get engorged, painful breasts but (it might be hard to believe) you are producing lots of feel good hormones when you breastfeed and suddenly stopping can make women feel a real drop in mood, even getting depressed. It's better for you if weaning is a more gradual process if possible.

Just read the comment above mine regarding leaving formula out- it can never be fully sterile and any bacteria will rapidly multiply at room temperature hence the advise to use within 2 hours. Babies have a very poor immune system and can't fight off bugs as well as adults. Many babies each year are hospitalised due to stomach infections and unsafe preparation of formula is a cause - it's not worth the risk.

As for taking milk out, my friend used the individual pre made formula milk when she was going out. So you just throw 1 or 2 In your bag and then use as needed, they don't need to be kept in the fridge as they are sealed. So no faffing , pop into a babies bottle and your off, stress free feeding !!!

I was dead set on breast feeding, but my dd just wouldn't latch at all. She had sepsis when she was 2 days old so I was expressing while in the hospital and topping up with formula, and did this u til she was 1 week old. but as soon as I went home with her I switched for formula as expressing was making me miserable. This comment is probably going to cause Mn hysteria but, as for taking out bottles, although it's against the guidelines I do always make up a load of bottles up fresh in the morning and just use them throughout the day. As long as they are used within 24 hours they are fine. My parents did it with me and so did most people that I know and we were fine.