From breast to formula

[Neverbroken]

Hi.
My baby is 6 months this month but is 3 months premature so unfortunately I still have to wait until I can start her on more solid food - to anyone reading this with a prem baby when did you start weaning?

However up until this point I have breastfed completely, I wanted to know how I start weaning her onto formula and which is the best formula?

All formulas are tightly regulated and are very similar. Does your lo already take a bottle? I would just start giving one bottle of formula a day for a while and then gradually increase the number of bottles.

Why do you want to move to formula? I’m asking if you want to completely stop breast feeding or keep some feeds.

She has in the past but more recently she’s been all breast because I haven’t been pumping.

Honestly I want my breasts back.

I thought advice was that even prem babies should start eating solids at around 6m, something to do with depleting iron levels? I don’t have a perm baby myself so I’m no expert but 2 friends who do definitely started at 6m after they were born, not 6m from due date. I think you’ll need to do purées rather than the BLW route at least to start though, as a baby who is only 3m adjusted age is unlikely to have the motor skills to feed themself.

I switched from BM to formula for medical reasons. She didn’t like the formula so I mixed it with BM it start, gradually increasing the amount of formula. I believe all formula is equal so I’d go for the cheapest one!

I get wanting your boobs back! So your wanting to go totally to formula feeding? Yes, then I would start dropping a night feed, then a day feed, then another night feed and so on.

Good luck getting her to take a bottles. I’ve hear MAM and NUK bottles are often liked by babies who have been bottle feed.

When I swapped I was going from mixed to formula and it was much earlier. I now have a ebf would I haven’t given a bottle to for month because I’m crap at expressing.

So on bliss which is a charity for prem babies it says they need to be able to sit up by themselves and lean forward toward a spoon. Put things to their mouth and make munching actions. Hold her head In a stable position.

She sits up but does lean forward or to the side although it does say prem babies may need extra support.

She does bring things to her mouth and I’ve seen her chomping a few times like she practicing to eat and she holds her head up well however the health visitor was like no wait.

My twins were six weeks premature , consultant said to ween them at 17 weeks old due to reflux. You don’t use adjusted age.

I found my dd wouldn't take a bottle and so we moved to formula from a sippy cup.

My friends DD was born at 27 weeks - she was told to crack on with weaning as soon as she turned 6 months. It's so confusing!! 🤷🏼‍♀️

My baby (only just prem) didn't sit up unsupported until 9 months, weaning began at 5.5 months.

@snowone well that gives me a bit of reassurance because she was born at 27 weeks too! Thank you