Have to give up breastfeeding and wondering about alternatives to formula

[Anonymous111]

Hi mums

I will have to give up breastfeeding soon (at 9 months) to do IVF.

I’m keen to avoid having to use formula if I can - has anyone had any experience in going to exclusively solids by 9 months?

Thanks so much

Why don't you want to use formula?

Babies do still need formula at 9 months old - solid food and cow's milk won't be enough for them. It's a bit different if you're going back to work etc and they can still BF at night, but to totally stop you can't really do without a replacement. They need around 400ml of formula per day until 1 year old.

You can sometimes source donor milk privately, but this tends to be in high demand for younger babies. Unless you have a very good friend who is BF who would be willing to express for you, I think you'll find it difficult to source.

There's Human Milk 4 Human Babies if you want to check out the donor route. They have a Facebook group.

You cant go to solid food and cows milk at 9 months - nutritionally its not enough. You can use donated breast milk if you want.

Out of curiosity, whats wrong with formula?

Babies need formula or breastmilk until a year, though you can begin small amounts of cow or other milk closer to a year to begin the transition. There is absolutely nothing wrong with formula, if you have a nutritional need to use it and you do because you're choosing to stop bf. If you don't want to offer formula, why not just continue to bf the few extra months?

Can you delay your IVF for a couple more months?

If you don't want to use formula you're going to have to wait until baby is closer to 1. You can in theory push it to 11 months for just solids and cows milk

My DD still won't take cows' milk reliably at nearly two (was EBF) and she certainly wouldn't have managed on mostly solids til at least 15 months, in her case, because of how she took to solids. She didn't eat enough to sustain herself.

If you've got a 'thing' about formula, why not have a look at Kendamil? But to be honest you can't force your weaning timetable on your first child unless you're willing to swap breast for formula, which many people do at a point to suit them and is absolutely fine.

What's wrong with formula?

Check out this group www.facebook.com/groups/bfduringivf/?ref=share lots of useful information if you want to continue, although they don’t recommend it for babies under 12 months, there is a thread with information for just that.

Thanks everyone!

I have slowly been stashing breast milk in the freezer and just did a count and based on your advice above @BertieBotts I have about enough to last one month. So if I keep pumping I should be able to get enough to make it to 11 months.

I know a few people asked there is absolutely nothing “wrong” with formula in my mind and absolutely think fed is best. Love to all your babies and the mamas out there. My question was probably poorly worded.

Thanks

Can you not just think of formula as another form of food alongside any other solids you are introducing? At age 1 you can introduce full fat cows milk instead of breast/formula milk

If theres nothing wrong with it, why dont you want to feed your baby it?

Also at 11 months you still cant do a diet of purely cows milk and solids.

No formula is far far more unhealthy and damaging for baby than a diet of ‘“exclusively solids”

@OverTheRainbow88

No formula is far far more unhealthy and damaging for baby than a diet of ‘“exclusively solids”

That is one of the most ridiculous & dangerous things I've heard.

What's bad about formula?

@TracyBeakerSoYeah

Why? I think you’ve misunderstood me

If you want to give up breastfeeding at 9 months your baby needs donor milk or formula. You cannot move onto solids and cows milk at 9 months.

I get it, OP, it’s hard to move from giving baby fresh foodstuffs to something unfamiliar. I wouldn’t choose to put UHT milk in my tea either.

But think of all the babies happily guzzling it. Sounds like you could do one bottle expressed milk and one formula, and be almost there.

Realistically you need to delay IVF or give formula. You shouldn't compromise your baby's wellbeing because you don't want to do either of those.

@OverTheRainbow88

No formula is far far more unhealthy and damaging for baby than a diet of ‘“exclusively solids”

Are you really saying formula is worse for a baby younger than 12 months than a diet of purely solid food and cows milk?

I REALLY THINK IVE PHRASED WHAT I MEANT WRONG, or people aren’t understanding.

I meant it’s far more unhealthy for a 9 month old to just have solids than to have formula... ie, feed your baby formula.

I think you're misreading/misunderstanding rainbows post re formula. She's saying that formula is what the baby should be having.

Apologies @OverTheRainbow88
I completely misconstrued/misread your sentence.
I mentally put a comma in between the word no & formula hence me getting my knickers in a twist , so not realising you said/meant that just giving baby exclusively solids at 9 months old is dangerous & you actually also need to give a baby this age milk (whether it be breast or formula) as well as solids to keep baby healthy.

Sometimes I think I read too fast for my own good!

@OverTheRainbow88

No formula is far far more unhealthy and damaging for baby than a diet of ‘“exclusively solids”

"Not giving your baby formula is..."

I got it don't worry!

Formula is just nutrionally fortified cows' milk. If you are already letting your child eat dairy/drink milk I really don't see the issue with it. Unless you have a subconscious issue with the idea of formula.