Getting 11 week old onto a dream feed bottle - any tips?

[Tiredoutmum]

Hi

My 11 week old DD is entirely breastfed but I'm thinking of introducing a bottle of formula for the dreamfeed so I can have my evening back a little. Yesterday DH tried a bottle with expressed milk but she fussed a lot and just about latched on to take half an oz and then atopped again. I expect loads of you have been through this so if you can answer my questiona, it would be very helpful!

When is the best time to try the bottle - when she's awake and can concentrate (so try it with a daytime feed initially?) or when she's asleep so she might not notice so much difference?

Once I start to introduce formula, is it best to do it consisitently every night (am thinking about ensuring she doesn't stop taking the bottle and also around milk supply confusion)?

Thank you!

Hello, My 11 week old DS is also entirely breastfed and I'm thinking of introducing a dreamfeed so I can hopefully not have to get up to feed him at 4am! It would be a bf feed though. Trouble is he doesn't go to sleep until 930 so I'd have to wake him when I go to bed which might be an hour later. Haven't been brave enough to try it yet!

Anyway, sorry. You asked about formula...

What time is your dream feed? Just wondering how introducing formula as a dream feed will help you get your evening back. Not questioning you here - just showing my dream feed ignorance.

Your description of how your DH tried a bottle with expressed milk, 'fussed a lot and just about latched on to take half an oz and then stopped again' could have been written about my little lad. I tried him on formula to give me an bf evening break when he was 3 weeks and I stopped it at 7 weeks. Some nights he point blank refused, others we didn't bother, most nights he took 1-2oz.

Eventually I gave up on formula as he just doesn't like it (coupled with projectile vomitting as formula just didn't agree with him) and started expressing daily. He now takes 3oz (that's all I can express in one sitting) of EBM in the evening. He still fusses and would much rather go on the breast.

But if I make sure he is hungry hungry and not just grazing so he's filling up for bed time he will happily guzzle it all in a few minutes. Maybe this is the best time to try the bottle - when DS is really hungry, and stick to EBM to start with so you're not introducing too many changes at once.

Is she still cluster feeding for bed? If so maybe give her the bottle at the start of this when she's had a normal gap after her last day-time feed?

I'm no expert and am really trying things out myself. But from trying the formula at night thing I'm actually glad he refused it as the EBM bottle feed works much better and I'm glad that's all he's now getting.

I would love my evenings back - and last night he fell asleep at 8:55 - yes, there's an 8 in that time! So maybe he's getting earlier...

Hope I've given you something useful there - sorry if not!

I will say you've done brilliantly to get to this stage exclusively bf - lots of people only last a few day!

Hiya Adamsmam,

By getting my evenings back, i really meant so i can go out if I want to (and know she'll take a bottle if I'm not back to feed her) and also i can enjoy a bottle of wine with DH and not worry about boozy milk. I haven't been cluster feeding to be honest - she's on every 3 hours, and I've been waking her up for a dream feed (breastfeed) around 10.30pm, then she wakes usually twice in the night (sometimes once, sometimes three times!). I don't think you introducing a dreamfeed would stop your DS waking at 4am - many people argue the dreamfeed makes no difference so I'm actually trying to leave it tonight and to see if she still wakes the same times during the night. If she does, there's no point in me waking her at 10.30pm to feed. Sounds like yours is doing pretty well if he's only waking once at 4am, and you'll find you can gradually pull the bedtime earlier. My DS (now 2) woke once a night for a feed until he was weaned at 6 months. Sorry, perhaps not what you want to hear, but he was entirely breastfed for 6 months and it's lighter and easier to digest so perhaps it's the price you pay!

Hi

I can cope with the one feed for as long as need be as I'm happy to breast feed - I think if I share a bottle of wine with anyone I'd fall over!

Interesting what you said about the dream feed - let me know what happens please. Are you any nearer to knowing when to introduce the formula? I would go for the starving hungry baby approach - surely she'll eat from anything if she's ready for a feed? I know that's not necessarily the case but that's what I'd go for I think. Then maybe make sure the next one is a bf, then a bottle? I'm no expert!

Adam kept his 3oz of EBM down tonight though and went to sleep at 8:40! Didn't give him an extra EBM feed last night and he didn't sleep until 9:20 - cluster feeding still very much in his routine. But I'm happy to do this if he sleeps as well as he's doing. Last nigh was eight hours solid. Think I'll take your advice and leave well alone wiht the dream feed.

Good luck with the bottles!

Last night didn't quit go according to plan - I think she has a cold so she wouldn't settle at all and I ended up feeding her at 10pm to get her to sleep and then several times in the night for comfort - brought her into the bed in th end - so breaking ALL of my rules at once! Oh well.

Can you just tell me what you do with cluster feeding - what sort of times etc as I might give your method a try!

Oh I hope she's feeling better soon. Our feeds start around 730am and are usually every 3 hours but can be an hour either side. If he falls asleep whilst feeding or is sick he may need feeding early. He's pretty happy between feeds and rarely sleeps during the day. That is unless we're in the car or buggy. He will be tired but fight it and will usually only nap if held. Not ideal.

From about 6ish he tends to feed every half hour for ten or 15 minutes. I also try to express in the morning so he gets an extra 2 or 3oz too. At first he was feeding from 5pm until 2am with 5 minute breaks here and there! So we've definitely improved! He doesn't do baths, hates them. He has a shower every other day with one of us. And has done since he was a couple of weeks old. So the evening calming routine of bath, massage, etc really doesn't work on him. I take him up usually about eight after a couple of hours of feeding and stopping and feeding again. Change him and get him ready for bed in a dimly lit room, then take him to bed to feed until he falls asleep. This is usually about 9ish but can vary. I worry about what will happen once he stops breast feeding. Is he relying on me too much to sleep?

He then wakes any time between 230 and 530 for a feed then goes back off. He always sleeps in his moses basket unless I fall asleep feeding him. Only happened four or five times.

I didn't realise how well he was doing until I joined MN. My MW told me at the start that he will eat loads to fill him for a good sleep and it seems to work. Of course I have to let him eat loads. I haven't put him into a routine. I've let him lead me and we now follow his natural routine. Happy to do that until hopefully he'll be so full off solids he won't wake up at all!

Still wondering whether I should try a dreamfeed. Once he goes to sleep earlier I will try I think.

Long explanation of our cluster feed there! Hope it's useful.