Weaning off breastmilk... help please

[MummyM33]

Hi, I'm new to parenthood. Have my DS who has just turned 5 months and I'm so confused by the weaning process. He is currently mainly having breast feeds through out the day with his 6.30pm bedtime feed always being a formula bottle so my OH can share the bedtime routine. I'm now at this stage I want to fully wean him off BF'ing and go fully bottles before starting on food. What's the best way to do this without ending up in horrible pain and being a leaky mess! Thanks for any advice x

Swap one breastfeed with a bottle at a time - do it over the course of a week or so, rather than going cold turkey and stopping completely. You'll be weaning in a few weeks, so milk feeds will start to change again and he'll drop bottles as he takes in more food.

@hereandnowtoday thank you, so you think maybe drop one feed every couple of days? Will my milk automatically dry up or do I need to go to the doctors for any tablets?
One other question, bf'ing has been so convenient I've not had to worry about prepping too much. It should be ok during the day as I'll take out a bottle of pre boiled water and a little tub of formula to mix when needed. What's the best way to manage this during the night? Do the same, boil a kettle before bed maybe? I'm sure if I mix the bottle ready I read it only lasts maybe two hours and I don't want a screaming impatient baby whilst trying to cool/warm a bottle! Can you tell I'm clueless!

Your milk will gradually reduce, no need to get medication. As for making up formula, you need to make the formula with boiling water so any bacteria in the powder is killed. Once the formula is mixed you can then cook it down by placing in some cold water. You should always make a bottle when it is needed and not in advance. The longer it is sat around the more chance of bacteria growing in it again. It is a complete faff but that is the only safe way to do it.

Definitely no need for medication. You. An buy cartons of ready made formula for when you're out and about but yes you do need to make bottles up fresh for every feed.

Thank you @constantlycraving, so is cooled boiled water not ok then and t has to be boiling? He's so impatient I think he'll have a right melt down if he has to wait for me to boil water and they cool it in a jug of cold. Plus he'll completely wake up where as during the night feed currently he rarely opens his eyes as I get to him quickly, I'm slightly tempted to use ready mixed formula through the night but it's so much more expensive!

You'll need to do it gradually then you won't get engorgement.
Could you possibly wait another month until he starts his food?
I'm just thinking you'll be introducing formula and introducing food.

We have a perfect prep machine which is a godsend for making feeds quickly. But you can make bottles up using a similar method without the expense as you will be weaning soon and won't need it much. So I make up a flask of boiled water in the morning and just put 2oz in the bottom of a bottle and add the formula to that and mix. Then top up to the number of oz you want with cool boiled water and mix. Should then be the perfect temp to use straight away. I just do this for out and about but would work at home too. Also you can only boil water once in the kettle.

Thanks for you replies, I could do @Pompom42 but conscious it'll add another month to the weaning process and I feel so ready now. Was only planning to feed first few weeks initially. If I make formula with boiling water is it ok to store in the fridge and warm up when needed? Some sites on google say yes this is ok for 24 hours and others say no

Thank you @MrsL2016 I love that tip of using a flask!

You've done well then if you were only going to do it for a few weeks. I've no idea as never FF but I know that FF at first can give him constipation as when he's having breastmilk he is having everything that you eat.
Hopefully someone else can advise on mixing up F and using from fridge.
When I did my childcare level 3 I was told that any milk already made up had to be thrown away within 2 hours.
And you had to heat using boiled water.
Flask idea may be better.

The official NHS guidance is to make as required and not put in the fridge. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) say it is okay to make in advance and store in the fridge as long as you flash cool them and get them in the fridge quickly. Then just warm up with a big of warm water, not in the microwave to prevent hot spots.

Jug not big

Can you tackle the day feeds slowly over a couple of weeks?
See how you feel after that.
Some people find bfing at night really convenient so just carry on whilst it suits them.
It might also feel alot more manageable once the day feeds have reduced.

Kellymom might have some good tips on caring for your boobs and avoiding blocked ducts and mastitis etc.

*disclaimer- the above is just what I have heard from others, I'm 'still' feeding my nearly 4yr old.

Thank you so much for all your replies, I'm going to take it slowly and see how it works. Would love a perfect prep machine but just can't justify the amount! It's such a minefield and I worry so much about doing the wrong thing! @Foodylicious you are amazing still feeding at 4yo... hats off to you!

They are great but so expensive. We were lucky because we got ours off family who had only used it a handful of times and just gave it a full clean and new filter.

That’s exactly what I do @MrsL2016. At the min my lb is on 4oz feeds so I put 2oz boiling water in a bottle with 4 scoops and shake well to kill the bugs and then top up with 2oz of cooled boiled water. Although I have just ordered a perfect prep machine from discount baby deals on Facebook for £40. It can take up to 2 weeks to come but that is the cheapest I have ever been able to find one brand new!!

That is cheap for a brand new one. I think the cheapest I have seen is £60.