Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Bottles and breastfeeding

54 replies

SophieStripe · 30/08/2018 16:50

Hi... I'm currently pregnant with my first baby and planning on breastfeeding for as long as possible. I will be off work for a year but obviously during that year there may/will be times when baby is left with dad or grandparents or what have you. My close friend wants to give me advice around introducing bottles with formula (because expressing is a faff) ASAP. I know it's all personal but is this the right approach? I don't really want to give formula if I can help it (not that there is anything wrong with formula before you all shout at me!) I just don't want to. I personally think that it is just more convenient, and cheaper, to just breastfeed. Having said that, if I want to go get a haircut or something and leave baby with dad, I also want him to be able to feed him. So when should I start trying to express and introduce bottles? Should I just use formula as she suggests?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Missikat · 30/08/2018 18:59

And just to add that I didn't find expressing with DS1 or 2 too much of a faff. It's definitely worth seeing how it works for you.

cheshireagain · 30/08/2018 19:05

I left it 4 weeks til we tried a bottle.
Total refusal, every brand - breastmilk, formula the lot.

Tried different people, places everything.

DS is now 7 months and will only take milk from me!

Returning to work in 2 months...

No idea what I'm going to do to be honest

UtterlyConfused111 · 30/08/2018 19:11

I rented a hospital grade pump
Best thing ever
Introduced bottles early - 2 weeks in as I know many horror stories of rejecting the bottle when people waited as long as 6 weeks.
It all worked for me; and then we eventually moved to formula when the time was right for all of us.
Depends on the baby too. Tongue ties etc. See how you get on first and then make up your mind.
Everyone has a different experience

DaisyLand · 30/08/2018 19:14

I’ve found expressing a faff however times when I had to go to doctors (or get nails done) I’d express and husband would give it to baby baby is 5m next week and hasn’t been fed by formula at all.

Im back to work in October and I don’t have a milk bank I found expressing so depressing and pain in the ar*e that he’ll be mixed bf after that.

We did make sure that it wasn’t me the one feeding him by bottle and that I he couldn’t see me. He seem to get it after a few attempts (1st few days was a disaster ) so by the time I had to go to doctors he was “used” to it. Having said that it’s been less than 10 times.

DaisyLand · 30/08/2018 19:15

And yes expressing when feeding is the best ! It can take me an hour to get 1oz but if baby is feeding I get it in a blink
:)

BlueGenes · 30/08/2018 19:21

One bottle a day won't affect your supply or cause nipple confusion. I would do it.

BlueGenes · 30/08/2018 19:23

However I expressed a lot in the early days (low supply) and didn't find it too much of a faff.

BigBlueBubble · 30/08/2018 19:28

Mine vomited repeatedly every time he had formula so I could have a “rest”. In the early weeks he’d drink expressed milk from a bottle, but as he got older he decided he preferred the breast and just refused the bottle.

It seemed pointless anyway - the whole point of expressing was for me to have a break, but I still had to express while I was on my break, for comfort and to keep my supply going. I didn’t enjoy a night out if I had to keep slipping off to express. Even worse when I had a night out for drinks and had to express in the loo while drunk! I just gave up and accepted that I was glued to my baby for a few months. Once they’re over 6 months you can go out for a bit and leave solids instead of breast milk anyway.

villainousbroodmare · 30/08/2018 19:54

I would very strongly advise introducing a bottle much earlier than 2-3 months. Like 2-3 weeks. I don't think that nipple confusion is nearly such a "thing" as bottle refusal.

Original poster

SophieStripe · 30/08/2018 20:05

To express and feed simultaneously, do you need a special pump or will anyone do? If a baby is exclusively breastfeeding, how do you leave solids for them at 6 months? How often would a 6 month old feed (milk)? E.g at 6 months if baby hadn't taken to a bottle/I hated expressing, could I be away for 2-3 hours and then feed when I got back?

OP posts:

mama17 · 30/08/2018 20:18

I used to express in advance if I knew I was going to have plans. You can also freeze breast milk and buy freezable bags. I did this and got a full shelf in the freezer. This way you don't have to introduce formula there really is no need to if that's something that u don't want to do. Introducing formula to a breast fed baby can then cause tummy aches so I wouldn't if you can help it. I do agree it's good to get them used to having a bottle, to give u a break

Greenwomanofmay · 30/08/2018 20:29

I didn't get on with expressing, nothing came out
By the time DS was about 12 weeks I could leave him for 2.5 hours during day with my mother. Feed run out door and as soon as I returned I fed him.
I gave formula in a sippy cup from six months once a day.

Original poster

SophieStripe · 30/08/2018 20:31

When do I start expressing and how often, to not mess up my supply, to build up a stash for freezing? I've been trying to read about it and it's confusing! Let's say baby is 4 months old and is still having 5/6 feeds per day, when should I express? At the same time as those feeds to make sure both boobs are empty? And then let's say I am out a month later and 'miss' two feeds with baby having those two feeds from frozen stash. While I am out will I need to express those two miss feeds? Will it have to be done at the right time or can I just miss the feeds and breastfeed for the next feed when back home? I'm thinking this is what can mess u supply? Gah so many questions!

OP posts:

BigBlueBubble · 30/08/2018 20:41

My 7mo can happily go 3-4 hours without milk. Especially if he’s being fed solids in the meantime to keep him full. You start feeding solids alongside milk at 6mo. Mine has a small amount of breakfast, lunch and dinner with milk feeds every 3 hours or so.

If I’m expressing I do it at the end of a feed (ie the leftovers that baby doesn’t want right now). I get about 1/3 of a feed each time. When you’re out you don’t have to express at the exact same time - tbh it’s more about keeping your breasts empty enough so they don’t hurt. If I was out 4-5 hours I probably wouldn’t express at all. My breasts probably start to hurt after 6-7 hours without feeding.

Original poster

SophieStripe · 30/08/2018 20:50

Okay that makes sense. If you are only getting 1/3 of a feed each time how do you store it? Does each 1/3 get stored by itself or can u collect the other 2/3 over the course of the day into the same bag and then store? I know there are rules about how long etc but just not sure. I haven't started NCT yet, do they teach you all this stuff? I feel like I have so much to learn about breastfeeding!

OP posts:

Hatstand · 30/08/2018 20:53

To take your example:
At 4 months I would express first feed of the morning most days. Going out a month later, well, I would not be as concerned about supply as in the early days. I would pump when I was starting to feel uncomfortable, maybe every 4 hours or so. But not at a set time.

Sandstormbrewing · 30/08/2018 21:08

I used to express off one side whilst feeding on the other. Once your supply is established your boobs produce milk as you need it, so whilst there is a store of milk between each feed you get more as baby feeds, so there's always plenty. Meant I filled up bottles quickly.

I donated them all to the milk bank as DS wouldn't touch it!

InDubiousBattle · 31/08/2018 09:57

To answer some of your questions:

Babies are all different. Pretty much as soon as we started weaning at 6 months dd started dropping feeds so at 7 months I could easily have gone 2-3 hours without bf her. Ds was nearer 8/9 months.
Lots of women find expressing off one boob whilst feeding their baby off the other gets a better yield of milk, you often get a let down in both bobs at the same time. Your boobs are never really empty, it's more like at factory than a warehouse so you can get full boobs at around during feeding get time (or not in my case with dd- never really got engorged)but you just keep making milk after the initial feeding starts, just the flow might slow a bit.
you can mix milk from different pumping sessionso together over a day but it's often easier to freeze it in small amounts as it defrosts quicker and you can't re freeze it so you get less waste .

MaverickSnoopy · 31/08/2018 10:08

We introduced a bottle (formula) from about day 3, but that was largely because they weren't getting what they needed from me (weight dropping a lot and no real wet nappies). I continued to breastfeed and express to up my supply and so eventually had a freezer stash so that I could just pop out and someone else feed.

Expressing can be a lot of work. I personally found it hard when trying to establish my supply and I never got that much off when expressing (some women don't) so had to do it a lot to get anything meaningful. It was very time consuming and I was up in the night a lot! However it was worth it for us.

My advice is not to rule anything out because you don't know how things are going to go, just be open minded to everything.

Merrz · 31/08/2018 11:16

I'm interested to read as wondering the same thing, 1st baby due January.
My midwife told me to either breast or bottle feed exclusively for the 1st 6 weeks because the sucking action is different with breast and bottle so can confuse baby. She also said if breast feeding not to give a dummy for the 1st 6 weeks either.

Elbbob · 31/08/2018 11:26

If you are going to give formula occasionally don't bother with tins of powder - as you say they are a faff and expire after 4 weeks and you are unlikely to use much. Just buy the little ready made cartons.

MissMoodyMoo · 31/08/2018 17:41

My sister breastfed and bottle fed straight away! She bottle fed formula too! Only during the night as it helped the baby get into a better routine rather than cluster feeding! It's what I'm going to do

Original poster

SophieStripe · 31/08/2018 18:22

Thanks for all your advice! I know lots of people mix formula and breastmilk and that's okay for them, I just don't want to. I know there is nothing wrong with it but I want to avoid if I can. Each to their own and all that. If the advice is introduce a bottle ASAP, is it too early to begin expressing at 2/3 weeks, presuming its all going well (which I know it might not and I am totally open and not naive enough to try to stick to a plan 100% and beat myself up about it!). Will expressing the 'left over' milk from morning feeds from 2/3 weeks mess up my supply?

OP posts:

Original poster

SophieStripe · 31/08/2018 18:23

I'd prefer to wait to introduce a bottle if this is the case, and face the consequences of that later down the line! I know it's probably impossible to say and everyone is different etc

OP posts:

Eyebagsandcoffee · 31/08/2018 18:29

Personally I would mix feed fully from the get go if I was to have another. We gave a bottle of formula a day from day 1, by about 8 weeks he decided he didn’t want to take it. 7 months and probably £100 spent on bottles later and he won’t touch a bottle/soppy cup/ anything. I’m pulling my hair out over it!

If you’re keen that you want him to have a bottle at some point, maybe try a few bottles a day rather than one.

Good luck

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread