i've got to go intp hospital so breast to formula and starting solids all in one go :(

[MsPea]

dd1 is six months old and until now, exc bf.

I have to have an operation at the end of April, so at the same time as starting solids I have to get her onto formula. V sad about this.

But it has to be, so can anyone help with these qus, please?

She had baby rice (mixed with breastmilk) for first time yesterday. How soon can I intriduce a botle of formula and is there a best time of day to do this? Was thinking it might help her sleep if I gave it before bed or as a dream feed, but also I might explode if I didn't feed her myself overnight.

Secondely, having established that the brand of formula doesn't matter (prob will go with aptamil), does she go onto starter milk, follow-on milk or "growing baby" milk? Am confused.

Thanks. Any other tips gratefully received..

I had to go cold turkey on BF when I developed jaundice as a side effect of gallstones when DS was almost 5 months. I would use follow on milk and introduce at bedtime. Stopping BF can be painful when you stop suddenly but it really only takes a few days. My sympathies! xxx

Are you absolutely sure you have to give up completely?

If you don't want to give up, you can probably bf through all this, with a minimal amount of time off. There are certainly MNers who have done this. If you give more details about the operation and hospital stay, you can probably get help sorting this out.

And if she'll only be away from you for a little while, you could maybe express enough between now and then to cover it?

Obviously, nothing wrong with moving entirely to formula, but it seems a shame if it's not what you want to do.

I've had two operations whilst breastfeeding - well not during the operation - but pretty much straight after one time and 3 hours later the second.

I think I probably do have to give up but would be interested in your opinions.

I will be in hospital for two weeks, and the operation itself will take a day. The real problem I think is that I will be on intravenous antibiotics for several weeks afterwards. The nature of the antibiotics is unknown until I have had the operation, since they are to treat a bone infection and until they've taken a sample they don't know what organism is causing it.

So I won't know until after the op whether the abs are compatible with bf. Also I think I will need opiate painkillers which I believe pass into the milk (?) And the other thing that worries me is that if things don't go as planned, I might be in hospital longer, etc... I feel it is potentially unfair on dd to have her still dependent on me at a time when I'm not 100% sure I will be able to come through for her.

However by then she will be 8 months so presumably on less bfs per day. Also by the sounds of things chipbutty I could wean her v quickly onto formula if I had to.

What do you think?

I had opiates the second operation and waited until I felt I could hold ds without dropping him as my benchmark. Don't women have opiates after a CSection?

As for the antibiotics - well there must be a list of what they may give and you could research that now, and weigh up the likelihood.

I had morphine and codeine after a CS. And BF is fine then, when the baby is small and still growing loads, I'm sure it's fine at eight months.

Two weeks is a long hospital stay - you're almost certainly going to want to be mixed feeding then, anyway, unless the hospital is very bf-friendly. Or bf and ebm, if you can pump loads before then.

I don't think any ABs absolutely preclude bf. From what tiktok has said on here, the only drugs that absolutely preclude bf are special anti-cancer drugs that attack fast-replicating cells.

Does she take bottles of EBM now? You'll want to get her used to that, anyway, as a half-way step to formula.

You can also stop bf while there, pump and dump some, to keep your supply up, and then go back to bf when you're feeling better.

MsPea - you certainly have other options, especially with a baby who will be on solids and whose whole 'system' can more easily cope with traces of medication in your breastmilk.

It seems to me to be away from your baby (which you can't avoid) and to change her feeding might be a bit much for a baby to cope with - if you can continue to maintain the bf, even by having someone bring her into hospital for a feed a couple of times a day, this will help her through. Breastfeeding is more than just the milk - it's an important physical sign of your relationship with your baby and this will mean a lot to her.

Don't take the hospital's view on compatability with antibiotics or other meds for granted. You can do your own research and weigh up the pros and cons.

I'm feeling quite encouraged.

By eight months, if I was bf say twice a day, morning and evening, would she need formula too? (I'm thinking probably yes even if taking a good amount of solids but I don't know much about this).

She does happily take EBM from a bottle and I can certainly express enough to cover the day of the op. And then pump I guess whenever I feel up to it since presumably I will wake up engorged.

Going to look now about opiates and antibiotics. I'm sure I've seen a list somewhere of drugs and their effect on bf.

I would love to keep up a couple of feeds if poss, partly because obviously breast milk is good for her but more because of the bonding thing. DP will bring her to see me as much as possible, but I think we are going to miss each other very much.

How much could you express and freeze between now and the op?

Have a look at this site: Kellymom .

HTH, and good luck with both the op and whatever you decide re feeding your dd.

Give the Breastfeeding Network's Drugline a call too.