Help. I have to Wean! :(

[Tiger22]

I have to have Open heart surgery in a month...I am so depressed that I have to start weaning...LO is 7 months and I planned on doing it for a year, I was going to try after surgery but with all the Meds I will be on and possibly aspirin I don't want to risk it.
LO has never had formula, we just introduced solids at 6 months. What is the best way to wean?
I just started 1 bottle of 1/2 formula and 1/2 breast milk today for just one feeding and then somehow I have to wean in a matter of 3 weeks any suggestions on ways to do this?
Also, how do you know how much to give her in the bottle? She has ate from her breast pretty much every time so I don't know how much she is really eating.

 

[Darlin65]

At 7months my DS was eating 6-8oz in a bottle of formula at each feed. I think what you are doing is great and is totally doable in 3wks. The hard part is going to be soothing. I'm sure she uses the boob for comfort as well so the night feedings will be the hardest to cut out. Hopefully once she gets on formula all the way the formula will fill her tummy and make her sleepy enough to do without We did the half and half thing to wean DS from formula to cow's milk at a yr. I bf'd until 4/5 months but had to stop because of a health issue that dried up my supply.

 

[Breadsticks]

I have no advice but I just wanted to say that I hope you recover from surgery quickly and all goes well!

 

[Here_we_go]

I would start out only offering 4oz bottles. If she wants more, then you can make it. Breastfed babies usually don't take as much at one time like formula babies do (mine didn't anyway ) I wouldn't do the 1/2 mixture for long and just offer a whole bottle of formula, going ahead and dropping a breast feed every couple of days for formula. That way you will know how it'll affect her belly. And it will hopefully help you with your engorgement some.

Sometimes certain brands/types and certain babies just don't get along. When I had to go to formula with my son at 4 months, we were on our second tried formula (lactose free Similac) before he was able to handle it without an upset, gassy tummy.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. It's so hard knowing how well you were doing and having to end it because of things out of your control. Believe me, I completely understand You've done a great job and I hope your LO is able to switch seamlessly over to formula without any problems.

 

[chezababy]

I can't offer much advice about the weaning but I'm sure someone else can. With regards to howmmuch formula to give I would start with about 6 oz as breastfed babies are use to a little and often approach which is different to most formula fed babies. It will probably take a while for her to adjust to having more milk in one go, if she either does, my lo does little and often and has between 5 and 6 oz a feed, she's also 7 months. The normal thing to do is to add an extra oz when they start to drain the bottle.

 

[cat lover]

ah hun ru sure u have to wean? i would definitely ask the dr, as they may be able to give you meds compatible with bf. wishing u all the best for the surgery x

 

[jd83]

You can do it in 3 weeks, I would drop one feed at a time and replace with a bottle of formula. Do this for a few days (3-4), to give your body time to adjust to losing that feed. Then drop another. When I was switching, I kind of went back and forth with morning and evening feeds, so for example:
started with
6am feed, 9am feed, 12feed, 3feed, 6feed, 8feed/bedtime, sometimes night time feed

1st dropped the 9am feed and replaced with formula, waited 3-4 days to adjust.
2nd dropped the 3pm feed and replaced with formula, waited 3-4 days to adjust.
3rd dropped the 6pm feed and replaced with formula, waited 3-4 days to adjust.
4th dropped the noon feed and replaced with formula, waited 3-4 days to adjust.
5th dropped the 8pm feed and replaced with formula, waited 3-4 days to adjust.
I kept the 6am feed for a while, because it was my biggest milk supply of the day.I pumped at 6am every day, and it was enough for 3 bottles, whereas my others throughout the day were just 1 bottleif pumping /1 feed if ebf.

You want to definitely give yourself a few days every time you drop a feed to adjust, or you risk getting badly engorged or getting mastitis. If you drop slowly, it should be relatively painless.

 

[Tiger22]

Thanks ladies! I might actually be able to continue after my surgery! I will be on a low dose aspirin and some pain Meds at first but I think I am going to try at least to continue, pump and dump at first with the Meds and then I will try seeing if she will latch after a week or so...if she is on a the bottle for a week or so is it likely she will latch again? I am hoping! This will be a lot of work but I am going to try!! I also might do one bottle of formula each day to get her use to it in case my freezer supply runs out while I'm at he hospital.

 

[Darlin65]

Similac makes a special new formula just for weaning if you want to keep it temporary and have some of a freezer stash

 

[jd83]

A week isn't that long to pump and dump, especially since you've been established so long. I think you won't have any trouble going right back to it if you want to.

 

[Tiger22]

Thanks I hope so! And yes I am using the Similac kind that is good to go with breast milk....hoping I'm not on too many Meds so I can continue sooner but I really won't know until after the surgery!

 

[Here_we_go]

I had to have surgery back in August and was gone for about 4 days. Thankfully I knew ahead of time and was able to get a nice freezer stash built up. My daughter had no trouble switching from the Playtex Drop-ins back to the breast. I pumped and dumped while in hospital but after I got home, I was able to continue breastfeeding because all of the drs ok'd my meds (pediatrician, pharmacist and neurosurgeon). My supply did dwindle down a little because I wasn't able to pump as frequently as I needed to while in hospital. It didn't take it long for my daughter to up my supply again though.
Good luck hun

 

[Darlin65]

My concern now that I thin about it would also be engorgement in recovery. Do you know how long your surgery will last and if you will be "out of it" for an extended period of time? I would try to prevent waking up in pain from that somehow if you can. It just makes me think if when we took DS to the ER for not breathing. We were on our way home after being out for a bit and I desperately need to feed or pump. Then it took hrs more at the ER before I was able to.

 

[Tiger22]

Thanks, yea I have talked with the lac nurses at the hospital and they will arrange a pump at my bedside so I can pump right after. I believe the surgery will be about 2 hours. I'm sure I'll be pretty out of it for awhile so hopefully the nurse and my husband will be able to help me pump.

 

[jd83]

Thanks, yea I have talked with the lac nurses at the hospital and they will arrange a pump at my bedside so I can pump right after. I believe the surgery will be about 2 hours. I'm sure I'll be pretty out of it for awhile so hopefully the nurse and my husband will be able to help me pump.

I have a friend who was telling me a story from when she had to have a surgery, and was doped up on pain meds, said she woke up in bed and her hubby was standing there pumping her breasts because she had slept too long. LOL! Good hubby

I'm sure you can get them to help you

 

[Tiger22]

Lol! That might just happen in my case too!

 

[Here_we_go]

Thanks, yea I have talked with the lac nurses at the hospital and they will arrange a pump at my bedside so I can pump right after. I believe the surgery will be about 2 hours. I'm sure I'll be pretty out of it for awhile so hopefully the nurse and my husband will be able to help me pump.

I have a friend who was telling me a story from when she had to have a surgery, and was doped up on pain meds, said she woke up in bed and her hubby was standing there pumping her breasts because she had slept too long. LOL! Good hubby

I'm sure you can get them to help you

She's got a better hubby than me! I had brain/spinal surgery so didn't have full movement of my head so I was constantly asking hubby "Is anything coming out?" Which is probably why I didn't pump as often as I should've, I had to have supervision
I was in surgery 6-7 hours. I made sure to thoroughly drain both sides before I went in.

 

[Tiger22]

Oh wow so you had a major surgery too and your baby got right back into the swing of things. That gives me hope!!!

 

[Here_we_go]

Oh wow so you had a major surgery too and your baby got right back into the swing of things. That gives me hope!!!

Yep, after about a week in the hospital, she went right back to nursing from the breast without any troubles at all. Like I said before, my supply was a bit decreased from not pumping enough but DD quickly fixed that problem