Stopping breastfeeding/starting on formula

[SadieM]

I am thinking about stopping breastfeeding my 8 week old son. I wish I was one of those people who naturally take to breastfeeding and find it a beautiful experience, but I'm just not. He is a greedy baby (he puts on almost 1lb a week), and I just feel really drained from it all. He is up a lot in the night feeding and feeds for hours at a time in the day. I am exhausted and feel that I can;t satisfy him. I hope that if I stop breastfeeding we will both be happier, more relaxed and he'll be more contented. I am struggling with the guilt at the thought of giving up and I just wandered if there is anyone who gave up for similar reasons, or at around the same time? Also, what formula would you recommend?

 

[indieknits]

Hi there, my baby is 13 weeks and I decided to make the switch for pretty much the same reasons as you. Please don't feel guilty, it sounds like you have given BFing your best shot, and there is nothing wrong with moving onto formula. You have to do what is best for you and your baby.

Emma has taken to bottles like a duck to water. Ever since I started giving her a bottle for her dream feed, she has woken up once during the night instead of twice. It makes a HUGE difference!

I am using Aptamil, as I've heard from lots of people here that it is good. Emms certainly doesn't mind it anyway! The only difference I've noticed to her poop so far is that it's a bit darker and smellier.

Hope that helps x

 

[indieknits]

Just to add that if she gets upset when you first try, it could be the type of bottle. Emma cried every time I gave her milk from a Tommee Tippee CTN bottle, but when I tried a Dr. Brown's she had no problems at all! It can take a bit of trial and error.

 

[trashit]

You lasted alot longer than me!! I gave up for the same reasons, he was 10lbs at birth and i had to sit for an hour with him sometimes feeding. He was always unsettled on my breast milk, and constipated so i started formula at 4 days. Its only been 2 days but he is SO much more settled on it, he loves it! and it doesnt constipate him and we have routine now! Plus my boobies arent killing lol.
I use cow and gate personally

 

[_Vicky_]

I gave up at four weeks due to mastitis - and suffered the same guilt but my boys thrive. We started on SMA then cahnged to Nurture which they are now discontinuing BOOOOO so we are just about to start them on aptamil too.

Oh and sorry to go all 'mum like' on you but please please please make sure you stop breast feeding in the correct way (I think you have to do it gradually) as I have just had to have an operation to drain two breast abcesses due to mastitis and blocked ducts xxxx

 

[c1reid]

i was the same, my ds is a big,fast growing boy and some nights i couldnt move off the couch as he was cluster feeding from me,i felt drained all the time but felt guilty stopping. My OH went and bought formula one night but i cried and still couldnt stop....had tried him with a couple of bottles one day and he took to it straight away so i was all set for stopping.Unfortunately he took unwell and was in hospital for 2 weeks so i continued BF as he was unwell but even the nurses were telling me to stop,he was up on the hour every hour during the night and i was 'panning myself out' (their words) we're not much use to them tired and my LO was getting agaitated feeding from me as wasnt getting satisfied (not sure if my milk started drying up as was stressed/not eating wee being in hospital) he's been great on formula (he was between 7 & 8 weeks) and i dont feel half as bad as i thought i would,as another post said you've gave it your best shot and i think you'll know when you're ready to do it....i still miss the closeness of him feeding from me but there's no change in him,he's still putting on lots of weight.He is on sma gold and is in a routine of feeding every 3 hours whereas he fed on demand BF so i feel like did get him into a good routine,he's only up once during night too xx

 

[alibaba24]

My Little Girl was in SCBU so i never got the chance to bf her with her being so early she was tube fed so i expressed milk for her as i wanted her to have the best start i could give her I kept on expressing for about 3 weeks but then i decicded to stop because it was just copletly tedious my milk supply was never great i think thats because i was exclusivly expressing and it takes alot of work to keep up the supply. I just decided that for me personally i wanted to enjoy my baby when i got her home not be exhausted doing her night feeds looking after her AND trying to express 3 hourly i do not feel bad whatsoever for stopping her ebm shes done even better with her weight gain on formula than she did on ebm and to me i enjoy the perks of ff. Everyone is differently BF is really hard and i admire the women who are determined to keep at it but to me its only worth it if your enjoying it because your bub needs a happy mother not an overtired unahppy one just for bf. Hope you make the choice that suits you and your bub xxx

 

[NuKe]

we started formula @ 5 days. we were on sma until 2 days ago when we switched to cow & gate in an attempt to get her colic/constipation shifted. its already improving!! we have had no problems with the TT CTN bottles!

 

[Kit]

Would it be worth trying mix-feeding for a while? I know it is usually a slippery slope as it reduces supply, but if you are happy about introducing formula anyway then it might let you "test the water" while getting a break from constant feeding. Perhaps introduce formula at night to start with and see how you feel after that?
But if you do decide to make the switch then please don't feel guilty - if your baby is putting on a pound a week then you have clearly done a great job over the first couple of months.

 

[Moodyelf]

I'm just in the process of doing the switch now for very similar reasons. I'd been thinking about it for a few weeks as she's a very hungry girl and cluster feeds were exhausting, she was never settled or happy, and I never had any time with my 3 year old. I finally made the decision on sunday, as my OH was at work from 6am and I had to get both of them up. It was a nightmare, and I was ready to scream by the time he got home!

I've decided to bottle feed from 7am, with her last bottle about 5pm, then breast then onwards, but I think I might extend it for another feed too to help her settle in the evening (at the moment, the earliest she will go to bed is 11pm!!)

We have her on SMA gold - I used it for Jack, and my mum used it with me! lol

I've been through the guilt and beaten myself up about it, but i've come to realise that it's the best thing for her and for the rest of my family, and therefore, there's nothing to feel guilty about!

Just be prepared for a few days of VERY sore boobs, and have plenty of breast pad handy!

 

[bluehorse]

My daughter is also 8 weeks and I have started combo feeding. I really love breastfeeding and haven't experienced any pain at all but my LO was feeding 24/7 and never satisfied. She also wasn't putting on the weight- averaging 2-3 oz a week! I tried everything and was observed feeding by so many experts who informed me my latch and supply were good. A week and a half ago I decided to start introducing more bottles- initially one early evening and one at bedtime, then, since Friday I've been giving 3 - one at lunch time too. I'm gutted that breastfeeding hasn't worked out but was beginning to worry not only about her weight but also her happiness and development. AS she was always feeding, she wasn't interacting. She is now so much more content it's unbelievable! I'm still sad though...

 

[eldar]

I've been combination feeding since my LO was 5 weeks - when exhaustion and frustration overcame me and I started introducing FF's. This has been successful except for the randomness of when BF fits into the day and it's all over the place sometimes. I so wanted to BF until she was at least 9 months old but it is sooooo hard and time consuming, not that I begrudge her the time but I never seemed to be able to satisfy her.

Today I have decided to call it quits on the combination feeding - 12 weeks of Bf/ milk is a good start but I'm changing over to full time FF. She needs a routine of sorts and I can't create one with both BF and FF. Sometimes she feeds on and off the breast for 2 hours and then in 15 minutes screams and drinks a full 6 oz of formula!

I think the main reason I have kept on BF for so long is because i enjoy the closeness, and not because it is helping or even it seems feeding her. I'm going to miss it because it's the lovely cuddles with her - but it's also the cause of tears. I true that she needs a happy mummy and not a stressed overtired one.

 

[Pink_Tinks]

i stopped breastfeeding after a week, harriet just wouldnt latch. i know i could have tried a bit longer, but she had really really bad jaundice and wasnt getting anywhere near enough fluid. i expressed for three weeks so she got some of the goodness, and i gradually cut out expressing so was giving a mixture of formula and breastmilk thruout the day for about a week and then just used formula once all my milk had gone!
Im using SMA, just because she was given that in hospital as top ups because she wasnt feeding well at all off me, and my nephew was on sma and was fine. and i use TT CTN bottles, theyre great, spesh with the powder dispensers!

 

[Lyndz]

I have combine fed since Bella was about 5 days old. She was exclusively breast fed for 5 days but i couldn't cope, she was always hungry & my milk didn't satisfy her, so i started to express my milk & feed her that way. 6 weeks on and my milk supply is slowly decreasing & expressing the milk is a little tedious, especially as after having my milk, she still needs formula so i'm now concidering giving up.
Don't feel guilty. You have to do what is best for you & your baby. Happy mummy = happy baby. I initially felt awful about even thinking of stopping, but she is a healty, strong & happy baby on formula. She's on SMA gold and a little piggy for it!!!