Switching from BF to FF

[indieknits]

Hi All,

I'm considering switching from breastfeeding to formula feeding. Emma is 11 weeks old now and BFing is going great, but I am exhausted and feel like I've got to the point where I could really do with a bit of help from hubby. It was always my plan to switch to FF as I have to go back to work at some point, and I am now starting to feel like the time is right. (Although I am dreading having to sterilise bottles! I know it'll be fine once I'm in a routine though.)

Has anyone else made the switch at this stage? What's the best way to go about it - I am thinking perhaps changing one feed per week? Emma feeds roughly 8-9 times a day at the moment, would she need to feed less often if on FF, or does this different for each baby?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

ETA She weighs 11lbs 4oz (5.15kg)

 

[elm]

Have you tried expressing milk so that you can have a night off? Might be worth giving it a try and see how you feel? x

(there are laws in place that mean that if you're still breastfeeding when you go back to work you're entitled to breaks to express milk, just worth bearing in mind) x

(hope you don't mind me posting that, know it's not what you asked but I found that by expressing milk and having the occasional night off I had much more energy than I would have without doing it!)

 

[indieknits]

I've tried expressing a few times now but it just doesn't work for me, really not sure why! I can never get more than a couple of oz. Maybe I should persevere with it.

 

[elm]

You might find this helpful -

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

Hope you don't think I'm telling you to express - just that it's an option if you want to consider it. I find warming my breast with a wheatpack first helped me to express more, as did fenugreek tablets x

 

[indieknits]

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out now

 

[dacosta]

i'm in the same position as you and will need to switch to ff when i go back to work so i'm thinking of introducing a ff each day and slowly increase it over time. i can express but finding the time to do it is tricky and i can only get some out if lo misses a feed soo its not really practical.

 

[Nickij]

I started swtiching from FF to BF at about 10 weeks. At that point I had been expressing a feed a day and I was just fed up with it as it took so long, so I decided to replace that feed with a bottle of formula. He also used to mess around alot on the Boob- and sometimes scream at it - I think maybe he couldn't get it quick enough!

I basically introduced one more bottle of formula every 7-10 days. Jack had about 7 feeds a day before I did this now he is usually on 5-6. 4-5 bottles and 1 BF. He does feed alot better from the bottle I also feel its easier to tell when he is hungry, tired etc as I know how much food he is getting.

Saying that though I have been on 1 BF now for about 3 weeks and I keep saying I am going to stop completey soon - but I keep worring I am going to regret it.....

Jack is 18 weeks now - so we have been combined feeding for about 8 weeks.

 

[dacosta]

did your lo notice the change in taste from ebm?

 

[nataliecn]

When we switched, I had no choice but to go cold turkey. He actually seemed ok as I put him on a sensitive formula.
Good luck!!

 

[indieknits]

I sometimes worry I'll regret it...but it has been on my mind since before Emma was born so I feel like I've given it lots of thought.

I think I may introduce the first bottle at the dreamfeed, when Emms is sleepy and not desperate for food.

 

[elm]

If you would like any formula info let me know - not going to post it as you haven't asked but I have some great (imo!) links x

 

[Zeri]

I'm planning to combination feed as well, from next month when I go back to work. I won't be pumping at work, so the babysitter will give her formula then. I will be pumping in the evenings, though, to get a few bottles of ebm to give her during the week.

My plan is to start transitioning her to fomula now by replacing one breastmilk feed with a formula feed from next week. Right now I'm thinking of the nighttime feed, in the hopes that it'll be make her sleep longer, but I'm still thinking about it. I'll be mixing half bm and half ff for now, and then 3/4 ff and 1/4 bm the following week, and so on, until she's at full ff by the end of the month.

 

[indieknits]

Any links to information would be great, thank you!!


I tried to give her a bottle for her dreamfeed the other night, but she woke up and cried! Oh dear. However, the next day I gave her a bottle for her second morning feed and she drank it! She tends to drink about 3-4oz, which isn't an awful lot, but I'm guessing it's probably about right as she is feeding 8-9 times a day.

Not sure if it is coincidence but she's had really bad trapped wind for a couple of nights. Could it be the bottle? Could it really cause trapped wind 12-18 hours after she's had it?

 

[Nickij]

They do tend to swallow more air on the bottle than the breast. We bought dr. browns bottles because of this and they are fab - just a bit more of a pain to sterilise.

My LO didn't seem bothered by the switch from EBM to formula - he pulled a bit of a funny face the first couple of times, but it didn't stop him from drinking it.

Maybe I have been lucky on this front, but Jack really doesn't seem to be bother what or how his food comes as long as he gets it! lol

 

[indieknits]

Last night was better, she was a bit fidgety but that's pretty normal for her, and she wasn't in any obvious pain. I gave her Aptamil instead of HIPP so not sure if that has anything to do with it!