Wanting to express and go on to formula,advice please

[familygirl30]

Will my boobs eventually stop producing when start to express less!dont know how works

 

[HopefulPony]

Yes they will, it's supply and demand if your breasts aren't being emptied so often eventually your body gets the message that baby doesn't need as much milk.

 

[familygirl30]

But will I start leaking?

 

[fieryphoenix]

You probably will leak in the beginning, it depends on how gradually you stop pumping though

 

[TheNewMrs]

I'm lost a bit by your post. How old is your baby? Do you want to breastfeed, or go right onto formula? Have you decided you will breastfeed for X amount of time and then switch?

Most women will leak no matter how they feed their babies. Milk regulation takes about 6 weeks. Some women leak past that, some women don't leak at all.

 

[familygirl30]

I'm lost a bit by your post. How old is your baby? Do you want to breastfeed, or go right onto formula? Have you decided you will breastfeed for X amount of time and then switch?

Most women will leak no matter how they feed their babies. Milk regulation takes about 6 weeks. Some women leak past that, some women don't leak at all.

Sorry I'm so tired I made a mistake on title and should have put want to stop expressing and start on formula.My baby is 12 days old and was born at 34 weeks 5 days and we were in hospital for 10 days.Ive been told to introduce a bottle of formula a day but wondering how long need to express for

 

[CupcakeBaby]

I doubt you need to give formula. I was told this at the weekend and just ignored it.

You're not really supposed to pump/bottle feed before 6 weeks.

If breast feeding is going ok for you both then I say stick with it. BM that's made for preemies is perfect for them. No formula will match that.

 

[TheNewMrs]

So would I be right in saying that now you want to exclusively formula feed and not breastfeed or express milk at all?

I'm all for mothers deciding whats best for their families as long as it is an informed decision, especially with a preemie.

Not breastfeeding does come with its risks, and with a baby as young as yours who was premature I am inclined to encourage you to breast feed your baby to give him/her the optimum health they can have. As well as for your own health.

Please make yourself aware of the risks of not breastfeeding for you and your baby before making your decision. Here's a useful link that will help you make an informed decision. https://www.infactcanada.ca/RisksofFormulaFeeding.pdf


Introducing 1 formula feed every 3 days would be a safe way to go about it reducing the likelihood of engorgement or mastitis.
So you'd be expressing all feeds except 1 formula feed for days 1-3
The same again only 2 formula feeds for days 4-6
Then days 7-9 3 formula feeds.

And so forth till your on all formula feeds and no expressing. It will be uncomfortable for a while, you can take paracetamol if you need to. You should also wear breast pads as you will probably leak for a few weeks until the milk dries up completely. Some people will dry up in a matter of days since they last expressed or breastfed, others can take week or months. It just depends on the person.

You could just go cold turkey if you wanted and not express at all anymore, but you are at risk of getting all kinds of infections and illnesses this way and it is REALLY not advised, especially with such a young baby to care for it's going to be a lot harder if you are ill too.


If you run into any difficulties please don't be afraid to ask us here. Best of luck whatever you decide