Weaning to Formula?

[kfcboston]

Does anyone have any experiences or wisdom to share on how to wean a 3-month old from breast to formula? Or really on whether to even do so? My DS is a big boy, 95th percentile, and seems to be ravenously hungry all the time. My mom will be watching him upon my return to work, and we're both nervous that she won't have enough EBM on hand to satisfy him. I'm having trouble finding time to pump b/c he's always hungry! She supplemented me with formula way back when b/c she always felt I wasn't getting enough, and I weaned myself at 3 months!

I have reservations about weaning him before he chooses to wean himself, and also am afraid he'll gain even more weight on formula vs. EBM (although I know it's too early to worry about that). But with me going back to work, I can't deny the lure of formula, and I feel he might cry less and be more satisfied with formula??

Any thoughts would be helpful, and if I do decide to wean, how best to move him to formula? Thanks!!

Katie
Mommy to Charlie, 3/5/03

[brubeck]

I had some serious BFing issues with my daughter and when she was 6 weeks old I switched to exclusive pumping and bottle-feeding. After about 2 weeks my pumping supply was not enough to satisfy all of her food needs, so I would begin every feeding with my most recent pump and then give her formula for however much else she wanted. I continued this way until she was 6 months old when I stopped nursing.

The fact is, if you can't be there you have to pump. If you have to pump, your supply probably won't increase as his appetite increases so you will have to start supplementing.

That being said, another important fact is that some BM is better than none. Even when I 'weaned' my daughter at 6 months she was getting 50/50 BM & formula. She is very healthy and I believe she got all the relevant health benefits from breastfeeding. To this day (she's 29 months now) she has never had an ear infection or any illness more serious than a cold (unless you count teething!).

It's you personal choice if you want to wean. The most important time to BF is in the first month and you are well past that, so you have already done a lot for your son. If you continue to BF and you pump you will have to supplement, but it's not the end of the world. You will still be doing something healthy and beneficial for your child.

If you do move him to formula, just try giving him some after he has had the BM. If he still seems hungry but refuses it, try at a different feeding giving the formula FIRST, then taking him off it after an ounce or two and going to BM. Warm formula (made with warm or hot water) will likely be more palatable.

Also try to use those nipples shaped like your breast in his mouth. I have had good luck with the ones that come with the Medela supplementary bottle kit.

Whatever you decide, you have already done wonderfully for your baby. You are to be congratulated!

[kfcboston]

Thnak you so much for your supportive response! I'm happy to hear it's possible for a baby to jump back and forth between BM and formula. How did you know your baby wasn't getting enough food from just BM? Not gaining enough weight? Or just not seeming satisfied?

Katie

[brubeck]

Not being satisfied! I would feed her the full bottle of EBM and she would gulp it down in no time flat. Then 30 minutes later she would be hungry again. I spent 2 days going through my entire reserve of frozen EBM before I realized I just wasn't keeping up. :-)

Generally babies at this age know how much they want to eat. You have a concept of how your son looks/acts when he is full on the breast right? He will be the same on the bottle. You can pretty much tell if he is still interested in eating or wants to play/sleep.

FYI right now I am (almost) exclusively BFing (from the breast) my second baby. But every night as part of the bedtime ritual he gets 2 ounces of formula in a bottle to help him sleep before he gets his bedtime BF. He seems to have no problem eating the bottle of formula and then jumping to the breast either.

[kfcboston]

Wow - that sounds like exactly my problem! I just know I've heard elsewhere the "BM is all the baby needs" mantra. Sometimes he seems satisifed, ie - comatose!! (very cute), others definitely not. I guess one more lingering concern I have is that supplementing will sabatoge, ie - lessen, my milk supply. Maybe it's just a growth spurt and he's working to naturally build my supply? Hmmm. Like everyone always says, ultimately I need to do what feels right! But I very much appreciate hearing about the experiences of others!

Katie

[COElizabeth]

Katie,

FWIW, I think it's possible for a baby to seem hungry still (e.g. sucking on fists, restless) and not really be that way. I remember my sister's children always got the "comatose," eyes rolled back in head look after nursing (which they generally did for 30-45 minutes, while James is done in 5!), but James has hardly ever done that. In fact, I have never seen him look like that! He has often refused the breast while still sucking fists, though, even though I can tell there is still milk coming out. And this was before solids, so it's not like he wanted something else to eat. I hope everything goes well for you!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[kfcboston]

I totally agree. While sometimes DS is comatose, other times he continues to root even though he's through taking the breast. It took me a little while to realize that putting him up over the shoulder or otherwise distracting him would quickly take his mind off of eating since he was indeed full. I think it's just an instinctual thing.

Getting to know baby can be frustrating but is also fascinating and fun!!

Katie

[josephsmom]

I definitely know some moms whose babies did just fine switching back and forth between breastmilk and formula. But you should understand that your supply will decrease as the amount of formula you feed increases. If you are considering pumping when you go back to work, here's a schedule that worked for me. When I first returned to work, I pumped before DS got up in the morning, after lunch, and before I left work. I dropped one of the at-work times when DS began eating cereal. This provided enough for DS to drink at the sitter's while still leaving enough for him to take from the breast. Mind you, I only work 3 days a week, and I'm not sure I could have done this every day. On days off, I usually pumped once (or sometimes twice) so I'd have a bottle or two in reserve or for outings. I didn't like to nurse in public. This enabled me to feed DS exclusively BM until he weaned himself at 10 months. So, the moral of the story is, if you choose to supplement with formula, that will probably work fine. And, if you want to pump, you may very well be able to make that work, too, as long as you have some privacy at work! Good luck, and HTH.

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[telewill]

Katie, thank you for this post. I'm REALLY stressing about trying formula. I've been exclusively BFing for six weeks, and I'm still having challenges. I've met with a few lactation consultants, am taking medicine for a possible yeast infection, and I'm still in almost constant discomfort. I WANT to continue breastfeeding but I will be going back to work in six weeks so I'll need to pump to provide at least some breast milk. Pumping is going well, but like others, finding time to pump extra right now is such a challenge.

My doctor, who is very pro-BF, suggested I mix the EBM with formula. Have you all had any luck with that?

I'm letting my yeast infection medication run its course before I "give up," however, as a daycare backup, I need to know what formula my DD will tolerate, so it's worth a test (a few ounces here and there). If I can't resolve the pain issue, then it's where I'm headed. Sigh.

[kfcboston]

No I haven't tried giving him any formula yet. All bottles have been EBM. One of biggest things I'm having trouble with is his appetite! We have had great luck breastfeeding; my only issue is a milk blister on my left nipple. But he's 95th percentile for weight (11 lb.s 8 oz.s at 5 weeks) and has been hungry practically since he was born! I really feel like he's not getting enough based on his behavior, although the stats and diapers show otherwise. We gave him a 3 oz bottle last night after a day of constant feeding and I didn't pump b/c I don't think there was anything left. :-) That put him down for over 3 hours!

This breastfeeding thing sure is tough!

Katie
Mommy to Charlie, 3/5/03