5 Month Old Weaning to Bottle

I had to supplement as well with my one month old and she began to have trouble latching on correctly and appeared to want the bottle more. I did a little research and found some bottles on Target's website called Breastflow. They are supposed to operate the same way the breast does in regards to releasing milk, etc. They helped to get my daughter back on track and she began latching on better and was fine with either breast or bottle. I highly recommend them if you must use a bottle.

I went through a similar situation with my son. I was determined to breastfeed and be successful at it! He was a big hungry baby from the word go! I never seemed to make enough milk to keep him satisfied. I tried everything from going to the lactation center every day to having his tongue clipped to help his latch. In the end I was stressed, sleep deprived, had a baby that continued to lose weight, and felt like a complete failure=-( I felt like I was starving my child! I have never felt the amount of guilt over anything else in my whole 28 years of living! I thought that giving him formula meant that I was a quitter who just had not read enough or done enough to prepare myself. I read so much on the internet, but I must say, that a lot of what I read made me feel more guilty. So beware! In the end I took Fenugreek 3 caps 3 times daily(you may also add Blessed Thistle capsules 3 caps 3 times daily as well as the Fenugreek-I recieved this info from the lactation center where I work) to boost my milk supply and pumped every 3 hours. It really did double my milk supply! He never would latch on that great so I pumped and gave him the breast milk I pumped and gave formula as well. He is now a healthy, smart, 21 month old boy! I hope that this helped you in some way. I wish you and your family a restful and stress free holiday!!

I can relate. By the time my son was three months old I was already having to use formula. He liked to nurse, but would get fidgety or something halfway through so I ended up stopping nursing early.

You can still continue to pump until you wish to stop or until you no longer have supply. You said she rarely wants to nurse...I would just take the opportunities she does want to nurse and pump on a regular schedule between that. I mixed the breast milk I was pumping with formula, and that always made me feel a little bit better!

Good luck to you.

Hi, I Know what you are going through, my daughter was 4 months when I stopped nursing her. She was the same, she was not gaining a lot of weight, so we starting supplementing as well, it was really hard at first but when I saw how she started filling out and becoming nice and full that made up my mind and made it made it a lot easier for me. So dont be affraid, give it a try and at the end it will be worth it. Good Luck P.S. I started feeding her less and less of the breast and more and more of the powder,and then giving her the breast just at night, then not and all it was easy that way for me.Angie

I know you've already followed up on this but please, please DO NOT beat yourself up about nursing. If you breastfeed for six weeks your baby gets the antibodies. Millions of babies never get any breastmilk and are perfectly healthy anyway. Breastfeeding my three children is something I will cherish always but it worked out differently with each one. Even tho the last two latched on better, I wasn't able to nurse them as long due to working outside the home. The fact that you try is all the proof anyone (including yourself) should need that you love your children and want what's best for them. Keep up the great mothering!
C.

I would never say a doctor is dead wrong. (no offense intended to the previous poster) I nursed both of my children, and it was a very different experience each time. First time around, my son was never satisfied. I read all the nursing sites, I did EVERYTHING. But he nursed (or wanted to nurse - when I was trying to increase the time between feedings) every hour and a half around the clock - at night, too. It was so, so hard and discouraging. And I couldn't have done it without pumping in between to increase my supply. (As you can imagine, that was quite a time table I had going on for awhile...)
Second child was a breeze. My milk supply was sufficient, and seemed to come and go exactly like nature intended.

My point is, if your daughter is not gaining weight, then obviously you should not be adament about nursing only right now. But if you really want to keep trying, don't give up. Take your doctors advice for now. And try the pump for a week, get advice on how often to do this, and continue nursing for comfort so you daughter doesn't give up the breast. Chart everything religiously so that you'll know when you are making progress. Good luck! And if it is too difficult, please don't feel pressured by the lactating community : ) I've learned from experience - a tired, stressed out mom is not a healthy choice for your two kids.

OH girl, I know how you feel. I have had 7 children and there have been a couple that needed bottles. It does certainly hurt. There were a couple times that I was pregnant and that is why they weren't gaining weight while I was nursing. Just know that you aren't alone and we know how you feel. I love nursing and you will have that opportunity again!!!

Doctors slay me... don't stop nursing. Your milk is better for the baby than that processed glop. You should ask him how much of a kickback he's getting from the formula companies for that propaganda.

Your doctor was dead wrong. They tend to not know a lot about nursing.

You don't have to give it up. Start pumping to increase your supply and go to llli.org for more information about how to return to nursing full-on. You will also find info on how to nurse optimally so your daughter will gain more weight. YOu can also get an lll volunteer to come right to your home to help out! FOr free!

L.

C.,
I completely understand the feelings you are going through. It is hard to give up nursing, especially when you feel like it is the best thing for your child. You really have to work through those feelings and make the choice that you feel is best for your child. I had a child who was not gaining weight with nursing and had to start supplementing as well. On the flip side, she still did not gain weight well with supplementing or with bottlefeeding alone, so there was more to it. She ended up having many health issues. I am not trying to say that your daughter does, but you do need to keep checking her weight gain even with the formula to make sure she is gaining with that.

I also would suggest contacting a lactation consultant if you want to keep nursing. They can help you with encouraging your daughter to nurse, and increasing your supply.

I also have a son who I chose to stop nursing at about 7 months because it was just too much of a struggle to get him to want to nurse and it would just make him upset. It turned out I was pregnant, and that may have been part of the issue. I also have a friend who always has to start supplementing at about 4 months because her milk supply drops. Sometimes you can do different things to encourage your milk supply and stick with it, but it does come down to how much effort and stress you want to put into it.

One thing I tried with my second daughter (though it is really hard to get the hang of and she was not a good enough nurser for it to work) is a nursing supplementer. It is a bottle that you put formula in and then run a tube down to your nipple and have them suck on that at the same time as nursing. They get the supplementation but are still nursing to get it. You can ask a lactation consultant about where to find one if you want to give it a try.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know you are not alone, there are many other women out there who have dealt with this issue.

I know how you feel, C.! I just went through this about a month ago when my baby was 4 and a half months. She wasn't gaining enough weight and I was stressing out so much about it. I work and was having a very difficult time pumping often enough at work while traveling around for my job. I agonized over it for a few days, but eventually decided that the most important thing is that she gets what she needs. And, I knew I would have much greater peace of mind if I knew she was getting enough food at each sitting. So for me, the best decision was to put her on formula full-time. For you, though, the best decision might be to ignore the doctors and go with your motherly instincts! If you have to give up breast-feeding, though, just know that doing it even for five months is amazing and has already provided so many health benefits for your little one!

C.,

Stick with it! You have come this far, and done so well. Soon (possibly now?) your child will be starting solid foods, cereal and won't need to offer a bottle at all.

I supplemented one feeding a day with formula, and after solids began at 6mos, dropped it and breast fed exclusively in tandem with the new food. No more bottles, no more pumping, it was an adjustment, but it worked out well. Just keep offering the breast, again and again and she will get past her phase. Don't give up.You can do it, and give her the best of both worlds. Good luck!

D. H

I had the same issue so I hired a lactation consultant to come to the house (call your hospital for references, there are some in every town, but not all make house calls). How specific was the doctor about supplementing? My doc said to do a few ounces AFTER I nursed - not to add any extra fomula feedings. Nursing is a catch-22 - the more you do it, the more you make. Get expert advice and there is lots on the Internet. The lactation consultant said I should do fewer ounces (the doc said to do 4-5, I was doing 8). She also started me on lots of Mother's Milk tea by Herbal Organics. I took several doses of fenugreek throughout the day and drank loads of water. I also made sure to eat baby-friendly food. Nursing was incredibly, incrediby difficult for us to do well. But I was determined!!! In the end, my daughter nursed for 15 months. You should really check out a La Leche meeting in your area - they have a lot of advice and support. Revisit your pediatrician and make sure he isn't discouraging nursing by how much supplementing he's asking for. If you think he's old-fashioned, ask your friends if their docs are more progressive/natural and just get a one-time consultation. Good luck!!!

When my first baby was born, I had always wanted to nurse. She was adopted and I had never been pregnant before. My chances of lactating were pretty much zero. There were medicines that I could have taken but, they were not available in the US. Anyway, I used a Lact-Aid. It is a supplementer. This one was a soft dispoable bag that attached to my shirt or bra that can be filled with breast milk or formula. There is a very thin capillary tube that I would tape (with medical tape) close to my nipple. My baby was able to "nurse" and bond with me. Medela.com also has a supplementer that is able to be sterilzed after use. Google lact-aid, medela.com or infant supplementer. Of course, that would also enable you to continue lactating and allow your baby to use your milk in addition to a nutrionally strong formula. Good luck. I hope this suggestion helps.

Similar situation at our house a few months ago...
baby didn't gain enough weight at 4 weeks and 6 weeks so I had several consults with the wonderful lactation team from Lakeside Hospital (Metairie, LA) and we tried a few things for me: fenugreek, nursing mother's tea, lots of water, nutritious food, and pumping often to increase my supply of breastmilk that could either gotten from the breast or a bottle. We would give any breastmilk that I had pumped first and then pour formula into the same bottle to complete the feeding so we knew our daughter got all the breastmilk even if she didn't finish the whole bottle.

Our lactation nurses worked with us to find a nipple that was similiar to the breast. This helped to make our little feel comfortable at the breast or bottle. Then around 5 months she took a little nursing strike---for about a week she would go to the breast but not latch on so she got all of her feedings (breastmilk and formula) from the bottles. I continued to offer my breast and finally she started nursing again when she woke up in the morning & usually before bed. Other times I just pumped for her to have during the day.

Good luck and remember that a calm mama is the best thing for everyone! So decide if you want to continue to breastfeed and if so keep offering the breast and supplement as your little one needs in order to gain weight.

I agree--nurse her. no matter how, get her your milk. She must needs more milk. Forlula these days contains high levels of soy,which can lead to hypothyroidism and other problems, as well as often containing several forms of MSG, which CAUSES obesity. (Do some researching on this.) We want a chubby baby--but not an obese child and adult. As far as the nursing, you might do some reading about "hind milk" and "fore milk", of you haven't already. This may help you to get more fat on her.
And--although some my disagree, she is certainly old enough for some rice cereal mixed with breastmilk.
This will help. It's starch that makes us gain weight...
Try to get non-genetically modified and organic, if you can.
Chemicals will be especially detrimental to an underweight child.
Praying for a fat, healthy baby! Unfortunately, docs many times can't be listened to on feeding issues--especially if they're male--not because they are bad people, LOL--but because they don't fully understand tet mom/baby feeding relationship. I would listen to mothers on this one ; )Oh, and even if you ahev ceased nursing, youc an start again.
Look ofr an herb called 'Fenugreek'. It is completely safe, smells wonderful, like maple syrup! ANd your milk will come back gangbusters--in fact, if you weren't making enough before, this could very well help! I dried up with two of mine, and it worked like a charm both times.
Blessings!
H.

If your child can handle the bottle better, then you can just pump milk from you breast and put it in the bottle. I don't see how any formula can be better than breast milk. Has the child begus gaining weight with the formula? If so, I would pump and mix it with the formula. How much does you baby weigh at five months?

BE ENCOURAGED! Breastfeeding is not an easy science. I breastfed both of my children until they were 9 months and 13 months. If you're nursing because you want to give her the nutrients, just keep pumping to get your milk supply up. You can always put your milk in her bottle first and try it like that. I would suggest getting a really nice electric pump, like Medela, to make it easier and faster. If you're nursing just for the bonding part, you might try doing it right before she goes to bed or first thing in the morning. Don't give you mama! YOU CAN DO IT!

L.
www.stcmemoriesfriends.ning.com

I don't know if you are having a low milk supply, but I was having a low supply when my son was 3-4 months old. I would drink a glass of malted milk and instantly increase my supply. My husband's idea--and it worked! Eventually I was able to keep up with his demand on my own. I am still breastfeeding now at 11 months. Whatever you try/decide, good luck to you! And kudos for choosing to breastfeed in the first place; you have already done a lot of good keeping it up for this long!

Call the La Leche League for advice. They're so much better than the hospital-based lactation consultants, in my opinion. It's probably a case of nipple confusion for your daughter because bottles are so much easier to get milk from so the babies get lazy to nurse. One idea is to sit in a warm bath with your baby and let her nurse to remind her of how nice it is. That worked well for a friend.

When one of my sons was about the same age, a friend noticed that he looked thin and was not gaining much weight. At first I was insulted, but once I got over that initial reaction, I began to consider the situation. He was a very content baby who would take the pacifier when he fussed. I was very busy, a homeschool mom with 5 other kids and was extending his nursings to 3 and 4 hours apart because he would be happy with the pacifier. When I realized all this, I put him on an every 2 hr feeding and he filled out pretty quickly. It is rare that a mother's milk is not enough. Please try to feed him often, it should increase your milk. Make sure you are eating healthy and still taking prenatal vitamins. He is also approaching the age you can start cereal, mixed with your milk or hot water.