Need Help with Weaning

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Can you pump and mix the breastmilk with formula one ounce at a time? For example, if your son drinks a 4 oz bottle, give him 3 oz of breastmilk with 1 oz of formula. After a couple days, increase it to 2 oz breastmilk, 2 oz formula. Then 3 oz formula with 1 oz breastmilk.

By doing it this way, you are allowing his system a chance to adjust to the formula and hopefully avoid any constipation or other issues related to the switch. You would also be able to wean yourself on the amount you pump allowing yourself to dry up gradually.

I will warn you though, I stopped BFing my son when he was 10 wks old, he is now 11 months and I still leak from time to time.

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about stopping breastfeeding! Its a personal decision and it isn't always the best decision for everyone. I had to stop due to medical problems my son had and I spent many hours in tears over the rude remarks from strangers.

I would contact La Leche League immediately and persevere with breastfeeding until then. It is not going to get easier to parent with a bottle. You open your child up to more illnesses. It will get easier to breastfeed. hang in there.

I agree to mix and do it quickly. You can pump if you need to wean you body longer. The fact of the matter is the child will eat if he's hungry. You may have a few days of agony, but he will change over and be okay for it. Depsite what breastfeeding 'cheerlearders' will say try to push you along on the 'natural' way- YOU have to be concerned about your physical health and well being. One only has to experience ONE breast infection once to know the agony to TOO much! Your child has experienced over two month of mother's milk-you're covered on giving it your best effort and I applaud you. Try a gentle formula- my son did best on a soy based one. If your baby gets constipated from the changeover, put a spoon of clear Karo syrup in the formula-an easy natural 'mover' that might even get him to drink the bottle at first. Take care of your own health- it is just as important a your child's.

Hi J.,

I am sooo sorry you are having this problem, I had the same thing with my DS who is now 8. I was stubborn and persisted and kept nursing him until he was past a year old, it was a great accomplishment. I hope you can hang in there and keep nursing, its SOOOO good for both of you!!!

There are LOTS of things to do to prevent and treat breast infections so you can keep nursing your little. Make sure you are drinking LOTS of water, like at least 64 oz a day or more, eat healthy foods, nurse alot on the infected side, take 1000mg of Ester C every hour, use castor oil packs on the site of the infection. For more info you can also check out www.llli.org, www.mothering.com, www.kellymom.com.

Good luck to you!
S.

I think your baby is telling you to hang in there! It is truly the best option- nurse as often as you can and try to empty the breast that is giving you trouble. I nursed my daughter until her first birthday and I only had one breast infection but it was killer! Best of luck!

I agree with previous poster, start by offering bottles of breast milk to get the baby used to bottle feeding, I found that playtex nursers with the bags worked best for us of all the bottles we tried. They have a wide nipple and the bag contracts like the breast. When the baby is used to bottle feeding then transition slowly to formula, start feeding one ounce formula with breast milk, and slowly increase to more formula each day.

A note about formula too, if a child is started on breast milk they will likely have trouble digesting formula at first. After trying about 4 kinds I finally settled on Nestle's Good Start, it was by far the easiest for my boys to digest and we never had issues with gas. And it's not the most expensive one so it's easier on your wallet. ;O)

Take heart in knowing that you are making the right decision for you and your family, I know it can be hard when there is so much pressure to breast feed. It just doesn't work for everyone. You are a wonderful mommy just the same!! Hang in there and enjoy your precious gift!

I agree with J., definately mix breatmilk and formula to start. You can also experiment with different bottles/nipples my children (3) all had different ones they likeed. You might also want to get some Hibiclens to wash your breasts with. It is an over the counter hospital grade soap.(Like a surgical scrub.) My Dr. recomended using it twice a day after I had a serious infection and was weaning through it. It just helps to keep the bacteria away to avoid future infections.

Good Luck.
C. G

In the meantime, ask your OB to write a perscription for "All purporse nipple ointment" (see below) - it saved my life in terms of nipple pain and prevents infection.

I suggest contacting a lactations consultant, who could put you on a weaning schedule of sorts. She may also be able ot help you to deal with the infecitons so you can keep nursing - perhaps it has to do with fullly draining the breast, etc. Perhaps if you get down to a few feedings per day, it will get easier, too. Many moms don't nurse exclusively allowing the baby to get some benefits.

In terms of bottles - mix breast milk and formula, or start with all breast milk to get him used to the bottle. Let your husband feed him and leave the room or the house if you need too.

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(from the web)

All purpose nipple ointment
This combination of 3 ingredients seems to help for many causes of sore nipples, including poor latch, Candida (yeast), dermatologic conditions, infections of the nipple with bacteria and possibly other causes as well. It is always good, however, to try to assure the best latch possible, because improving the latch helps with any cause of pain.
mupirocin 2% ointment (not cream): 15 grams
betamethasone 0.1% ointment (not cream): 15 grams.
If betamethasone ointment is unavailable, mometasone ointment (15 grams) can be used instead. It is better not to mix creams and ointments.

To which is added miconazole powder so that the final concentration is 2% miconazole. Sometimes it is helpful to add ibuprofen powder as well, so that the final concentration of ibuprofen is 2%.

This combination gives a total volume of approximately 30 grams. Clotrimazole powder to a final concentration of 2% may be substituted if miconazole powder is unavailable, but both exist (the pharmacist may have to order it in). I believe clotrimazole is not as good as miconazole, but I have no proof of that. Using powder gives a better concentration of antifungal agent (miconazole or clotrimazole) and the concentrations of the mupirocin and betamethasone remain higher.

The combination is applied sparingly after each feeding (except the feeding when the mother uses gentian violet). Do not wash or wipe it off, even if the pharmacist asks you to. In Canada, Kenacomb (easier to find) or Viaderm KC (less expensive) ointments (not cream) can be substituted for the above combination, but are distinctly inferior. I used to use nystatin ointment or miconazole cream (15 grams) as part of the mixture, and these work well, but I believe the use of powdered miconazole (or clotrimazole powder) gives better results.

Any pharmacist should be able to make up this ointment, but not all want to. Not all pharmacies carry all the ingredients. If you are having difficulties, ask the pharmacist for the nearest compounding pharmacy.

It's great that you have nursed your son 9 weeks! You may want to try nursing and then give a bottle so your baby isn't starving when trying to do something new. It's hard to learn new things when we are hungry. Then you can go slow. Also you may need to leave the house while some else gives the bottle. Good luck.

I remember having a breast infection around that same time with my first child. It was excrutiatingly painful and I thought breastfeeding should not hurt that much. After taking antibiotics it cleared up and I was able to enjoy years of painfree nursing with my first and now my second child. I couldn't imagine raising a baby without breastfeeding. I'm not trying to get preachy, just to say that if the pain of the infection is the only reason you want to wean, try to hang in there until it clears up and chances are you will love breastfeeding after that. Since you say you have had three infections already, I'm wondering if the first one never really cleared up. Have you done the antibiotics? I'm just thinking that by the time you go through your slow and gradual weaning, the infection will probably be cleared up anyway and then you would have weaned for nothing. Weaning is a one-way street after all and you can't go back. If you have other reasons for wanting to wean and this is just the last straw, then by all means do what's best for you and your family. Sorry I don't have any advice on how to do that, since I've never done it.

You should try mixtures of breast milk and formula, starting with 1 oz formula , the rest breastmilk, and building up to full formula bottles after slowly increasing the ratio of formula to breastmilk in his bottle. Good luck!

Hi J., Wow you have been through alot in just 9 weeks. Three breast infections. May I suggest that you see a International Board Certified Lactation Consultant? Alot of them are also nurses. You may want to contact a friend or La Leche League or even your local hospital or pediatrician for a referral to someone. I would recommend that you pump if it is too painful to breastfeed making sure that you are using a good quality pump and proper sized flanges (yes they come in larger sizes too). I would not recommend trying to wean while you are trying to clear up an infection. The most important thing would be to keep milk moving through there. It sounds like there have been some difficulty with the actual breastfeeding. If the nipples have been cracked or bleeding this maybe where the source of infection is. There is an ointment that can help with this. Check out Dr.Jack Newman's website about All Purpose Nipple Ointment. Once the infection is cleared perhaps maybe you would consider breastfeeding again? IF you did I would strongly suggest a private lactation consult to see what the baby is doing. You may be having nipple damage from the baby...for various reasons...sometimes it is because of tongue tie...any way. I know that you have been through alot. Having just one breast infection is awful but you have had three. Make sure the infection is cleared up before you cut back on your milk supply if that is in fact what you want to do. Then gradually eliminate the feeding/pumping time that is least necessary and every three or four days cut back one more...this should be done very gradually. I am a lactation consultant and really the best thing would be for someone to see you and get to the bottom of what is causing the infection. Take care of yourself. Be sure you are taking your vitamins. Eat some comfort food. What an awesome mom you are to have been through so much. Love your baby and enjoy the day. Wishing you comfort and a cuddly time with your precious one.
-K.