Trying to Wean to Formula

Congratulations for making it this far! I just had my 3rd child in June. I bottle fed my other two kids but I decided to try breastfeeding with this one. At first, it was the hardest thing but then I got used to it. I went back to work when she was 2 1/2 months. I planned on pumping and still breastfeeding but it didn't work. I actually felt guilty when I "gave up". I weaned her for almost a week. I took one feeding away a day.

I think you did a wonderful job for breastfeeding 2 months.

Have you thought about possibly pumping to help not get a plugged duct? You don't have to do a whole pumping session, just enough to remove a little bit of the milk. The reason why you might have gotten a plugged duct is because your milk is still trying to balance itself out. So if you plan on giving your baby a bottle at the time you would normally do a nursing, either try using a manual pump just to relieve a LITTLE bit of the milk, or even just hand express a LITTLE bit, maybe pump for no more than 5 mins. Remove a little bit of the milk to relieve the pressure, but don't completely empty the breast. Then keep with what you plan on doing, add 1 bottle a week. And the good thing, you can still give your baby a little of the breastmilk that you pumped out.

If you need any further help, you can contact me at ____@____.com. I have been a certified breastfeeding counselor for the past 4 years, and I am working to become a lactation consultant. No, I'm not going to lecture you at all!! You made a great accomplishment of breastfeeding for 2 months, and I am here to support you in whatever area of need you are at!!!!!

Jen

I think the best thing to do is get in touch with your local La Lache League. You can easily find them on-line. Best of luck. And don't beat yourself up about the breastfeeding. Your baby will be much happier with a happy mom.

I did breast feed my kids completely with no formula, so I've never been in your place...but I'm thinking that to avoid a plugged duct, you'd want to replace feedings where your milk supply is lowest--so late afternoon or early evening. Morning you tend to have a higher milk supply, so that might not be the feedings you want to cut.

I'd encourage you to just keep going slow with it...you can combine formula with breastmilk for a while if that helps you to work with it. Hugs!

I stopped breast feeding both my children around 5 months. The key to keeping you breast from feeling like they are on fire is to empty them evenly when he does nurse, (if you have large breasts you have to lift it up and help the milk flow out) and cut out 1 feeding per week so your body has time to adjust without your breasts getting really full. For clogged ducts letting hot water in a shower beat on your breast and massaging it (even though it hurts) should bring you relief. Good Luck

i don't really know the answer but from a weaning perspective I would not cut out one feeding from breast cold turkey or you will get many more duct problems - especially at your stage when your milk is most plentiful. I would just suggest that whatever feeding you are replacing with formula to get there gradually - a week of letting her nurse 5 min and then give bottle so your body has time to adjust and make less milk.

hang in there

Hi Jamie,
I've had clogged ducts and it is so painful! I hope you're feeling better. One thing that worked for me when I was weaning my kids was to start with some breastfeeding and then finish up the feeding with a bottle of formula. This helped me slowly decrease my milk supply but also the baby wasn't starving so they were okay with taking the formula. Also, it helped me to wean by starting with substituting the dinner time/evening feeding with formula first. Then I started with the middle of the night feedings. The last one I gave up was the first thing in the morning -- my supply was the greatest then and I kind of liked the snuggly, no-one-else-awake-yet feeding in bed. (But that's just me). I also wanted to say that you shouldn't feel guilty at all for weaning; whatever amount of time you nursed helped your baby and whatever helps you be a happier, more relaxed mom is the best thing for your baby! One other note: I got my mastitis (twice) while I was fully nursing (not yet weaning at all), so it may be completely unrelated to the fact that you were slowly tapering on to formula.
Good luck with the weaning
:) J.

Plugged ducts occur even to moms who only breastfeed. I really don't think the one bottle a week really did it.

My sons both needed to be supplemented with formula. It made the process really simple. You can try this... Breastfeed but when your baby usually switches breast, give the baby 2 ounce bottle instead. The next time you breast feed, start with the other breast. If you are having problems with fullness in your breast, then try pumping as needed. Not emptying the breasts at each feeding will slowly decrease your milk supply and it allows your baby to get acclimated to the formula. You can slowly increase the amount they get at each feeding. You may find that after about a week, the baby only wants the bottle since it is easier to feed from a bottle than the breast.

Please note that with the formula comes a couple of changes... Bowels movements tend to be less frequent, the need to burp increases slightly, and the look/consistency of the stool will change as well.

Good luck! Remember that breastfeeding may be totes as what is best for babies but it is not always the case. In my case, I wanted nothing more than to breastfeed my first son. Unfortunately, with only my breast milk he was not thriving. He needed the extra calories to thrive. The best way of feeding a baby depends on both Mom and Baby. If breastfeeding is not best for you, then it probably is not best for your baby, either, and you have nothing to feel guilty about. Babies can feel when Mom's are uncomfortable or stressed. If you are uncomfortable with breastfeeding, then your baby may actually do better on a bottle. Do what is best for your family not what anyone pressures you to do. That's what I'm doing for my 3 month old (who is bottle fed even though I really wanted to breastfeed but refused the breast after he had to be supplemented for jaundice). Good luck.

Congrats on your breastfeeding for 2 months. I really feel that breastfeeding in the first few weeks is one of the hardest things I have evern done. I don't have experience weaning to formula, but wanted to add that the plugged duct may not have anything to do with your offering the bottles. When my daughter was about that age I had one too and I think it was from being too active (I mowed the lawn using a push mower). There are many other causes of plugged ducts and some people seem to get them more often. Have you tried a warm compress to get the plug out? Good luck.

Hi J.,

Good for you for doing it as long as you have. As far as the clogged duct, I ran into that same thing about 2 months after I stopped nursing completely so go figure. When I weaned my girls, I was back working so I started by doing away w/one of my pumping sessions, then about a week to ten days later I did away w/the other session, etc. the first thing in the morning nursing was the last to go. I will admit I had it easier since both my kids were over a year old and getting food as well as nursing and getting bottles while I was at work. Since you probably have the most milk first thing in the am I would save that for the last feeding to be done with. Pick one feeding a day and replace that w/a bottle and then after a week I would pick another and so on so your body gets used to the change and the baby does too.

Good Luck, hope this helps.

S.

You sound like me when my youngest was that age I did wean her to a bottle. I bottle fed my two oldest and decided to try the breast feeding thing and although it was cool, I never did figure out how to do it gracefully. And I ended up with a plugged/infected duct as well. My husband gave our daughter a bottle every day. I took that time to take long showers, do laundry, take a walk, or hide and read a book. Anything to be out of sight and hearing. Do this at the same time every night. At first you might want to take the hot shower to help with your breasts getting used to missing the feed time. But that only lasts a couple of days. Once she is used to it then you can start giving it to her and then just increas the number of bottles vs nursing every few days until your done. At first I alternated nurse bottle nurse. It really didn't take long once she started to realize that she could eat faster with a bottle. LOL hang in there!!

Don't ever feel bad for doing the best you can! I've been there, I tried breastfeeding my daughter and it was a complete nightmare for 10 days. She is now 16 years old, was in daycare since age 3 months and somehow survived quite healthy so far! I made the decision not to breastfeed my 8 month old son and he is also doing just fine!

Doing it for 2 months is great, especially when you have a 2 year old as well! Give yourself a pat on the back!!!

As far as weaning to formula, I would call the pediatrician and ask the nurses for their typical weaning plan and go by that.

Good luck and hang in there!