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Weaning from BF to formula

  1. #1
    Tracey Nicole is offline Banned
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    Weaning from BF to formula

    hi

    i have been BF since my baby was born but with little success as my milk production is low (yes I have tried everything).

    we are now at a point where my babe consumes around 60ml from me and the balance from formula (again I did put in the hard work but to no avail).

    anyway, the reason for my thread is that I am heading to thailand next week for two weeks and want to wean my little one from me completely then. I would like to do this as I return to work full time when I return.

    is there a process that works best for her and me to minimise the emotional and physical pain?

    please do write back with strategies to increase my supply as I am still a little sad that it hasnt worked. I just want to know the best way for us to move forward.

    thanks.


  2. #2
    NYCMel is offline Registered User
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    if you want to wean entirely off bfing, my US pediatrician told me to drop a feed every 3 days replacing it with a bottle. I did it and it worked well with not much pain.


  3. #3
    Tracey Nicole is offline Banned
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    many thanks nycmel. much appreciated!


  4. #4
    snagito is offline Registered User
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    Hi there... sorry to hear about your situation. I know it can be a very emotional time as well, would you consider just dropping some of the feeds? I am not sure how old your baby is but they get so much comfort from breastfeeding as well that perhaps you could just do a night and morning feed (before you go to work) and also top this feed up with formula (so for example if baby needs approx 5 oz at a particular feed and you are getting around 2 oz from the breast then you top up with 3 oz formula each time). This might make the process of slowing phasing out BF a little easier for both of you. Clearly your little one already takes a bottle so perhaps whoever will care for her during the day can give her the formula feeds then, while you do the breast/formula top up night and early morning feeds. Just thought I would suggest it in case helpful. Take care.


  5. #5
    LLL_Sarah is offline Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tracey Nicole View Post
    Please do write back with strategies to increase my supply as I am still a little sad that it hasnt worked.
    Dear Tracy,

    When a baby isn't putting on enough weight by breastfeeding alone we need to discover where the problem is.

    There are usually four types of problem:

    1) baby isn't feeding correctly - this, if not corrected, will have an impact on the mother's supply as not enough milk is removed from her breasts.

    2) baby is feeding correctly but not often enough - again this will impact the mother's supply as not enough milk is removed.

    3) a true problem of not enough milk - the usual cause of this is a hormonal problem (for example part of your placenta being left in your body after the birth). This is rare but does occur.

    4) baby has a medical problem and the feeding problem is a symptom rather than the cause.

    Generally the problem is one of the first two. If the baby is still young (less than two weeks) then solving the problem (correcting the latch and feeding more often) will usually solve the problem.

    If the baby is older the solution is likely to be harder work. Usually we will suggest:

    1) improve the latch - not always easy as baby is used to feeding with a poor latch. Get help with this from a LLL leader or a lactation consultant. If you send me your e-mail address I can send you some photos to help explain the latch - but a face-to-face meeting is really best. Call me on 2548-7636 if you are interested.

    2) extra pumping to remove more milk and so make more milk. This will also provide breast milk for a supplement rather than formula. You will need to pump at least eight times a day to increase your supply. Keep pumping for two minutes after you no longer get any milk out. And remember pumping three times for ten minutes is more beneficial than pumping once for 30 minutes.

    3) feeding the baby the extra milk without using a bottle. Dr. Jack Newman preferred way to do this is with a lactation aid. When using a lactation aid the baby does deep sucking at the breast and so helps the breast make more milk. If your baby is not drinking correctly at the breast his sucks are unlikely to help your breast make more milk. Again if you are interested in finding out more about this method please contact me.

    Best wishes,
    SARAH
    Last edited by LLL_Sarah; 09-21-2008 at 01:33 AM.
    La Leche League Leader
    www.lllhk.org

  6. #6
    Sucellia is offline Registered User
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    Hi! I do not mean to hijack this thread but I have some questions reagrding to weaning. My son is almost 13 months and I have been exclusively breastfeeding him since his birth. He eats solids 3 times a day and I breastfeed him 3 times a day.
    (after he wakes up in the morning, after he wakes up from nap and before he goes to bed.)

    I want to stop breastfeeding soon because I want to try for second baby. However my son does not take any formula. I tried different brands, different bottles and cups but he just does not take forumula. I have not introduce cow's milk yet.

    When is the average age to stop breastfeeding?

    Can I just stop breastfeeding even though he does not take any formula? (Then introduce cow's milk?)

    I just want to know what ohter mum did for weaning.

    Thanks!

    Sucellia


  7. #7
    LLL_Sarah is offline Registered User
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    One very popular method of weaning an older baby is the "don't offer - don't refuse" method. As your baby grows older he easily gets distracted with other stuff and will forget about breastfeeding for long periods.

    Often the going to sleep feeds are the last ones to go - either just before nap time or just before bed.

    The more slowly you can wean is better for both your baby and your body.

    Remember that as long as your baby is getting some breast milk, even if it is only one feed every two or three days, he will still be getting the benefits of being a breastfed baby. The immune factors in the milk concentrate and the quality of milk is reduced. So that the amount of immune factor the baby gets stays about the same.

    Best wishes,
    SARAH

    La Leche League Leader
    www.lllhk.org

  8. #8
    Sucellia is offline Registered User
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    Hi, Sarah

    Thank you for your reply. It seems like my son is not so bothered if I do not breastfeed him. For example, I sometime do not breastfeed him when we go out (for his after nap BF) but he never gets cranky. As well, my husband had to babysit him when I am going out at night, my husband try to give him a bottle of formula but he just does not drink any of it and go to sleep without any fuss.

    So I guess I can start drop the BF one by one. But I have one last question. Do I need to give him a formula or cows milk?
    It seems like the most of my mum friends are still giving formula few times a day (they are few months to 6 months older than my son).

    I am just afraid my son might not get enough nutrition or missing out something because I stop BF and not giving formula (because he does not take any).

    Thanks!

    Sucellia


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