Formula vs Milk for 11 mth old?

Question

I have a wedding to go to tomorrow night, and will be gone for approximately 8 hrs or so. I have been breastfeeding my daughter since birth, and she refuses to take anything but breastmilk. I have tried every stinking formula out there but she just spits it back out and refuses to take it. I cant pump, no idea why, but I can try pumping for two hours straight and I am lucky if I get 2 ozs out of my breasts. She will be a year old next month, and was wondering if giving her regular milk just for one or two feedings tomorrow would cause a prob....if she likes it anyway..she might not. Thanks for your advice.

Answer 1

I know you said that pumping hasn't gone well for you and nieth has formula - but have you tried mixing the small amount of EBM that you do have with formula? Just a thought - I never tried doing that for my son myself but it has been suggested and I've been told it works.
Great job breastfeeding! Have you smelled formula? - I don't blame your daughter for spitting it out.

Answer 2

I would suggest taking your child to the wedding with you. I wouldn't want to be separated from a nursing child that age for that long. Won't you be ENGORGED by the time you come home? You could be risking plugged ducts or mastitis by going that long w/o nursing or pumping.

It's important that you know that the amount you pump IS NOT an indicator of supply. Some moms could nurse triplets but just can't pump a drop.

And you should NEVER EVER pump for 2 hours straight! Shorter, more frequent pumping sessions will do you more good. You could damage your breast tissue that way! NEVER pump more than 20 minutes at a time. Make sure you have a good seal on the pump and your areola is being pulled into the pump horn. It's NORMAL to have to pump as much as 3x in order to get enough for one bottle for some moms.

If you do leave her at home, what about giving her whatever milk you can express, some solid foods and maybe a little diluted juice during the time you are gone? But again.....I worry about YOU going 8 hours w/o nursing or pumping.

Answer 3

You said you've been breastfeeding her - switching over to a bottle will be hard for her... but there are nipples out there that will be better than others.

It's hard because sucking a bottle is a different motion than sucking a breast.

Breastmilk is best - I had the same problem with the pumping until I got a soft cup / funnel / the thing you stick your breast in... then when you massage your breast as you pump it drops...

It's 8 hours... she'll manage. But will you? Because that's a lot of breastmilk waiting and accumulating over time.

Answer 4

If she likes the regular milk it would be fine for her to have alittle bit. When I started weaning my 3 children off of formula I started at 10 months. As long as you are not going to use the regular milk all the time instead of breastmilk it won't hurt her to have some. 11 months is only 4 weeks away from 1 yr old. Good luck.

Answer 5

I say you should give her both. Neither one of them is going to hurt her. Some say not to give cows milk untill they are one year old. Bull crap. Babies have been raised on that stuff for years. Everyone nowdays is too paranoid about stuff like that. If it was so bad for you, we wouldnt be here because I bet we drank it as babies and probably half of our parents were raised on it. If she will drink formula, fine, give it to her. But that stuff is expensive and lets face it, she is almost at the age where she doesnt need it anymore anyway. Leave both available, and which ever one she finally drinks will be fine. When she gets hungry enough, she will drink it, trust me. I have never heard of a baby or a child starving to death when they have food in front of them. Some kids are picky eaters, but its the parents fault. When they get hungry enough and its the only thing to eat, they will dive right in. Dont fret over this, and dont worry, your daughter will be fine for 8 hours without you. Get out of there and have some fun! Anyone that has been breastfeeding for 11 months deserves a night out!

Answer 6

Well this is the time you should start getting her use to whole milk. I know it is hard for you to pump but you should mix your milk with some whole milk, Ween her off your milk to whole milk. I stopped breast feeding at 6 months with both kids then formula till they were 9 months then on to milk. Breastfeeding really does nothing for a child after 9 months. Hope this helped you. BTW Milk is fine for kids under 1 year old unless they have an allergy to it. Do talk to your child doctor first, he/she can give you the best information.

Answer 7

I would be precautious and give her some whole milk before you go to make sure she'll drink it and to look for some reaction. Since it's the first time you're giving her the milk, you need to gauge to see how she is reacting.
I took my daughter off of formula at 1 year and changed to whole milk. 11 months isn't much different. I have friends that have given their children whole milk at 8 months and 9 months and dropped formula at that time without any problem.

Answer 8

I started cow's milk at 10 1/2 months. I think that your daughter will be fine starting whole milk, as long as she accepts it and doesn't have an allergic reaction. Good Luck!

Answer 9

She is old enough, so it shouldn'thurt her, and milk actually tastes better than formula. My daughter has the same problem with her 9 month old. Her doctor said milk won't hurt her and is closer in taste to the real thing

Answer 10

at 9 months you are allowded toy start introducing milk and start weaning them off the breast or formula bottles. Go ahead and give it a try but there may be some gas and stomach problems the first few times have plenty of diapers.