breast milk question?

Question

me and my wife have our first 8 week old baby who is currently breast feeding and i was curious to know whats the usual time a womans breast start getting dry and also when should she stop breast feeding and introduce him to formula and for the times shes not available would it be ok to give him formula? is it ok to switch back and forth between the two when she goes back to work

Answer 1

breast milk feeding is always the best. as long as your wife can feed your baby through breast milk she can do it . no need to stop. in case it is not possible, the baby can be given other milk. there is no danger in switching from breast milk to other milk

Answer 2

If you mean how long it takes for the milk to stop coming in, then if don't breastfeed for 3-5 days then that when the milk won't come in anymore. They recommend breastfeeding for the first year, but if she can just breastfeed only for six months then that would be great also. So you two would have to decide on when to stop nursing, but its the best thing for the baby. Just buy a breast pump and she can pump milk and store so if she isn't available then you have some. Switching back and fourth causes poor let down in the breast. Your wife will not produce enough milk to breastfeed alone if you switch back and fourth. Its all about supply and demand. Your wife can pump and store and feed him. I have a four month old myself that has only been breastfed, when I have to leave I pump. You guys should think about taking a breastfeeding class or talk to a lactation consultant, understanding breastfeeding, and all its benefits could really help on making your decisions. The classes I took helped so much.

Answer 3

She most likely won't dry out until she stops nursing. It's a rare woman that goes dry. Breastmilk is best (as you know), and your wife could try to pump. If she pumps consistantly (preferably scheduled times) 2 or 3 times a day, she should have plenty of milk to continue feeding even while she's at work (you can feed him the pumped milk). Any breastmilk is better than none, so if she can't pump, formula is fine, and even better when it's supplemented with breastmilk. Just keep in mind she has to pump, otherwise her body will slow it's production. Word to the wise, start the bottle thing BEFORE she goes to work. Make sure he takes a bottle from you, and not just her, or you'll be in a real pickle when she goes back to work.

Answer 4

I breast fed my wee one til he was 9 months as long as your wife is eating properly and the baby is feeding well there shouldnt be a dry up. It is fine to start swapping to and from formula when she goes back to work but the baby should be at least 3 months old otherwise her milk may possibly dry up especially if she is working long hours. A good investment would be an electric pump so she can express her milk for when she is not there

Answer 5

I have an 8 week old baby too!
To answer your questions:
1) Your wife will produce milk as long as your baby keeps nursing. It's a supply and demand system: as long as the baby creates a demand, the breasts will supply it.
2) According to the March of Dimes, breastmilk contains all the nutrients a baby needs for healthy growth and development during the first six months of life, as well as substances that help protect a baby from many illnesses. They recommend breastfeeding for 12 months. However, since so many women work, 12 months is not very practical for most of us. I plan to breastfeed for as long as I can, but will probably have to stop at around 6 months to accomodate my job.
3) Instead of formula, I pump milk between feeding sessions and store it in the fridge, so that the baby can be fed when I'm not available. If you give the baby formula, your wife's supply will decrease (less demand = less supply).
4) Once she goes back to work, give the baby as much breastmilk as possible for as long as possible - but it's ok to supplement with formula when needed. Ideally your wife will be able to pump at work at least every 3 hours and store it for the baby to drink the next day. Many states require that employers accomodate nursing mothers by providing time and facilities to pump. Check here for a summary of laws in your state: http://www.lalecheleague.org/LawBills.html If for whatever reason she can't do that, it's ok to supplement with formula.

Answer 6

Her breasts will keep producing milk for as long as she keeps feeding the baby--it could be as long as two years. She should not stop breastfeeding before he is one year old.
If she is going back to work, she can either pump and store the breastmilk, or supplement with formula--switching back and forth, as you said. That's just fine.
Either way, she should start introducing baby to the bottle now, whether it is filled with formula or with breastmilk. If he isn't given a bottle in the first few months, he may not know what to do with it later on!

Answer 7

I breast fed all three of my children, my youngest until he was 14 months old, breast milk does not dry up as every time your wife feeds she produces more milk so long as she is eating a good healthy diet and keeping herself hydrated there is no reason for her to stop breast feeding until she is completely ready. She can express her milk to keep her producing when she is ready to go back to work or formula is fine it is ok to switch between the two, but be warned babies are lazy and find it much easier to nurse from a bottle as they dont have to work so hard, so if she wants to continue breast feeding it may be better to have fewer bottles in between as she may get upset if baby refuses her after finding bottles easier.

Answer 8

The breast would not get dry until she fully stop breastfeeding, once she stops it can take up to 4 weeks, but she needs to stop slowly. Its OK to switch between breast milk and formula, specially if mom is no around, and also she can keep on breastfeeding while working, she can either pump her milk or give him formula at home and formula at daycare, if she does her milk supply will decrease

Answer 9

firstly...mom's breasts rarely goes dry if the baby keeps on suckling...some cultures babies are breast fed till after 2years!

if baby doesnt drink for about 8 hours then milk may dry up.

if you wanna alternate then women usually do it after the recomended 6month minimum...but what you need to do to keep babby used to the bottle...express milk at first and give it to the baby in the bottle. keep doing that and maybe let some one else otyhther than mommy give the bottle to baby at first coz baby just wnats breast from mommy.

then after 6 months you can try formula during day and breast feeding at night

good luck

peace be with you and your family

Answer 10

as long as she breast feeds she will continue producing milk, she can use a pump to store(for a short time) milk to feed later when she can`t breast feed. the breast is the best, but i think 8-12 mos is good, some women go 2-3 years, i wouldn`t.

Answer 11

I breastfed and worked part time and when I was at work baby got a bottle. Since we didn't use a lot of formula we used powder formula and mixed it with breast milk.

My little ones seem to wean themselves around 8 months.