any tips on changing from breastfeeding to formula? How do I decrease my milk supply?

Answer 1

once u decide to stop nurseing you need to cut back nurseing not stop all toegther, this will cause u to make less and less because if you stop cold turkey you will engorge and risk getting mastitus and lots of pain. just feed baby every other feeding on the breast for a few days then keep cutting out a breast feeding until your down to once a day and then after a few days of that stop. this will also help baby get use to formula easier and not get constipated as if they would if you go straight to formula

Answer 2

no real tips on changing from breast milk to formula just keep it in mind that your bubs may get a bit constipated when you do just try syrange feeding a bit extra water into bubs mouth between feeds. As for the milk supply you can go see your doctor and get a tablet to dry it up. That's what I did and it takes a few days just be careful of mastitis( a milk infection) if you do get very swallen and red then put some cold cabbage leaves in your bra. The tablets will help with it also.

Answer 3

Gradually work in the formula. Eventually your baby will accept it. As far as your milk supply, I'm not certain of any garanteed way to reduce the supply. My sister's friend kept producing milk for a long time, even after stopping breast feeding. Anything from a baby crying to a changing her babies diapers would cause her to leak. Best of luck!

Answer 4

Just slowly add in the bottles of formula.........like one bottle for a few days then two bottles until completely on formula.

Breast milk is supply on demand.......when the demand stops the breast milk will then eventually stop. It isn't much fun in the mean time for you.

Answer 5

I can't express enough how great information from Le Leche League is!!! I read the book, The womanly art of breastfeeding, and it was great! you can get the book online or just about anywhere you get other baby stuff....

REMEMBER, BREAST IS ALWAYS BEST!!!

also, contact your local le leche league group! they can be an enourmous support system for you!

Good Luck!!!!

Source(s):

http://www.lalecheleague.org/

Answer 6

WEANING-DRYING UP MILK
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/lactation-suppression.html
http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/dryupfst.htm

Cabbage leaves work, but only cause they are cold. People say to use cabbage leaves because of their shape, molds nicely to, lets say, ummmmm . . . an engorged breast. cutting the veins simply soften the leaves.

Do not bind your breasts to help your milk "dry up." This is an outdated practice that can cause plugged ducts, breast infection, or breast abscess.

Don't eat oatmeal (some women with over supply swear it is evil! LOL)

If your breasts feel full and uncomfortable when you don't nurse at a specific time, then express just enough milk to relieve the fullness. You can do this by pumping for a couple of minutes or hand expressing. The less milk you remove, the quicker your body will realize it doesn't need to produce. Sometimes just taking a hot shower will do the job - anything that relieves the fullness is fine. If you are comfortable without expressing at all, that's okay too.

Do express or pump if you get uncomfortably full. It's not good for your body to not have any way of relieving the fullness. Pumping or hand expressing (learn how at http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html)just enough milk to relieve discomfort will not prevent your milk supply from decreasing. What causes milk production to stay the same or increase is adequate milk removal. If only a small amount of milk is removed from the breast, then milk production will decrease. In addition, expressing a little milk will relieve your discomfort and make it less likely that you'll develop plugged ducts, a breast infection, or an abscess.

Tylenol or Advil for discomfort

Take pseudoephedrine--120 mg/day, a decongestant. research shows that it can decrease milk supply by as much as 24%. (found in Sudafed, Actifed)

To use dried sage (Salvia officinalis) for reducing milk supply, take 1/4 teaspoon of sage 3x per day for 1-3 days. You can mix the sage in vegetable juice (for example, V-8), but it won't mix well into other juices. You can also mix it into other foods. If you don't like the taste of sage, try putting it into a tiny piece of sandwich and swallowing it whole - peanut butter or something else a bit sticky seems to work best for holding the sage in place. Tear off the corner of the sandwich containing the sage (it should be a very small section) and swallow it without chewing (that's why you need a very small section).

To use sage tea for decreasing milk supply, infuse 1 tablespoon of dried sage in 1 cup of boiling water (or 20g dried sage in 50 ml boiling water). Steep for 5-15 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 2 - 6 times per day.

You can use a tincture of sage instead: 30-60 drops of tincture, 3-6 times a day.

Another effective treatment is to apply fresh, crushed jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac) to the breasts to decrease milk flow. A study has shown this to be effective

Other herbs that can decrease milk supply: Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Spearmint, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), Chickweed, Black Walnut, stinging nettles (not nettle - that increases milk supply), Yarrow, Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), Lemon Balm, Oregano, Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor), Sorrel (Rumex acetosa).

Sage, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, oregano, and cabbage leaves can all be incorporated into a pressed oil (cold pressed or hot) to make massage oils for milk suppression.

Peppermint essential oil has been used traditionally for decreasing milk supply. Peppermint tea is a very weak form of peppermint and only large amounts (quarts) would be expected to decrease milk supply. Some women have successfully used the strong peppermint candies (for example, Altoids® Curiously Strong Peppermints) for decreasing milk supply (a few per day aren't likely to affect supply, though).

If your not planning on another baby soon Estrogen-containing contraceptives have been linked to low milk supply

However, weaning should not be done cold turkey. Elimanating one feeding at a time is ideal. Night feedings should be the last to go.


Why are you weaning? In today's society, breastfeeding is often thought of as unnecessary. Young mothers are mistakenly led to believe that formula does very well as a replacement for breastmilk. It emphatically does not! Nothing can duplicate the properties of breastmilk, no matter how many vitamins, minerals and supplements are added to what is basically a chemical formulation.

Did you know
Formula is an industrially manufactured food. It contains chemicals, flavoring, vitamins, and proteins that attempt to replicate breast milk. The multiple processings, ingredients and alterations required to convert cows milk or soy beans to the finished product opens up numerous opportunities for contamination by harmful bacteria, chemicals, insects, and foreign bodies. There were twenty-two different recalls of infant formula in the United States because of health and safety problems between 1982 and 1994, . Seven of these recalls were classified as "Class I" (potentially life threatening) by the FDA. In random testing, a number of lab-tested infant formulas have been found to contain bacterial and elemental contaminants. Human milk straight from the breast is always sterile

Answer 7

call your doctor he can prescribe medication to dry up your milk

Answer 8

see breast is to feed child till he gets his teeaths so never think of stoping it let ur man suck ur center point because of ur husband wants to fondle ur breasts y should the child starve , breat feeding is best for baby