breast to bottle....?

Question

I was just wondering people views on moving from breast feeding to bottle feeding and the best ways of going about it?

Just to add i am currently breast feeding but was tinking of maybe changing to formula and expressed milk as nipples are VERY sore

Answer 1

hi! i recommend farleys milk! my little boy is 3 months & sleeps for 10 hours every night since he was 10 weeks! start by introducing 2 bottles a day and see how ur breasts feel ( u might be able to do more) & keep introducing one more bottle a day each week until he's only all bottles each day! goodluck! thats how i switched & it was perfect!goodluck!

Answer 2

As I'm sure you already know, breast is best, and if possible you shouldn't switch over to bottle feeding. If you really need to switch to bottles because of work, etc, then it would be best for you to pump and store breast milk and continue to feed baby that instead of formula.
Babies, in general, don't have a problem switching from breast to bottle. It is much easier for them to suck on a bottle.. it takes less effort and the milk comes faster. If you decide to go back to breast though, there may be a problem...babies get lazy when using the bottle all the time.
You should use a nipple with the smallest hole since baby is used to having to work for his meal. If the hole is too big, baby will take in too much milk at once and will gag on it. Be prepared for much more spitting up also, as bottle feed babies spit up more and have more gas than breast feed.
If you are not going to be pumping and you want your milk to dry up then a well fitted bra needs to be worn all the time(including sleep), and no stimulation to the breasts. This means when you are in the shower, you must stand with your back facing the water.. you do not want it directly flowing on your breasts.
Also if you are going to be switching to formula you may want to use the soy one. It is gentler on their stomachs and baby should have less problems with the switch. And do it a little at a time, gradually take away one breastfeeding a day and replace with a bottle until you are totally on bottle feedings.
Edit: If sore nipples are the main reason you are thinking of switching, there are some things you can do to help. Whenever possible let your breasts get air... you don't have to go topless, a light cotton t-shirt will work. Also make sure baby is latching on correctly. He should be taking in your entire aerola(dark colored portion that surronds nipple) and not just the nipple. If he doesn't have enough of the breast in his mouth it will cause you a lot of soreness. You can contact the hospital where you gave birth and ask to speak to the lactation consultant about more tips and possilbly helping you with breastfeeding techniques, or contact la leche league for help. Good luck.

Answer 3

Why would you want to? You cant have been breastfeeding for that long as your nipples wouldn't be that bad if you had been doing it for a while.Your nipples shouldn't get that sore if the baby is latched on properly so check your positioning or ask your health visitor to do it and give you a few pointers. Use Lansinoh cream, I did and it was fantastic and it comes in a purple tube. Breast milk is so much better for your baby and formula is so bad so that alone is a reason not to swap and it is selfish not to do it just because you are a little sore. I was in agony as a midwife in hospital told me to use a nipple shield which gave me a hole in the side of my nipple, I was only 17 at the time but I persevered, I knew it was best for my baby and I knew that I would eventually get over the pain and I would heal-and I did! I am so glad I carried on breastfeeding and I would have felt like such a failure if I stopped.

Answer 4

I moved from breast to bottle when my daughter was 4 weeks old because I was not producing enough milk for her, she is a hungery little angel! I gave her 1 bottle feed per day for a few days but this was more through necessity than want, then I needed to give her 2 per day as my milk supply decreased. I would do it gradually, until she is feeding completely on formula. I would recommend Aptamil formula milk as it the closest kind you can buy to breast milk. I would not reccomend using soya milk as my daughter choked on it and stopped breathing for about a minute and a half, and as you could imagine, scared the life out of us! Also, if the only reason you want to change to formula milk is that your nipples are sore, may I recommend a product called Lansinoh, you can buy it in boots and it is completely natural product. It is a cream that you put on your nipples to help heal and protect them. I used this when I had very sore nipples and when my daughter was 3 days old, I was in so much pain that I actually did not want to feed my daughter, so sent my husband out to Asda at 8 o'clock in the evening because the thought of putting my precious little angel to my breast made me want to burst into tears! This Lansinoh worked miracles for me and I even used it before I took a shower because the hot water used to hurt, but this 'forms a barrier' and it is also safe for your baby too, so you can apply immediately before feeding and your baby wont even notice the difference, but you will! If there are other reasons behind your wanting to change, then I wish you luck and suggest you buy the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles as they are shaped just like a breast and it will be easier for your little one to feed from without noticing too much of a difference! May I add just one last thing, dont listen to all these people who say you should not formula feed because breast is best for baby, everybodys circumstances are different and you need to do what is best for you are your little one, not what is best for the rest of the world!!!

Answer 5

If your nipples are sore you need to FIX THE PROBLEM. Sore nipples are not normal.

If you are going to bottle feed expressed milk, generally you also need to breastfeed part time to keep up your supply. Pumping and bottle feeding with breastfeeding is the best option for working moms. For SAHMs it is inconvenient. Full time pumping doesn't work for a lot of women. Not to mention the myriad of benefits of feeding from the breast directly, which include: baby passes bacteria and viruses to you so you can make antibodies immediately, your baby controls exactly how much they get -bottles leak and babies have trouble controlling how much they get, particularly breastfed babies, babies can control how much liquid to fat they get to a degree.

Not to put down moms who must bottle feeding, but any bottle feeding increases the risks of ear infections because of the suction created.

You really should be fixing the problem with your latch, it could be from new teeth, etc. Get a lactation consultant or go to a La Leche League http://www.llli.org meeting (free).

Answer 6

If your nipples are sore, then giving a bottle isn't the solution. You need to find out why your nipples are sore and fix the problem. Introducing a bottle when it is not necessary (as opposed to when the mother has to go back to work and it is necessary) creates more problems than it fixes. I highly recommend you get in contact with your local La Leche League -- they are friendly, knowledgable, and best of all FREE -- and find out what the problem is so that you can fix it as soon as possible and get back to painless, enjoyable breastfeeding. I put a few links at the bottom for you.

Answer 7

moving from breast to bottle is completely up to up... I know by breast feeding you bond with your child more, but it can also be a hassel... If you do switch i would recommend using Avent, and Dr. Brown bottles until your baby gets use to the bottle.... If you are planning to switch from breast milk to formula thought, i wouldn't recommend that bc you be making a lot more trips to the doctor with a sick baby bc breast milk keeps them immune from sickness... but i wish you the best of luck!

Answer 8

Very Slowly!! Try 1 bottle a day, and then gradually increase it. Don't give it to him/her when they are very hungry, give it to them after about half a meal or so.