Introducing brestfed baby to formula??? help needed?

Question

Hi,

I have been breastfeeding my baby from day one - it has been a very difficult and painful process but i have kept it up. The problem that i have is I cannot express any milk. I have tried and tried for the last three months to no avail.

I only have enough to meet her demands. She still wants feeding every 90 minutes - i thought by now she would space her feeds out for longer???/

I am going to work in two months and wanted to get her to drink formula (during the day only as I won't be with her) but she won't take a bottle and spits the formula out. I have tried several different bottles and teats to no avail.

I still want to breastfeed in the evenings, night and morning,

Please help - otherwise she will be going hungry during the day.

baby is now 3 and half months - and i have been trying to introduce formula for 6 weeks.

I thought you should never mix formula and breast milk?

She doesn't even take the ounce of breast milk that i manage to pump.

Answer 1

Number one choice would be to assist you in establishing a pumping system that works. So, are you using a double breast pump or a single? It might be more profitable for you to rent a hospital grade pump. Contact medela for a local rep. Using the double pump will be MUCH more effective if you're not already using one. Additionally, you can try to pump one side while the baby nurses on the other. It is NOT uncommon for a baby to nurse QUITE often. Sometimes, they do not slow down their breastmilk consumption until around the 6 month mark -- sometimes longer. If you can establish a pumpable supply, this will be MUCH cheaper (including the cost of a rental) than buying formula AND you know that she isn't allergic or going to have digestive issues.

Having said that, if you're going to use supplemental formula, and she's not tolerating the ones you've tried than I would suggest a liquid formula instead of powder. Powder is much cheaper than the liquid, but sometimes babies can't tolerate it as easily as the liquid. Avoid switching to soy, although most people will suggest that you do so, because early use of processed soy products is linked with food allergies and soy intolerance later on. If you must, go with Nutramigen or Alimentum. These are QUITE pricey, but early food intolerance usually only gets worse as they get older.

Contact the La Leche League for leaders in your area, they can give some really helpful suggestions and provide educated support. Best wishes.

Answer 2

You have a couple of different issues here and you need to try and tackle one at a time.
1. Baby doesn't want the bottle - try and have someone other than you introduce the bottle. If you try - she knows better and won't take it from you - she knows you can just nurse her. But if someone else gives her the bottle and she is hungry, she'll drink it.
2. Keep pumping for now (keep trying-see below) Save that one ounce each time you pump until you have a fuller bottle, then try that with your daughther... she will more likely take a bottle of something she knows and likes rather than something new.
3. When you introduce formula, make sure it is warm. I don't think you should mix them either... it never worked for me. You have to wait until the baby is pretty hungry the first couple of times and then she still might only drink 1-2 ounces. Also remember that formula is more filling so she won't drink as much of it at first as she would of your milk.
4. If you introduce formula, your supply will decrease rapidly and you won't really be able to nurse in the evenings and night... because your body will go all day without making milk and then it won't be ready to nurse at night (some women can, but don't rely on that.)
5. Also, once she does start taking the bottle and gets pretty good at it, she'll stop wanting to actually nurse because its harder work, so this is another reason why nursing at night won't really work anymore (and this too will lead to your milk decreasing.)

My suggestion - try to pump again. Use an electric pump... find a comfy place without disruptions. Take a magazine or book with you and read while you're pumping. That will help you relax. If you aren't relaxed your body won't "let down" the milk.

Don't get too stressed... your baby will take a bottle if she is hungry enough, hopefully it will be your milk inside and then she'll really like it!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Babies nurse more when they are hungrier. Often, this happens during a growth spurt, which for my kids was about every 3 months. So that's probably why your baby is nursing more frequently now.

I only tried formula on one of my kids, and she spit it all up, too. So it was just a waste of money.

I think you should first try to increase your supply. Check your diet to make sure you have a good balance of protein & vegetables and enough calories (500 extra per day). Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. An herb called something like fengungeek and brewer's yeast can help increase your supply (you can buy capsules).

I could never express milk at first, either, until I got an Avent Isis hand pump and used it on one side while I nursed on the other. This will also increase your supply. The nice thing about the Avent was that I could kind of mimic what my baby was doing on one side with the pump on the other, and I had no trouble letting down. If you start now, you can lay in a supply of 4-oz bags of milk in your freezer for when you go back to work.

By then, you should be able to transition to a double pump. Get a GOOD brand if you haven't already. Medela is the "flagship" -- best you can buy. Then you want to pump about an hour or more after you would normally be nursing, when you are a little "full" and it's easier to let down. You can either call your babysitter and talk about & to the baby or bring a photo of your baby to look at. Me, I had to NOT think about pumping. I would bring a magazine about babies/parenting and a picture of my kid, but the less I thought about pumping, the better my let down would be.

It does get easier after a while.

Hang in there. You're doing great and you can get through the next phase, too.

Answer 4

Have you tried an electric breast pump? The hand ones are hard work and you don't get much from them before your hand feels like it's going to drop off!

I totally sympathise - if you can manage to express some milk, and get her to take a bottle, I'm sure I was advised to mix breast and formula (start with, say, 3oz breast and 1oz formula and gradually change it) - but please check with the health visitor first as this was over 6 years ago now.

Don't change the bottles, it's the teats - and I'm afraid the only answer there is to keep trying! Try giving her the bottle half-way through a feed, every time, just for a minute or two at first and gradually increase it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

This has nothing to do with whether it is formula or expressed milk that your baby won't take. She won't take a bottle and the reason for that is that you introduced it too late. You need to give a baby a bottle by 4-6 weeks or they will only take the breast. I know a number of people who have made this mistake. They have either had to go cold turkey at some point until their baby is so starving that it takes a bottle, or try to get their baby used to a cup.
I suspect that once you are back at work and someone else persists with offering your starving baby a bottle, she will finally take it. It's not going to be a fun day or so for that person however.

Answer 6

Have you tried tandem pumping? That's where you nurse the baby on one side and then pump the other. This is how I get enough for my baby. You didn't say what kind of pump you're using, is it manual, electric, etc.? Pumping is a skill and it takes some time to figure it out.

Since you're not going back to work for another two months, you have plenty of time to stockpile the freezer with milk from tandem pumping. Don't worry about introducing a bottle now, and you definitely can't be the one to do it. Breastfed babies think that formula is gross since breast milk is so much sweeter and doesn't taste sour.

Don't let it worry you right now, or you will drive yourself crazy. If you are stressed and worried, it's hard for you to let down. That's why I recommend tandem, because you will let down plenty for your baby and it kind of tricks your body. I know, I work full time and have pumped for two babies now.

Try the tandem pumping and start stockpiling milk in the freezer.

Answer 7

I would talk to your doctor to see if there is a reason she is not taking formula. She may not like the bottle at first, but the formula itself shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure the temperature is right. Try heating it just to room temperature, and then try closer to body temperature.

I would stick with it and offer a bottle when it's time to eat. It might take a while, but she should take to it.

As far as expressing milk, make sure you drink plenty of water during the day and get a good automatic pump. I have a medela advanced - they sell them at Target and Motherhood Maternity. You might only get a few ounces at a time, but you can add to what you pump if it's from the same day. Or it would be great if you can pump some to mix with formula to transition your baby to formula.

Best of luck, and check with your baby's doctor if this problem continues!

Answer 8

I was the same. I couldn't express more than a spoon full even when i was full to bursting.
My son wasn't too keen on the bottle either so i used to put a little breastmilk on the teat of the bottle so that he could smell it and he soon got the hang of it. Have you tried different formulas too?
Maybe you could try putting formula in a sippy cup or even a beaker.
Good luck, why don't kids come with an instruction manual???

Answer 9

If you haven't already, experiment with temperatures -- try a little warmer, and a little cooler. Try both ready-mixed and powdered.

If you use powdered, make sure to shake it vigorously for a good 30 seconds, then let it settle for a few minutes to avoid air bubbles. I notice many people give it a quick shake to where it appears to be mixed to the eye, but it really needs more mixing for complete emulsion.

If you have a partner or closely involved friend/family member, you might try having them do the bottle feedings instead of you. The baby likely associates you with the breast, and won't accept any substitute.

Answer 10

~I breastfeed my daughter for 15 months. She's 17 months now. For yourself eat lots of fruits, veggies, drink lots of water and oatmeal helps you to produce more milk as well. Basically, eat healthy.

For you baby, try Good Start by Nestle. They sell them in the small bottles so all you have to do is twist off the top put your bottle nipple on it and if desired run hot water over the bottle so it's lukewarm and not cold. My little one didn't like simiac or enfamill. breastfed babies usually don't like those similac or enfamill because they are water based formula. Nestle good start is a milk based almost as close to breastmilk. Just keep trying and now that the weather is colder heat the milk up. therefore it's as close to breastmilk. Good luck.~