Breastfed Baby to Formula

Aleisha, congrats on making it this far! You've gone longer than a lot of women do! I'm currently breast feeding my 1 yr. old (we're going on to extended feeding), and I can tell you after having breast fed two babies, that if you start supplementing with formula, your milk supply WILL decrease significantly, to the point of no return. I was young and uneducated on breast feeding with my first son, and had no access to the internet. So when he started being more hungry throughout the night, I kept supplementing with formula, thinking I was doing him a favor, when in reality, I made my milk dry up.
So please, if you want to continue breast feeding, do NOT supplement with formula.
Another fact that is always lost in the shuffle of this debate is that infants DO NOT *NEED* solids until they are 1 yr. old. Their bodies are MADE to live off of our breast milk (or formula for those who can't/won't/don't want to breast feed). It is just *suggested* that you start to introduce baby to foods. It is *not* necessary, however, as most will have you believe. So if you want to introduce solids, that's fine. But it is not an absolute thing that you HAVE to do. Rice cereal is a good starter because it is GENTLE and has low risks of allergic reactions.
As for your milk being watered down, I'd like to know where you read that, because it's simply not true. Whom ever is supplying such awful information is going to end up turning women against nursing longer.

2 moms found this helpful

Aleisha,

Please do not put rice cereal in the bottle. Unfortunately, I'm sure the advice is well-intended, but it is out-dated. With some good advice from a La Leche League Leader or a lactation specialist, you probably do not need to use any formula at all. One of the many drawbacks to using formula to supplement is that unless you also pump at that time, your supply will certainly not respond to your baby's demands. You can find La Leche League leaders and their support groups for breastfeeding moms in your area by going to www.lalecheleague.org - click on the "find a leader" section. Even if you don't have a group right in your town, just call whomever is nearest to you - they'll be more than happy to help - and it is free advice. Plus, the La Leche League website has tons of great information.

You can also find lactation specialists several ways - look up breastfeeding or lactation in your local phone book, these websites have lists of lactation specialists by area as well as great information:

www.breastfeeding.com
www.ilca.com (int'l lactation consultants association)
If you are eligible for WIC, your county WIC office has lactation consultants you can see for free.

Some great books are:

"The Breastfeeding Book" by Dr. William Sears (he also has a website - www.askdrsears.com with breastfeeding info)
"So That's What They're For!" By Janet Tamaro
"The Womanly Art of Breasfeeding" by La Leche League

You can find these books on the internet, a bookstore or you can loan them for free from your local library.

You are also welcome to contact me. I am a postpartum doula and have a lot of training in breastfeeding support - ____@____.com you live in the Dayton area, you might want to come to Dar a Luz Network meetings. They are a support group for moms and families during preganancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood. www.daraluznetwork.com.

I urge you to try to resolve your problem with help and continuing to breastfeed, not with formula.

Take care and best wishes!

J.

1 mom found this helpful

I breastfed both my girls for a year or more and we started solids at 6 mos. Maybe you could give him a later dinner or snack before bed to fill him up rather than supplement with formula?

1 mom found this helpful

It's probably a growth spurt and he's trying to up your supply. If you decide to start on formula, it will have a negative effect on your supply. Your milk is fine and will continue to meet ALL of his nutritional needs until at least 12 months. Who ever told you that it's watering down was misinformed - definitely check out kellymom.com for more information. I will say that I know some mamas who tried formula at bedtime and had some luck, but also the same amount who saw no difference.

Good luck - I know it's so hard when they keep waking up. I remember those days too well & not too excited about it all again. LOL!

1 mom found this helpful

First of all, congratulations on getting this far with the breast feeding! My kids didn't even make it to 3 months. My milk wasn't filling them up at all. They were fussy and eating all the time. But I just swithced them to formula completely. My suggestions would be to try mixing formula a little at a time into some breast milk in a bottle and feed him that. Or maybe just put some baby cereal into some breast milk in a bottle. That may help with the tummy ache thing. As for the not wanting to breast feed thing, they make some pretty good nipples for bottles anymore that mimmick the breast pretty well. If he's been nursing this long, he'll probably continue to favor that.

Good luck! Hope you get tons of good ideas!

I exclusiving breastfeed for the first several months and then started supplementing a feeding or two a day with formula. It was actually quite a relief and my daughter did just fine with it. If he needs to eat that much during the night, you probably should add formula anyway. At that age, they really shouldn't need to get up to eat druing the night so try to feed him more during the day and give him a big bottle before bedtime (like 7 ounces). At first, you'll want to mix your breast milk with the formula about half-half so he gets used to the taste! And, if he decides he really likes the bottle, that's OK too. My friends that breast fed always recommended letting my daughter decide when she wanted to quit nursing. And, you've done such a great job - 7 months is a long time. Good luck.

aleshia- i have supplemented in the evening in the earlier months with my daughter and I am still breastfeeding. she is also 7 mos now. I have used enfamil w/ lipil and she does great with it, although all babies are different. Another thing that could help if you are giving him solids is mixing cereal in w/ his vegetables (or whatever)for dinner and that gives him a little more substance. Also, he might just be going thru a growth spurt. Good Luck!

Well, some people just told you not to, but I pumped until my son was almost 14 mo. old and I added mixed baby cereal to the bottles and it worked fine.

I'm surprised to hear you're not suppose to, because when babies have reflux, doctors suggest to mix the milk with some cereal.

Your best course of action should probably be to ask your doctor, because if you supplement too much, you'll milk supply will decrease even more.

Good luck!

I supplemented from day one as needed. My son was sick and needed the formula from the beginning. I always seemed to make enough for him to eat but I was going to school and working so I wasn't always with him. He never had "nipple confusion" or wanting to not breastfeed and I never dried up at all! I actually weaned him when he started lifting my shirt up in public to eat. I personally could not deal with that. Even after I weaned him it took my body a long long time to return to not producing any milk at all. I would suggest breastfeeding at night first and then adding formula to the end of the feeding. This way he is still eating from the breast, but if he really is still hungry he can have that extra amount also.

Well the big thing i would do is get some soilds to ur baby. That will really help full up more. I feel bad for how much waking up still! You poor girl. Well i would start adding name brand formula with breast milk or you r asking for a upset belly:( Thats how i was taught to do it. It worked well. Plus maybe put some rice in that bottle to help sleep longer. Well i wish u the best of luck::D
let us know how it pans out.

Try feeding him baby cereal right before bed. That might keep him filled up for the night!

I agree with getting him to eat solids. Some rice cereal before bedtime would probably get him through the night and you can mix it with the breast milk.

My son is 4 weeks old and I supplement formula about once a day so I can pump. He has no trouble at all going back to the breast milk. I have not noticed any changes in his eating habits or behavior either. I know people have said exclusive breast feeding is best but my pediatrician said there should not be an issue as long as breast feeding has been well established. I'm sure that is the case with you since your son is 7 months old!! Perhaps you may want to try a couple of times to subsitute formula once during the day to see how he reacts? That way, you won't have to try it for the first time at nigh time when everything seems to be a little more difficult anyway!! I think it really depends on the baby too. Sorry for the rambling- I hope it kind of helps though!!

you should try giving that baby some cereal his poor little tummy is probably starving. I know doctor and some poeple say it is not good but it is just make it as watery as possible and give it to him he will sleep all through the night and be happy and it will not make him fat. they lose all there baby fat when they start doing more and more movements

Aleisha-
Congratulations on breast feeding for 7 months... that's truly wonderful. I read most of the responses and I think that you know your baby best and should follow your instinct. Some of the responses are really laying the guilt on thick if you choose to supplement which I don't think is right. My son is almost 1 year old and still breastfed. About 7 months of age he was going through a similar thing your son is. I seemed to notice that after the first few minutes of nursing him at night, it didn't sound like he was swallowing as much so I wondered if I didn't have as much supply at the end of the day. Anyway, I tried letting him nurse first, and then offered him a 4 oz. bottle of formula to supplement with if he was still hungry. I'm happy to say that he started sleeping through the night with no problems. I'm still doing this currently and sometimes he'll take as little as 1/2 oz. and sometimes he'll take a whole 4 oz. after nursing. I haven't noticed any change in my supply, and I'm still able to nurse him during the day just the same. Do what feels right to you.
Good luck.