For Those who have weaned.......

JBDamonM · September 2013

Sadly, I really think my days of breast feeding are coming to an end.

I started supplementing about a month ago. Currently LO takes 3 bottles at daycare - 3 ounces formula, 2 ounces BM. I am still pumping but am getting such little amounts that it just doesn't seem realistic to think I can keep this up. LO has no issues taking the bottle, but is always going after my boob when I pick her up. Plus, she is teeting and seems to like the extra nursing to help her gums.

So, looking for feedback - how did you ladies conquer this? She has been offered a straight formula bottle once and refused it. Not sure if she wasn't hungry - or didn't like the taste, either is a possibility.

At this point I will happily welcome suggestions on how to get through this.....

One additional question - LO is not sleeping well, even on the nights she takes a 5 ounce bottle before bed.....(vs. nursing).....Is it safe to assume we'll get the green light for solids at 6 months? I really can't help but think she's still getting hungry at night and that combined with teeting is waking her up. She's on the smaller side - a little over 14 lbs at 5 months!

mcgeeva · September 2013

If she doesn't seem satisfied and eats a ton in a middle of the night I would definitely start solids. As far the mixing formula with breast milk - I would keep doing that and upping the formula if you think your finishing soon. She could be teething really bad which may make her not want to eat because it hurts. I would just keep offering it to her and see what she does. Hang in there! Teething is tough and so is weaning. I would also try teething tablets - if that isn't soothing her then try feeding her again. Everything is just trying and eliminating to figure out what it is exactly.

Mr. & Mrs. Woodtick · September 2013

I was pretty lucky in that the day I quit nursing I just gave DS a sippy of rice milk (no dairy for him) and we were fine. I quit pumping, then I dropped nursing sessions one at a time. The day I ran out of my freezer stash was the last day I nursed. I would say to try the formula only bottle again and see what she does. Good luck!

Is your LO nursing in the middle of the night? I nursed DS in the middle of the night till at least 13months.

laura1 · September 2013

We had similar issues - I was ready to wean my DD at 6 months, but she was not! By 7 months, she had been getting formula mixed with BM (and in the past she had HATED straight formula), but one day we gave her just formula and she was fine.

She was also teething and nursing at night for comfort/going back to sleep. I just weaned very slowly, and the last feedings I dropped were her MOTN ones. That way, if she slept through the night, I was done. There were days when she would go 2 nights without eating, then want to eat on the 3rd night, so I would let her, just so we could all sleep. I knew she wasn't getting much - she only needed to nurse for about 3 minutes before she went back to sleep - but it was the only thing that got her back to sleep during the rough teething time!

Finally I just would prepare a bottle before I went to bed and bring it upstairs - when she woke up, I would dump the powder into the bottle and feed her the bottle in bed. She would go back to sleep after that too. So then we were done. It has been almost a month since the last nursing session, in the middle of the night!

Good luck!

Dragonfly1226 · September 2013

When I weaned at 1 year I would mix BM with WCM in a sippy. I started with mostly BM and slowly increased the amount of WCM until he was drinking straight WCM.

It definitely sounds like you will get the green light to start solids at 6 months. I would do some research and be careful if you are thinking about starting before then. Babies can't get any nutritional value from solids before six months because their digestive system isn't ready. You want to be careful about filling baby up with solids that won't provide nutritional value so that LO won't eat as much BM/formula as she needs to give her the nutrients she needs. FWIW I nursed DS in the MOTN until close to 12 months even though he was eating solids too.

JBDamonM · September 2013

Ducky719 said:

I am like, no help with this. My LO could care less what the food is: formula, BM, cereal, purees, mashed up real food...if it's something she is supposed to eat, she will eat it. She is beyond interested in what we are eating these days...to the point where she gets really upset if she isn't eating something when we are. She's like a dog. Just sits there, stares and begs.

I def think you can start solids/purees at 6 months. I had asked my pedi at LO's 6 month appointment about bottles and he said that with the introduction of purees that she'll begin to take less bottles/BM/formula. Just goes to show you that not all pedi's think/operate the same way.

As for refusing the straight formula...I'd do what PP said...slowly decrease the amount of BM you add. I guess I am just shocked LO's can taste the BM when mixed with formula at all. I've never tried either but formula just flat out STINKS. I would imagine it would overwhelm the BM taste but what do I know (and I have no interest in trying either).

This!

In fairness - when she got offered the straight bottle of formula - it was by accident. DH thought he was mixing leftover BM in - but I wasn't home and he grabbed the bottle of leftover formula and added it.

IT was also a little early for her to eat, which may have also had something to do with it.

I should probably try it again. I'm pretty sure if I knew she'd take the straight formula, I may not feel as bad about all of this!

TJ1979 · September 2013

We're also doing the slow transition. We're at 50:50 right now. But she gets violently angry if we try to give her milk straight up that isn't BM.
Big hugs, weaning sucks.

kaf7 · September 2013

No help here either. My LO doesn't seem to distinguish between BM and formula. He still gets one bottle of BM a day but I never mixed the two. I fairly rapidly weaned because of starting DHEA. I stopped nursing one day completely and cut my pumping sessions in half. It was hard getting from 4 to 2 to no sessions though. LO happily took the formula no problem though. He was already getting BM bottles for a few weeks. He is drinking less as we increase his solids intake.

Ruthie04 · September 2013

My boys always had some form of formula due to low birth weight/prematurity and low supply. So, they had been getting mixed bottles from early on. However, they did start to fight formula only bottles at one point. As I weaned, my output with each pump decreased and the ratio of BM: Formula changed. By the end, they didn't care. Although, they remain CRAZY particular about temperature. Temperature might be to blame for LO's refusal. Also, I stopped comfort nursing weeks before the final morning nursing session. By the time we were completely done, my boys no longer sought out my breasts while upset.

ETA: I think you'll get the clear from your pedi for solids. My boys are usually around the 10th percentile for weight, but the pedi cleared them without hesitation.

kaf7 · September 2013

Ohh based on Ruthies comment I will add that I have never been huge on heating bottles. He gets formula and defrosted EBM relatively cold...especially since it is still hot out here. I decided before he was born that I wasn't going to heat bottles up so that he could take them room temp anywhere we go.

Ruthie04 · September 2013

kaf7 said:
Ohh based on Ruthies comment I will add that I have never been huge on heating bottles. He gets formula and defrosted EBM relatively cold...especially since it is still hot out here. I decided before he was born that I wasn't going to heat bottles up so that he could take them room temp anywhere we go.

I SO wish I had taken this approach, but hindsight... They are ridiculous about the temp thing. Let's just say I'm so ready to be done with bottles!!

PennyLane26 · September 2013

Looks like you got a lot of great info! I'm am in the midst of weaning G- she takes 2 bottles of BM and 3 bottles of formula a day. I'm done nursing so she is working from my frozen stash. Like Ducky's Sophie, G will eat anything! The tips about slowly adding More formula to BM are good ones!

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