Getting breastfed Baby to take formula
  Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:27 pm
Post subject: Getting breastfed Baby to take formula Hi all,
George has been breastfed exclusively since birth. We initially tried expressing and giving the odd bottle but it made my nipples sore and he didn't want the bottle. I'm back to work in just over a week. He currently has 3 feeds a day from me, two of which I will still be able to give him. With the other I was hoping to give him formula as I just din't get on with expressing. We tried the bottle again with no luck it seemed like he just couldn't figure out what to do. Then we thought we'd try his cup which he happily drinks water from. He will still not have formula. I don't think he likes it. Do you think it's worth trying another brand so far we've only tried aptimal follow on milk? Do you think he could go without his afternoon feed the two days I'm at work? He is a really good eater and has gone without a few times lately where we've been trying to get him to take formula. Do you think if he goes without on these days it would be good to give him something like a yogurt? The other worry I have is we're going to a wedding at the end of the month and I will have to leave him with his Nan and will not be home till late. I was thinking he would be happily taking formula by then but now I can see that's unlikely. I am thinking of expressing what i can and saving this up for that day but so worried he won't take it and will be stressed. _________________    Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 1:21 pm
Post subject: my friend had the same problem and tried every bottle and every cup! she was at the end of her tether but she wasnt going back to work so she had no deadline freddie ended up drining milk from a bottle when she refused to feed from the breast he was 9 months and weaning was well established she used cow and gate and a tommee tippee bottle.
her experience was the very reason i gave my son his first bottle of express when he was 4 weeks old he took to it striaght away thankfully and i was able to go back to work thee week after he has about 2 bottles of express a week. havent given any formula yet. perserverance is the only advice i can give to you im afraid or what about putting the formula in a cup? _________________ 
 Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:21 pm
Post subject: We did try bottles when he was small but he wouldn't have them then and I was so tired and not very good at expressing that I gave up.
Have tried formula in his cup but I don't think he liked it as had a bit then spat it back out! He will happily drink water from his cup. I was wondering if different formulas taste different and whether it would be worth giving a different one. I don't want to stop breastfeeding altogether. He doesn't seem to miss the feed particularly when he goes without so I'm wondering if for just two days a week he could have two feeds. _________________ Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:49 pm
Post subject: When did you last try expressing? If it was in the first six weeks, it would be very likely to have made you feel sore as it takes such a time to establish and for your nipples to kind of harden up. However, your milk is well established now so it shouldnt be so sore. Might be worth giving it one more shot? You may be surprised and find it more comfy now.
Also, what method of expression did you use? With my first i used an electric one and it was good but it was sore as it sucks soooo hard. This time round as the elctric stopped working, i bought a manual one and it is soooo much better as you have more control of it. If you do decide to give it anothe go and you have an elctric, start on a low setting and build up to just before it is uncomfy. Dont crank it up all the way as that is what will make you sore. Have you thought about trying non follow on milk, but a stage one milk instead? Its just that the follow ons in my opinion (and that of many others) are unnecessary and often have more sugar in them (or so i am lead to believe), so for that reason that might be why he doesnt like the taste. Maybe try stage one aptimel instead. Stage 1 milks can be used all the way through from birth to beyond a year. But then also, if he doesnt miss it, then whhy not leave it out, but definately i think would be a good idea to supplement with a yoghurt or two those days. With my eldest when i wen tto work, i used to express but she rarely would take more than an ounce or two of it when she was at nursery, she just preferred booby! Hope it all goes well, wahtever you decide. MAndy x _________________   Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 8:48 am
Post subject: when i was switching nathan over to formula i used breast flow bottles they worked a treat! simply because to get the milk baby needs to suckle as if on a nipple. give them a go chick hope you find something which works for you soon x
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  Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:40 pm
Post subject: Hiya,
I would agree with the above comments, try stage 1 formula? I haven't breastfed, and my LO has always been on Cow & Gate, however when he was six months switched him over to Follow on milk snd he become really unsettled, I ended up tasting it myself and it was sooooooo sweet!!! so have gone back to stage 1 along with food, has been totally fine xxxx Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:25 pm
Post subject: Just wanted to come on and say that my LO was also exclusively breastfed... I found expressing and then giving it in a bottle a pain so apart from one bottle when he was about 6 weeks old he never had a bottle... so when it came to trying him on a bottle at 5 months even with freshly expressed boob milk he would just clamp down on the teat and scream... we tried everything!
This week I have tried again fresh expressing but have started using the tommee tippee closer to nature with variflow teats so that baby has to suck to get flow, and hard suck = more milk, stop = no milk, little suck = little milk, just like a boob. I wasn't hopeful I have to admit - but this morning he took half an ounce then messed about (but didn't cry) then took another ounce and a half, no tears at all! And this afternoon he took three ounces straight down. I'm really hoping this is the start of bottle feeding for us because I need him to move from me to bottle, then I can offer water at night - as he still wakes 4 times a night for milk and the only advice the HV said was 'give him water and he'll learn not to bother waking up' but that is easy to say when you have no way to get the water in him! 
As for formula though hun I don't know - sorry - but the advice given above seems very good!  I would just say bottle-wise to try different teats/makes until you find what works. The TT are at the moment good for us and came highly recommended - the medela calma is another designed for babies who need the breastfeeding action.
xxx _________________ 
 Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:05 am
Post subject: I'd stick with the cup to be honest at this point if he has his other drinks from it and you'll still be breast feeding for the other two feeds , otherwise theres always the slim chance that once he takes to the bottle he will refuse the breast and then you'd either have to express those feeds or switch to formula completely
my youngest hated formula , he was exclusively breast fed from birth but i decided to introduce one cup of formula at tea time around this age and he would only drink the hipp organic vanilla milk (warm), not sure if you can get it here (as we were in germany at the time ) but he loved that i'm sure somewhere online must sell it
If not then maybe just the tiniest drop of natural vanilla essence in the normal formula might help
I can see why babies might not like formula as i think it smells vile personally   and some of it looks pretty horrible too but the hipp organic was lovely and creamy looking , and breast milk is probably slightly sweeter than formula so maybe the vanilla would help with that
If he really won't drink anything then at his age you could probably just give him extra food and maybe yoghurts or cheese like you said for the calcium and a drink my youngest DD went off milk at 8 months and barely touched it after that and despite the warnings of dire consequences from the HV (I think the stupid woman thought I should force feed her  ) she was absolutely fine and we just made sure she got everything she would have from the milk from other sources
Good luck xx Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:58 am
Post subject: I wouldn't worry about it too much if its only short periods of time. Bf babies will often make up feeds. Jamie would take formula when I went back to work but was at nursery all day and hardly drank any. He would then have a really long evening feed when we got home. As long as he'll take water he won't get dehydrated
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