Introducing formula

[sorpresa_bea]

Hello, I've EBF my 4.5 month old till now but for a number of reasons I would like to introduce formula and reduce the amount of breast feeds. Which formula would you recommend that is closest to breast milk in taste or texture. I'm concerned how my baby may react after only drinking breast milk all this time.

Also, being lactose intolerant myself, maybe I should consider non animal based formula?

Introducing bottles of formula will of course reduce my milk supply but will I be able to keep one or two breast feeds, for example the last of the day (bit of breasts and a bit of formula) for the bonding factor?

Finally, I have about 4 liters of frozen expressed milk which of course I want to use. But one of the reasons why I want to switch to bottles is that my baby is waking lots at night and I want my other half to share the load. I'm concerned that breast milk is digested much faster and so he will continue to wake a lot. How could I best use the expressed milk?

 

[beckyboo1]

Tbh there is no formula closest to Breast milk- it's trial and error as to what baby likes

I so far gave ebf Finley (4 months) but he has the odd bottle of formula as I want to make sure he'll have a bottle as my first was a nightmare (and with a 3 year old I've no time to express)

You can carry on breast feeding as much as you like- your milk supply will just alter to suit.

With my first the night feed was the last to go so we still had the lovely bonding.

Hate to say it but formula won't necessarily make baby sleep better- it didn't for my eldest. But you may find that baby goes a bit longer with the defrosted breast milk as the milk will have mixed (ie the fore milk and hind milk won't be separate like when they feed from your boobs) so baby will get more of the fatty stuff quicker (hope that makes some sense- not the best description admittedly!)

Ps- Finley has had hipp organic and SMA and wolfed them both down. I think they like the sweet taste, and he fact they can get lots quickly- only downside is they're generally a lot more windy!

Hope that helps a bit xx

 

[kumber]

I don't recommend dropping middle of the night booby feeds - these feeds are what triggers the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, both of which stimulate milk production for the next 24 hours. Without those nighttime feeds your supply can be severely affected. If you'd like hubby to share the load, perhaps have hubby do the last evening feed so you can get an early night?

In terms of starting on bottles, have you offered bottles before? If not, you may find he refuses to take to them - many mummies on here seem to have found that the older baby is when you first introduce a bottle, the less likely it is baby will take to it. It's still worth a shot, definitely, but it's just a heads up that he may refuse bottles altogether if he hasn't had them before now.

If he accepts the bottle (fx!!) and if you haven't dome so already, get hubby to do the bottle feeds for the first few weeks whilst you leave the room altogether. He is more likely to drink without being able to see, hear or smell you. Some experts say offer boob first, in my personal experience that's just made for a very peed off and frustrated baby - you're taking away his only known food source and it can make them very distressed.

I sound so doom and gloom but there's nothing to say switching to combi feeding won't work.

I have no idea about lactose-free milk, all I know is that baby's tummies are designed to digest more lactose than a child's or adult's, due to their diet being exclusively milk for those first 6 months. I recommend asking your hv with that one.

Best of luck