breastmilk to formula…

I need some advice really… When my little boy was born he couldn’t latch as he is tongue tied, at his appointment they said it was too thick and too short to cut and they’d risk him bleeding to much so we just left it and i continued to pump and express feed him. I’ve always had a good milk supply, until just recently. With him teething he screams whilst i’m pumping and i do use wearable pumps but the milk spills and i get stressed and the stress is causing my milk supply to go down. I have had a few prescriptions of antibiotics for my nipples being cracked from pumping and getting very sore. A couple of days ago there was blood in my milk again. I always think of how much easier it would be to give him formula: eg- not pumping before i go to sleep (i’d be less tired)and not washing and sterilising my pumps constantly. Has anyone else made a switch from breastfeeding to formula? Do you regret it? Is it easier? Is it less Stressful? Where did you start? I have mum guilt anyway and i panic over every little thing, he’s amazing with food and doesn’t seem to have allergies to anything but i still panic he will have a reaction to formula or won’t like it. I get stressed a lot and find myself grumpy and I believe it’s down to my hormones because of pumping/ breastfeeding. I just overthink about how he’s doing so well with breastmilk so what if that changes if i give him formula… I don’t even know why because i’ve never had anything against formula and originally that was my plan until I leaked a lot of colostrum towards the end of my pregnancy. Also I have no clue which formula I would need to buy if I was to make the switch : Stage 1 or Stage 2 or Hungrier baby or brand. I would appreciate any advice Thankyou x
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I had to combi feed since LO was born because I struggled with my milk supply. Now 8 months old she is mostly on formula. Formula is supposedly better at keeping baby fuller for longer as it takes longer to digest, so if your lO isn’t ready, they may sleep for longer periods between feeds at night. I didn’t have much opportunity to look at formula options available as it was tie sensitive, but we chose SMA, they’ve been around for years. We’re now on 2 ( the follow on milk) as it contains more iron. I know I’ll cry when breast feeding stops soon…but I’m grateful I was able to get this far. My LO decided she only wanted breast milk for comfort, not as her main food source so supply lessened. Plus teeth…ouch! Hope this helps. X

I think there's a lot of stigma attached to feeding formula but fed is best, and if it's going to cause you less physical pain and stress trying to pump constantly then I would start looking at the alternative. Unless your baby has certain allergies already I was always told start with the most generic formula and then change it accordingly. Nothing wrong with needing to switch. You're doing everything right and doing what's best for not only bub but you as well with whatever you choose

I was in a very similar position to you in regards of stress of exclusively pumping and wether I was producing enough and the guilt of not giving breast milk (which I know is ridiculous but exactly how I felt). I moved onto giving 1-2 feeds of formula each day and I can't tell you how much this has eased my stress. Baby is fed, I'm not stressed if I missed a pump session or have less milk one day and baby is getting the benefits of having breast milk too. I also found washing the pumps very time consuming and now only was them once in 24hours and keep them in a sealed box in the fridge and it has been a game changer x

My first had a lot of trouble gaining weight while breastfeeding so we had to switch to formula after just a few months. I felt so defeated like I was doing something wrong. With my now almost 8 month old we've started introducing formula at night and honestly it's been very relaxing. The initial switch might be tough as there's some guess and check as to what will work for your little one. If pumping is causing you that much stress, make the switch. If you're not at your best, your baby will be able to sense it. They will be happy and healthy as long as there is food in that little belly

@Caroline thankyou!! my little boy sleeps through the night and has done since he was 8weeks old, so do you think i buy stage 2? i’ll have to have a look in my local shop and see what formula they have to make sure i can definitely get it x

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