4mo switching from breast to bottle any advice??

[tigercakemum]

I have PND so tomorrow will sadly have to stop b/f my dd who is 15 weeks old.

She has been on 3.5 hour heasy for the last two weeks and is a good feeder.

As I have been exclusivley breast feeding I have paid no attention to formula so has anyone got any tips??

She will take a bottle as I have expressed at least one feed a day since she was born. Should I give her water in between feeds as I guess the formula does not have the extra stuff thats in breast milk which breaks it down.

Shall I try and get her to 4 hour EASY?

Her schedule has been as follows:

E  7.30
E 10.30
E 2
E 5.30
Bathtime 7
E 7.30
Bed 8
E 9.30 (DF)

[LŠuren]

Hi Tigercakemum

{{{hugs to you}}}

How much EBM does she usually take?

My friend asked me about this, her LO is exclusively BF and she wanted to go out for the night and she asked how many oz's her LO would take in the evening. What weight is your LO?

In short I told her to offer her LO a 3 or 4oz bottle of milk, however keep a spare one handy incase she took more. If your not bothered about wasting any then offer a bigger bottle (able to gage it more on how many oz you give already), she will only take how much she wants anyway and spit up any excess.

I advise you to keep a log for a while, if she starts waking more at night you know she isn't getting enough during the day.

As for your routine, I would start off on what she knows i.e. your current routine, however if you find she is NOT hungry when it comes to the next feed wait 15 mins and try again, if not try again after 15mins (4hr mark).  Bottlefed babies can generally go longer, but I wouldn't really leave it any longer than 4 at the moment.

I notice that the DF is early as well, usually it is between 10 -11pm. I personally don't give DS water because he spits it back at me, I will leave you a link to an0ther thread so you can decide. https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=48872.0

HTH's  Shout if you have more questions 

[tigercakemum]

She weighs in at 5.7kg at the moment but she is long too (was in 3-6 mo clothes on the top from 8 weeks)

When on the boob she has been feeding for 15-30 mins

The expressed feed (dream feed) is usually between 2 and 3oz maximum but we have been cluster feeding at 5.30, and 7.30 to bulk her up

I fed her a 6oz bottle of formula tonight at 6pm and then she has just fed for 20 mins on the breast at 8pm before going to sleep

The dream feed is early because we were trying at 10, 10.30 and 11pm and she was so asleep she would not take a bottle - she does sleep through with the last feed at 9.30-10pm

I think I will try and feed her on a 3.5hr schedule and see what happens - I am thinking that because they can stay full longer she may not accept the cluster feed - perhaps then she may take a dream feed later on.

I get very confused with the schedules but my overiding feeling is that Eloise will let me know if she is hungry as she is incredibly spirited. I really dont want to give her formula - it is very sad for me but it is the only solution atm as my brain chemicals are in stasis.

[LŠuren]

tigercakemum
Have you been advised not to breastfeed because of medication? if so, what meds are you taking?
Lauren x

[Samuel's mum]

I just want to check you are getting all the advice you should be. There are plenty of breastfeeding mothers with PPD who feel that breastfeeding is the thing that IS going right for them. It is possible to take medication and breastfeed.
Dr Jack Newman (one of the world's leading breastfeeding experts) writes: ...'antidepressant medication does not usually contraindicate breastfeeding...Are some antidepressants better than others? Yes, some definitely are safer to try first'

Have a look at this discussion of different medications:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/antidepressants-hale10-02.html#Hierarchy

If you're not 100% sure about weaning - it's not something you can go back on. At least pump to keep up your supply until your sure your meds are working or you have checked there aren't meds that are safer.
Just a thought.

One more thing - giving up breastfeeding suddenly has a dramatic effect on your hormone levels and can make depression worse. Breastfeeding literally triggers 'happy hormones' so do consider gradual weaning if you are still determined to give up. You should also wean gradually to avoid mastitis and blocked ducts.

[daisymelan]

I just wanted to let you know that I have PPD and am currently taking meds while breastfeeding.

If you don't want to stop, you can likely still keep breastfeeding quite easily. 

If you have any questions, feel free to pm me. 

Do you live in Canada?  If so, you can call this number and they will give you the most up to date info on the drug that you are taking and how it effects your breastmilk.  Certain meds are better than others.  I am currently on Celexa.

Motherisk:  1 416 871 2801

Please don't feel you can only breastfeed or take the medication. 

{{{{hugs}}}}

[JacobMarksMummy]

I agree with the others, it doesnt sound to me as though giving up BF is something that you really want to do. Have you been advised to? Or is BF something that you are finding hard to cope with due to the PND? Please dont make any rash decisions unless you've been fully informed and are sure the chioce is right for you. If you change your mind and decide to relactate it is possible but very hard work. I'd definatly think about pumping to keep up supply if you feel you need more time to decide.

[rooby-rooby-roo]

Just wanted to chime into and say that i have been on antidepressants since my ds was 3 months old and we are still breastfeeding. I was told by my doctor that i would have to give up, but seeing as i knew that wasn't correct i went to another doctor who gave me some good advice!!!

Good luck x x

[andrea21]

Hi tigercakemum!!!

I am in the same situation as you,only breastfeed first child,and now with2nd child not getting enough milk from me.Fedding every 2hours,which is too much for me wit my husband away a 4year old and no family support.
I put my son onto formula last week and all seems to be good except doesnt sleep thru the night,which he was doing from 8weeks old.He is still not into a routine,but normally goes every 3 hours so far in between feeds and am hopeing will get him into 4 hours,once have got him onto bottle completley.
I have been told for every30ml one scoop of formula.First feed had 210ml and the other ones varies,but still having some of me at night time.
Hope this is some help as you always hear bottlefeed babies go longer between feeds...

Andrea....

[tigercakemum]

Thank you for your posts and advice. I broke down in tears when I read them. I am in the UK.

Today is the second day of bottle feeding. I am hating it - my breastst are very sore - I have been expressing twice a day to ease the tension in by breasts. She doesnt seem to mind the formula too much or the bottle but her schedule has gone up the swanee. I feel like I am failing her. This is also combined with the fact that she is on Cephalexin antibiotics which seem to be making her sick and miserable. I really dont know what to do right now. My doctor perscribed me 10mg of Citalopram per day and told me I would have to stop breastfeeding - he gave me no advice on how to do it. I did read as much as I could when I got home but the advice on the internet was so conflicting that I made the decision to stop as I did not want to risk hurting Eloise (she has had enough illness in her short life already). I also read in the leaflet which came with the drugs that 20mg is the usual dose for adults for depression.

Breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience on the whole - I have managed to express to give myself freedom and it is a lovely close experience as well as bieng pretty pleasurable. I did start to feel down at about the 4 week mark but hung on and tried to get through to 12 weeks because I (maybe mistakenly) believed I would have to stop breastfeeding her - it means alot to me as I am asthmatic and had bad allergies as a child and breastfeeding has been shown to reduce this. The UK has the highest instances of childhood asthma and allergies in the world.

So what do I do?? I have read this website also and I have decided to call my doctor tomorrow and ask him to put me on either Sertaline (Zoloft) or Seroxat (Paxil) as they seem to be the SSRI's with the lowest risk........and I will carry on breast feeding against the advice of my GP as I think he is misinformed - he only went off the big drugs book they have in their offices.

I guess it may take a few days to build up my milk again - I will post and let you know how its going. I should really post on the PPD forums as I have alot to say....DD has been quite ill so havent been able to get to my PC at all.

Thank you all so much for your words.
xx

[LŠuren]

Hi Tigercakemum

I am glad you are having a rethink, have you also considered seeing another G.P?

Yes, definitely keep us informed and if you have any more questions give us a shout 

Lauren xx

Eloise look gorgeous 

[Samuel's mum]

Hello
HUGS and more HUGS
It sounds to me like continuing breastfeeding would be the right choice for you and your baby if it can be done. As you can see it is possible. I think you should phone a breastfeeding helpline right now and talk to someone who has trained for 1-2 years and will have covered breastfeeding and PPD as part of their course. Here is the link to get to the numbers: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52459.0

You will speak to someone who can reassure you. Your GP is overstretched and overworked and probably has read very little on breastfeeding let alone PPD and breastfeeding. The counsellors you can speak to are specialists. Ask them about medication but also talk through with them how you will speak to your GP. He may get defensive or not be well informed about breastfeeding on medication so you may need to be the one to educate him. Print out some things. Write down some quotes from the helpline and go there 'armed' so you can have to power in the conversation and achieve what you want.

Keep pumping to keep up your supply at least 4 times a day if you can. When you resume feeding come and visit us on the breastfeeding board too.
Good Luck.