Breastfed baby till 5 MO. Want to introduce a bottle of formula

[del]

Hi,
I have breastfed my LO till now. He will turn 5MO next week and lately he was so hungry that I had a hard time keeping up (feeling tired and drained). I think he went through a growth spurt and need more now. Also he has started to wake up more often during the night. I wanted to introduce a bottle of formula, but have a few questions:

- Does a bottle of formula replace a bf meal?
- When is the best time to introduce it? I've already try 4pm and for the last feed, but had the impression he had a hard time digesting it, so I've introduced it at noon.

Any comment or suggestion?
Thank you!

[LLLena]

Q for you:  Do you want to wean from bf completely or just supplement?  Remember that if you supplement w/ formula then you will have a decrease in your supply as you aren't keeping up w/ your lo's demand.  Has your lo had formula yet?  What is your schedule? 

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

What's the reason for wanting to introduce formula?  Is it just that you're concerned your supply is not enough? There are lots of ways to increase supply if that's the case.  AidansMom is right - if you introduce formula, then it replaces the BF for that feed and that tells your body to produce less milk.  Nightwakings at this age are common for many reasons other than hunger too! It could be developmental, and he's also becoming more aware when when you're there and not....and probably likes having you there! 

I'd be inclined to work on your supply if you're concerned about that first...

[daisymelan]

I'd be inclined to work on your supply if you're concerned about that first...

I agree.

Also, a formula feed would replace a bf.

Introducing it early in the day is best as you can watch all day to see if your lo has a reaction to it.  After a successful introduction you can offer it whenever you choose.

[loulou5402]

My LO is 5 months and we supplement on occasion. Sometimes it's supply or simply for convenience like when I'm away too long at work. When we supplement, I always make sure I pump to maintain my supply until I decide I'm ready to wean. Once you've determined that there is no reactive to the formula, it really doesn't matter from the baby's perspective when you give it.

However, for the sake of your supply, you should not supplement between 11pm and 6am. That is when your body is in full milk making production. Removing a feeding could send the signal for you to manufacture less overall.

[del]

Thank you for all your comments!
I wanted to introduce formula as I wasn't sure my baby was getting enough. He wakes up more often during the night and I had hoped that formula was more filling than my milk.
When I give him formula, I do pump instead (gave it to him a few times, but not regularly.
So for the two night wakings at about 11-12pm and around 3-4am, would you bf him? Or use a method to put him back to sleep without a feed?
When he wakes up at night, he eats a lot and the problem is that his diapers don't hold the incredible amount of pee!!! For the last week, his bed has been wet every morning, like his pjs are soaking wet. Any idea? And actually, he seems ready for solids, but I wanted to wait until he's 6MO...
Thank you again!!

[daisymelan]

I would check out the sleep forums in regards to handling the night wakings.  I'm currently working on it as well.   

Have you tried bigger diapers or perhaps cloth liners meant for cloth diapers but would work well to absorb extra pee.

[loulou5402]

Are you doing a dreamfeed and still getting the 11pm-12am nightwaking? I'm tackling night waking issues myself. I've had some improvements by introducing a dreamfeed around 10:30pm after I go to bed. At 3-4am, do you think he's hungry or waking from habit? If you're not sure, you could try a paci. If he doesn't resettle, then it may be hunger. I did this with my LO and he resettled until 6am.

[del]

Thank you for your suggestions
No, I'm not doing the dreamfeed as he used to sleep through the night. I'm afraid to introduce it and having to wake up one more time... What do you think? I'm pretty tired, so my bed time is around 9pm... furthermore, in about 2 months, I'll have to take it away as well.
I went to the bf center and they told me that weight wise, he wouldn't need to feed during thr night. He drinks a lot in no time and they also reinforce the fact that he doesn't need a formula supplement. I might try to slowly give him less to drink, although that's pretty hard cause he gets pretty agitated if I stop him before he's done. OK, I think for the next 2 nights, I'll write down everything he does and try to listen to his cries more carefully and I'll go from there!
Thanks again!

[LLLena]

Del- Can you post your current routine?  Depending on the nw time, I might suggest doing the df to get rid of the nw and then wean the df.  And then if you have control over the feeding w/ the df then you can put him back to sleep w/ shh/pat.  Just a thought.  Good idea to write it all down.  Let us know how its going.

Lena

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I went to the bf center and they told me that weight wise, he wouldn't need to feed during thr night.

I'm skeptical that weight has much to do with it...  Some babies just get hungry or thirsty overnight, even if they're big.