My good friend as well as rookie mom, Deborah, who works full time in the San Francisco area, was prepared to kiss her pumping days bye bye as well as introduce formula to her daughter. As a dutiful breast pumper, she had amassed a incredible supply of breast milk in her freezer as well as had not yet spent her hard-earned money on formula. She asked exactly how to introduce it to her 8-month old baby. She likewise wondered “Is it possible to keep nursing when I am no longer pumping?”
Dear Deb, Congrats on your a lot of exceptional nursing as well as pumping success! That is a quite excellent accomplishment in itself!
I’ll response the second concern first, based on personal experience: You can keep nursing as long as you want. Waarschijnlijk. I nursed my youngsters just twice each day – morning as well as night – for MONTHS. like 15 months! Seriously, they were walking (!) as well as only nursed for bedtime as well as wake up. Finally, for the last month (around 15 months old) it was just morning.
I was likewise a extremely very sluggish weaner, dropping one feeding/pumping per month. I started with dropping the pumping sessions since to be liberated from the pump was my crucial objective! That maker is both the savior as well as the hell of a working nursing mother.
Baby Leah says, you want me to drink what now?
Then again, some infants have different agendas around 8 months as well as choose that the world is as well fascinating to bother with nursing. My good friend Erin experienced this with both of her kids ideal around the exact same time. She spent weeks trying to get them back on the boob, without success. They liked their bottles as well as never looked back!
Tips to begin to introduce Formula:
Consult: satisfy with your Pediatrician to talk about your circumstance as well as considering that they understand you as well as baby, they may be able to assist with your action plan.
Slowly: Mix it appropriately first, as well as then do a mixed drink of 25% formula 75% breastmilk. If she goes for it, after a few feedings, go to 50/50. If that blend is not rejected, you’re great to go! [Related: get your infant to take a bottle!]
Quickly: Simply offer a bottle of formula as well as see exactly how it goes. lots of youngsters have took pleasure in it for many years as well as yours may be one of them. If not, think about choice #2 or choice #4.
As a side dish: utilize formula in her cereal to make the taste familiar. add a bit to any type of pureed food to weaken it. This is a excellent method to get infant utilized to formula.
Definitely just keep in mind to listen to your body as well as always do what feels finest for your body. Either way, you are supplying nutrients for your infant as well as doing what is finest for the both of you. This task of weaning from breastfeeding to introduce formula can be challenging, however you got this mama!
Let’s likewise ask the crowd: Was this an problem for you? Did your infant have a difficult time with formula or no issue at all? My own youngsters refused bottles completely, so that’s a whole other issue!