Weaning formula top ups after BF'ing.

[*Kimmy*]

My son is 4 weeks old on Thursday, and has been breastfed and also 'topped up' with formula since he was 3 days old. I would not have opted for the top up option however he was bron with low blood sugar levels and the doctor insisted on this to increase his sugar and wean him off the drip he was on from birth. This worked to increase his levels, however since then refuses to take the breast only.

It doesn't matter how long I leave him on the breast for (I've fed for an hour and a half at times!), he still requires the top up as he is unsettled and still looking for more milk afterwards. I'm pretty sure it's not the quality of my milk, because when I have given him EBM in a bottle, he drinks quickly and is very satisfied afterwards.

The midwives who have come to my home have said top ups are fine, and it assisted with his weight gain originally which initially was a little slow, but he is now almost a kilo above his birth weight and appears very healthy, so I would now like him breast fed exclusively if possible.

Can you give me any tips on how to achieve this?

[Pinky McKay]

Hi Kimmy,
you are very sensible to want to wean off the topups - they really arent 'fine' because as long as you are offering formula your breasts arent getting signals to make the entire amount of milk your baby needs. Also, there is the risk that your baby will start to find bottlefeeding easier so will take more and more from bottles and less from the breast.

And of course YOUR milk is the healthiest food you could give your baby and seeing you are willing to give your baby the best, it makes sense to want to completely breastfeed - besides, its much more convenient than fiddling with formula.

There are a couple of ways to go - you can gradually decrease the amount in each bottle, which may mean your baby needs to be fed more frequently for a few days, until your supply catches up with his needs - formula takes longer to digest so does tend to 'zonk' babies, and this may be why your baby seems unsettled after a feed.


Another option is to go more 'cold turkey' -put aside a few days, stock up the fridge with food and drink ( a weekend if your partner is home could be good) and focus on nursing : totally rest and nurse your baby as long as he wants - most of the day if necessary - and perhaps distract him by taking him for a walk in a sling after a feed or get your partner to walk him (there wont be a milky smell to remind him about feeding more) . Lots of skin contact / cuddling will boost your supply as it helps stimulate hormones such as oxytocin; relaxing and snuggling is lovely for bonding too.

The third suggestion is to express milk (which stimulates your supply) so that bottle topups are expressed breastmilk rather than formula, but this is probably more stressful and still doesnt eliminate the bottle. Besides, if you have a willing baby it is far easier to simply put him to the breast often.

You may also have a very 'sucky' baby who doesnt actually NEED more milk but would enjoy sucking, so you could allow him to suck on your clean finger and see if that helps settle him after feeding.

Best wishes,
Pinky