Weaning 5½ month old from breast to bottle, refusing formula. Please help!

[Sweet16]

Hi,
I need some help (or just some support!) with weaning my 5½ month old DS from the breast to the bottle. After 5 bouts of mastitis, persistent nipple thrush, and so many painful blocked ducts that I have lost count, sadly it's time for breastfeeding to come to an end for us.

DS has no issue at all in taking the bottle and in fact very happily drinks breast milk from the bottle. However if I try and give him formula he screams and cries and spits it out. It's only been 3 days, but I am at my wits end.

Has anyone experienced this with changing from the breast to bottle? Should I look at changing formulas, perhaps he doesn't like the flavour? I'm due to give him a bottle at his next feed and I just don't know how to handle it. Do I just persist and sit there till he drinks it? Do I do half formula and half breast milk till he settles in to the taste of formula?

I'm using Nan Gold HA.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks.

[Juliets Dad]

Hi,
After 5 bouts of mastitis, persistent nipple thrush, and so many painful blocked ducts that I have lost count, sadly it's time for breastfeeding to come to an end for us.

What an awful time you must have had. Sad though it is, I am sure the cessation of pain and discomfort will be a real relief for you. You've done a great thing in almost taking your son to the 6 months of breastfeeding recommended by the World Health Organisation [ http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/ ]. Well done.

Hi,
However if I try and give him formula he screams and cries and spits it out. It's only been 3 days, but I am at my wits end.

The frustration and stress you are feeling is absolutely understandable. But try and chill as much as you can when you feed. Your son will feel your frustration and fear of failure, and due to that will be less amenable to accepting new things.

Hi,Do I just persist and sit there till he drinks it? Do I do half formula and half breast milk till he settles in to the taste of formula?

I would suggest changing the formula until he finds something more palatable. Whether you use breast milk really depends on how painful you find expressing.
I can't advise whether you should blend breast milk with formula, it's not my area of expertise. I would speak to one of the child and maternal health nurses at your local community centre for advice on the matter.

[purplecat]

Hey you've has a hard time!!! Just wanted to say I have also suffered recurrent matitis and blocked ducts with both babies, butbhave recently stumbled across a few things that have actually helped and have now not had a blocked duct for 5 weeks - a record!!! If you are considering continuing please pm me or let me know and I can tell you what worked for me.

Good luck on getting bubby on bottle, I have considered weaning a few times too and this has always worried me!

Sorry i dont have any good tips for your actual question!!!!!

[Sweet16]

Thanks for your replies!

Purplecat, I've sent you a PM - any info you have would be wonderful!! Thanks heaps!

[LibranTwin]

Hmmm it's a tough one. It is ok for you to mix breast milk and formula. So yes one way would be to gradually wean them to formula with increasing concentraions of formula to Breast milk.

I would suggest trying another formula though. Belamy's organic apparently tastes pretty good, and may be closer in flavour to breast milk than other formulas.

Good luck

[little_froglette]

this is me all over but my daughter is now 8 months and she won't even take breast milk from a bottle!
i have 7 tins of open formula in my cupboard that she wont drink, i then tried the heinz formula in a sippy cup and she will drink 75mls if i'm lucky but the point is she drinks it,
i've been trying formula and bottles since 4 months and i completely understand your frustrations! my suggestions are a sippy cup and the heinz formula, my girlfriend mixes her formula and breast milk.

[charleygirl]

Hi,you poor thing! Definatly could be the formula,i first tried the Nan Ha aswell and it was refused after a mouthful or two,followed by screaming.I smelled it and it was absolutly revolting,like fishy milk,i felt so bad for even thinking of feeding it to her.The Heinz red lid[from 6 months]and Bellamys organic are nicer,but the one i finally had real success with was Holle organic. I also bought every one under the sun!!
I also found that with both of my babies they started weaning easily at 7 months,maybee due to being more into food or that the 6 month plus formulas are a bit "milkier". I know this doesnt help with the pain your in now but if you can hang out you may find it easier in a few more weeks. Good luck,let us know how you go

[trishalishous]

DD has had expressed milk mixed with formula, as I've had supply issues.
the midwives just said to mix the formula to directions, then add the ebm to the bottle. even just 20mls to 60mls formula was enough to change the taste.