https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:11:19 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-866257 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:13:40 +0000 lemondrop 866257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we supplemented with formula and used a breastshield for the first 3-4 weeks. I did the same things- steel cut oatmeal, mother's milk tea and pumped after every feeding. I also had a Guinness from time to time to relax and since I'd heard it's good for milk production. After a some time (4ish weeks) my milk started regulating so I had enough to start mixing less and less formula into the bottles and eventually had enough to start freezing. </p> <p>We kept giving a couple bottles a day even after we finished supplementing with formula, I liked having the freedom of being able to leave the house for a bit and be able to bottle feed in public while we were figuring things out with breastfeeding. He had at least a bottle a day of some type for the first year (I am still breastfeeding once a day at 17 months), I'm very happy we kept up that habit, especially when I went back to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-866226 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:49:08 +0000 autumnlove 866226@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, both of my babies were supplemented with formula. I was able to move to exclusive breast feeding around 2.5-3.5 weeks. I took supplements, used a SNS system, ate oatmeal, pumped and guzzled down a lot of water. </p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-866208 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:40:07 +0000 maybebaby 866208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: Thanks, I will check it out!</p> <p>Did any of you ever use a nipple shield? I am hoping to wean first off forumla and finally off the nipple shield. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862819 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:40:20 +0000 sunshineandsushi 862819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had to supplement with formula for the first five weeks with my twins because of low milk supply. I ended up moving to EP'ing and took MMP, fenugreek capsules, blessed thistle capsules, ate oatmeal and lactation cookies with more oatmeal and brewers yeast like crazy. As my supply went up, I gradually cut down to one bottle of formula a day and then every few days until I was pumping enough to feed them exclusively breastmilk. After six weeks, I just stopped taking all the supplements and somehow I started pumping enough to now having more than 500 ounces frozen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862802 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:36:12 +0000 MarieJ 862802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@purrpletulips: I thought that too. But I started off pumping since dd was in the NICU &amp; I used the XL (30mm) which the lactation consultant said I needed. The xxl, I think, is too big &amp; the 24 &amp; 27 are too small. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862774 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:21:34 +0000 edelweiss 862774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>on day 5 the pediatrician recommended supplementing after each nursing session with a bottle of formula. i had a couple of issues--LO was a very sleepy nurser and my milk supply wasn't enough. </p> <p>pumping after every nursing session helped me tremendously, although doing it 8-12 times a day was a lot of work. after about a week, i was able to pump enough that i could supplement with a bottle of pumped milk instead of formula. i continued to offer the supplementary bottle (just 1-2 oz) for a long time because i wanted to make sure he was getting enough and he was still so sleepy during nursing sessions.</p> <p>i believe around 5-6 weeks he wasn't taking as much from the bottle and was becoming more efficient at nursing, so i decided to stop supplementing with a bottle.</p> <p>so, pumping was key for me. it creates the demand that the body responds to with an increased milk supply. i rented a hospital grade pump (the medela symphony) and i became very attached--literally haha--to that thing. if we ever have another LO, i'm going to start pumping from day 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862728 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:06:04 +0000 purrpletulips 862728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@marieJ: sounds like you might be using the wrong size flanges. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862701 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:57:02 +0000 MarieJ 862701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD was 5 weeks early and the NICU fortified my breastmilk with enfamil enfacare 22 formula since its higher caloried than breastmilk so she could gain weight quicker. She was on it throughout her NICU stay (10 days) and maybe a week after we got home. I stopped supplementing with formula because I was exhausted and exclusive breastfeeding was so much easier! I had no issues with supply and her weight gain was great with EBF. I eat oatmeal every morning and have started taking fenugreek.</p> <p>My only issue now is with my pump, not supply, as it is not emptying my breasts as it should (or as much as I'd like it too). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862689 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:52:45 +0000 DillonLion 862689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started a thread about this when I was attempting to wean off of formula when LO was little. Maybe some of these answers will help! </p> <p><a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-newborn-off-formula" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-newborn-off-formula</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-wean-off-formula-supplements-to-exclusive-breast-milk#post-862674 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:49:37 +0000 maybebaby 862674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Baby is 2 weeks old and we are getting better and better at BFing, but due to my rough recovery (third degree tear, blood transfusion), it seems my body had trouble at the beginning producing what LO needed. The first night home (3 days old) we began supplementing with formula and then added in expressed breast milk because a) I was so physically exhausted and could barely stand or walk and b) my nipples were cracked and bleeding. We got a nipple shield which has made BFing much easier, but I would like to wean off that eventually as well as cut out formula completely. We are now giving him approximately 6 oz of forumla a day the rest from the breast or expressed breast milk.</p> <p>If you supplemented with formula in the beginning, did you want to and were you able to eventually eliminate it and rely exclusively on breast milk? Any tips? I started eating oatmeal, drinking mother's milk tea, and I have an amazon order in for fenugreek and milk plus tincture. </p>