https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:42:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-736209 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:53:19 +0000 2PeasinaPod 736209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@CarrieLouWho: He was really stereotypical...once he started getting the supplemented formula at night, he started sleeping through the night. I don't know if it was necessarily related, but he really took to it well.</p> <p>The only thing that he showed was looser stool. During the transition, his stool was really watery. We questioned the pediatrician on it and they told us to give it 2 weeks. It took him that long for it to normalize. So don't be alarmed if the stool looks different at first! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735555 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:25:43 +0000 photojane 735555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I first discovered that Sadie couldn't latch &amp; we couldn't BF, her ped told us that babies (of all ages) only need 50ml of breast milk per day to get the suggested benefits. That's hardly anything - less than 2oz! One BFing session or one bottle per day would be more than enough. That should be totally doable! That being said, formula has come a long way &amp; has tons of great stuff for your babe, so there's no reason to stress over getting breastfeeding sessions in. Sadie doesn't get any breast milk, and she is perfectly healthy &amp; normal. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735552 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:19:04 +0000 littlecasita1122 735552@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started supplementing slowly with doing his nighttime bottle of half formula, half breastmilk. Then a week later, another bottle became half/half. Then a couple weeks after that the nighttime bottle became just formula. We did this over the course of 2.5 months so by 6.5 months he was drinking just formula. </p> <p>When we started supplementing, I would nurse him 2-3 times in the mornings since that's when I had the most milk and he would have only bottles in the afternoons (I would pump 3 times in the afternoon/evening). As he started getting more formula, I would drop a pumping session every couple weeks to let my body adjust slowly. </p> <p>This worked out really well for us and it helped doing it slowly over a couple months. I remember asking his doctor at his 6 month appt if it was still worth it to keep breastfeeding even part-time and she said yes, definitely, as he was still getting anti-bodies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735498 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:49:19 +0000 pastemoo 735498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So.... my son may be weird but we have formula as a back up if I didn't pump enough and he honestly doesn't notice the difference if he is hungry (actually, funny story, my MIL got him to drink 5 oz of non-dairy, flavored coffee creamer. OK, so awful it's funny but hey)<br /> Depends on your LO. I'd start with a bottle of 100% formula. If it doesn't bother your LO, why put yourself through the trouble of mixing? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735484 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:41:28 +0000 PrincessBaby 735484@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Subscribing. My goal is 6 mos then thinking of weaning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735480 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:38:10 +0000 sarac 735480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Any breastmilk will confer some or most of the benefits of breastfeeding, absolutely. The immunological properties especially, so even a few feeds a day is awesome. </p> <p>I know the standard advice is to just cut down on pumping - maybe a few minutes less each time. Give that a few days and see if you're uncomfortable, and then go again. Keep on that until you're where you want to be. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-735425 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:12:12 +0000 BeachMama 735425@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did this at around 6 months too. I just coulnd't pump enough milk when I returned to work. I cut down to 2 feedings (morning and night) for a couple weeks, but even then I had to supplement with formula. So I eventually just cut it all out. She had no problems transitioning - it was actually surprisingly easy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-734948 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:33:35 +0000 CarrieLouWho 734948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2PeasinaPod: Thanks! My supply is also starting to dip/can't keep up with what LO needs/wants so that's part of it too. Your transition plan seems logical and like it wouldn't be too hard on LO. Did you find that your LO noticed a difference b/w the milk? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-734929 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:25:58 +0000 2PeasinaPod 734929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I can't comment much on the benefits, but we started to supplement once I wasn't producing as much after 3 months. We started with the nighttime bottle being formula...once we did a week of that, we switched to 2/5 formula bottles with the other 3 being pumped breast milk. Once my freezer supply ran out, we switched 100% to formula. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/transitioning-to-formula-from-breastfeeding#post-734855 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:08:19 +0000 CarrieLouWho 734855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 6.5 months old. My goal was to breastfeed her to 6 months and re-evaluate. I've been thinking about it and I think I want to start weaning LO. I would like to still have our morning and night nursing sessions (at least for a little while), but would like to stop pumping and start introducting formula. </p> <p>Does anyone have any recommended reading on this?</p> <p>I feel like I read somewhere on HB that babies get the benefits of breastmilk if they have it 2 x a day. Am I making that up? Any know where that tidbit may have come from?<br /> I've got about 235 oz in the freezer that I'd like to extend as long as I can if that's true... maybe 2 bottles of BM a day + breastfeeding + formula?</p> <p>Any suggestions from mom's who've tried to do it this way? </p>