Evening cluster feeding with formula?

[akc74]

I am reluctantly (for various reasons I won't go into) in the process of winding down breastfeeding at 3 weeks, and just wondering how evening formula feeds tend to work. I would try and fit in a breastfeed around 5 and then again about 6.30 and that would usually mean the little one was full and settled well until I fed again around 10pm.

Since beginning the winding down he's had mainly expressed milk, but this will run out soon.

Formula feeders - what sort of feeding quantities/frequency would you be doing for a 3-4 week old? Do you usually just do one big feed at bedtime, or do you try to squeeze in a couple of smaller ones close together?

Thanks

[sarahew]

Generally, when you switch from breast to formula, in my experience the gaps between feeds will get a little longer because formula can fill them up for longer. With your baby being so young, it's hard to predict a pattern. I would suggest that you still feed on demand for now, offering a bottle each time she seems hungry whether that is an hour or four hours or whatever. She will eventually find her own pattern, which you can expect to be approx three hourly intervals or four.

Be careful not to confuse other needs with hungry. Crying might be windy, nappy, tired, hugs needed, too hot / cold, bright lights, noise. But baby will be able to push out bottle if not hungry, so doesn't hurt to try.

Eventually, prob about 3-4 months, if you want a pattern, you could aim for 7,11,3,7,11,3am. That's pretty manageable, if your baby will settle to that. I'd say it's early days yet, maybe.

Btw, I have two boys, and went from boob to bottle at 3 months with first boy and at 5 months with second (two weeks ago). The second son will still cluster feed, at the moment, in early evening and wants a feed at 4.30/5ish and 7pm. He will slowly move into a more evenly spaced routine, I predict!

Oh, and a rough quantity guide should be on the box of formula. Be aware that every baby is different and don't worry too much about it. Babies self-regulate pretty well.

[KateW]

I totally agree with sarahew that babies self-regulate pretty well, so he will take what he needs. I switched from BF to bottle slightly later than you, but I did a spilt feed at 5pm, so made up the bottle (as per amounts on the pack, although I used ready-made not powder) but gave her some at 5pm (say a third to half of the feed) then the rest at 6.30pm after her bath. This was to get her through that tricky early evening period; she was always happier in the bath if she'd had some milk, plus if she was really tired and was fallng asleep on the bottle after the bath, if she had some before the bath, she was usually more awake so took a good amount. If you do the split feed and he drains the rest of the bottle at 6.30pm, you'll know he's hungry for a big feed at this time, so just make up more in the bottle the next night for this spilt feed.

[akc74]

Thanks both. KateW - what age was yours when you were doing the split feed either side of the bath?

I am wobbling about stopping just yet - so I may try and BF again later and see if the pain has subsided after a couple of days off. I think I've been expressing enough that I might not have screwed up my supply yet. So it's all a bit up in the air for me, but I am still interested in learning what I'd do in case I am on the formula this time tomorrow!

[number 2]

i did the split bottle thing with my son who was always bottle fed as i wasn't able to breast feed. my sister advised me to do it and i agree, it meant that we were able to have a pretty amenable bath time without the screaming because he was hungry and it meant that i didn't have to pre-empt when he was going to be hungry. worked a treat.

also, try not to beat yourself up about stopping breast feeding. i know it's the ideal way, but i have a very healthy 3, nearly 4 year old who was exclusively bottle fed. it broke my heart at the time not to be able to feed him myself, but i really don't think it's done him much harm.

[midivydale]

Hey,

I too had to stop for various reasons at 4 weeks, i know its hard. I still fed on demand and think you will find that they go a little longer each time. My lil one has severe reflux so in the early days only managed v small feeds. They are so small at 3-4 weeks and my hv told me that they shouldnt go too long between feeds wether bf or ff.

I got alot of advice from sma and aptamil carelines about formula feeding in the early days. They were brilliant and a godsend.

[akc74]

Also, I assume that I should go more by weight than age when looking at the feeding guide? My boy was born at just under 37 weeks and was 6 lbs 3 so he's quite little. However he necks 100 ml quite often and sometimes behaves like he's still hungry afterwards. Actually that may have been more with EBM than with formula which I guess is not surprising as it's less filling... I am thinking of making up 120ml bottles and assuming he'll stop when he's full, but obviously don't want to overdo it. The midwife is coming tomorrow so will consult her too.

[espelli]

Yes, go by his weight. If he's draining the bottle each time then I would definitely make up 30mls more and see what he does - he will stop when he is full and you know he's getting enough when there is still a little bit left in the bottle when he is done. I was advised not to let my baby go longer than 3 hours during the day and 4 hours at night between feeds when he was small.

In terms of your supply, even if it drops off a bit you will still be able to feed him should you choose to. My baby was prem (born at 32weeks) and in SCBU for a while which meant I had to express from the start. Expressing didn't work very well for me, so once I was able to feed him directly (he was tube fed to begin with) my supply was not enough to sustain him. We very successfully mix fed for six months which I was very happy with. I would breast feed him at each feed and then top him up with a bottle of formula.

[KateW]

akc74 - I BF til about 8 weeks, then did a mix of BF/FF, but fully switched to FF at 3 months. Even when BF, I still did the split feed at 5/6.30pm. I had no worries about switching to FF and my daughter is a happy, healthy 20 month old with a great appetite. Good luck x