Looking for some breastfeeding/weaning advice please

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can give me some tips/advice re. weaning baby off the breast. My daughter is 17 weeks and I have been trying to get her to take the occasional bottle since she was 6 weeks old with no luck. Wasted all my supply of expressed milk trying with bottle. I have now discovered that she can take a sippy cup (after some fuss) but only if its expressed milk. The problem is that I can only express 3 ounces at a time and if I try to mix it with formula to top it up dd will refuse it and I can't feed her as I have expressed all my milk and she is hungry until I fill up again! I thought of just fitting in the occasional pumping session and build up milk supply so she can take occasional cup if I'm out but I feel bad to make her switch back and forward. Starting to feel like she will never stop breastfeeding!. Will she eventually just want to take her cup of formula? When and how did your little ones stop feeding?x

Yeh tried that Wozza. I left other half with sippy cup yesterday when I went out and she wouldn't take it from him but when I got back she took it from me but it was only the 3 ounces as thats all I can seem to express. The health visitor said if she's hungry enough she'll take it but she doesn't she just screams until I feed her. Really upsetting. How did your interviews go?x

I'm sure you done just fine . Good luck, I hope you hear soon. x

You know three ounces is a really good amount to be able to express on top of breastfeeding And breastfed babies tend to feed more often so you won't see them drinking 8oz bottles all in one go. My daughter at nursery would take 3-4 oz EBM and she was 11 months old and like your daughter she was straight on a cup. What is your 'aim' with breastfeeding? How long did you want to feed for? Are you hoping to feed for 6 months/ 1 year or longer? Returning to work? Or just hoping to get out occasionally?

If you introduce a regular pumping session into your day, then your body will quite quickly respond and make milk for that session. You can then freeze or use the milk as you need to. Keep it in small amounts though to reduce waste.

You are never truly empty either when breastfeeding, the breasts are factories not storage bags. So if you feed after expressing you will have milk, but your letdown might be a bit slower. I used to find I got the most milk when I expressed in the early hours of the morning, when hormone levels are the highest.

If you are aiming to wean off the breast for going back to work or what ever, then take it slowly and replace one feed at a time over a few weeks. That way your body adjusts and your baby adjusts and you will be less likely to get breast infections and plugged ducts. Some women partially wean so they replace daytime feeds with formula/ EBM from stash/ solids and then breastfeed evenings. Other women express at work so maintain a full supply and their child gets EBM with solids and water as they get older, but they never need to use formula.

Oh and edited to say my eldest stopped breastfeeding at 3 and my youngest at 2 1/2. My daughter had a bit of gentle persuasion, and my boy just lost interest. I returned to work/ study when my eldest was 10 months and my son when he was a bit older than that. But from 6 months I could leave both for longer, and they would take EBM or water from a cup, never took to bottles. At the moment I bet it feels like your daughter will never stop breastfeeding, but she will and it will pass in the blink of an eye

Thanks for the advice Satsumagirl, really helpful. I originally was only going to do 3 months feeding but now am hoping for 6 months only. I have to go away for a weekend in mid-April so that's my goal for having her on formula full-time. I think I will start expressing her 10.30 feed for her to take in her cup and gradually start adding little bit formula and less EBM. I was worried that the 3-4 ounces wouldn't be filling her but that makes sense what you say about them eating more often. Daughter still gets up for a feed between 3 and 5 am and then morning feed at 7am so could probably set the alarm and pump one breast between 12 and 2. Well done you for feeding your little ones for so long! You should get a medal or something!x

There is lots of information on the Kellymom website too, www.kellymom.com I don't deserve a medal, to be honest once they were established it was easier to continue than to stop Hope all goes well for you.

Going away for a weekend doesn't have to mean stopping feeding if you don't want to... just so you know. I've stopped feeding for two weeks before and just picked it back up again like we never stopped. Just saying.