My son has never wanted a bottle, but breastfeeds like a champ. However, now that he is 8 months old I would like to start supplementing with formula so that I can think about getting a part-time job. It's not that I don't want to continue breastfeeding, but when I pump I might get 1 oz from each breast if I'm lucky. I do plan to still BF at night and in the morning, but during the day I would like him to use a sippy cup. He can use a sippy cup, in fact he loves it if it's got water in it, but the formula he flat out refuses. He shakes his head and he pushes away. Any suggestions? I'm totally at a loss, and I can't afford to be buying every type of formula to see which one he likes. I've tried both the Enfamil Premium Lipil and the generic Walmart version, room temp and cold.
Have you considered looking into donor breastmilk instead of formula? Have you tried the different "tricks" to help you pump more? Here is a link to an article from kellymom.com that you may find helpful. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
Also, you will need to pump while you are at work to keep your supply up so you may find you actually need less formula than you think.
pumping is almost a learned art. you need to set up a time of day ( early in morning or after hes gone to bed) to pump to train your body to make more milk. at this point it makes what it need so you need to trick it to make an extra feeding. also your baby is going to be eating more solids so you can substitute that for some milk. formula tastes awful i doubt you are going to be able to trick your 8 month old into drinking it
I'd say to give him a bottle or sippie with half bm/formula (even if you pump 1-2 ounces, add that in). Or at a non-meal time, offer it to him and just leave it out - he may be interested in it if you aren't pushing him to try it!
Try a different pump. I think the medela is the gold standard. I just had the hand pump version that I got free at the hospital, and it worked well. You're probably not having a letdown when pumping either. I also had this problem at first. Try lightly stroking downward toward the nipple, looking at a picture of your baby, most of all keep trying and relax. It takes practice, but it will happen and then be much easier. Try pumping one breast at the same time baby is nursing the other, this really works. In the meantime, try mixing the formula with the breastmilk. I don't blame your baby, he doesn't want that disgusting stuff now that he's had the real deal. Formula tastes horrible. Breastmilk tastes like melted ice cream.
Have you tried mixing the formula with breast milk,to get him accustomed to the flavor? I did this with my children,and eventually weaned them off of breast milk completely when I went back to work. I started with 3 parts breast milk to 1 part formula,and went from there.
