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Weaning from formula supplements
Put baby to breast often
Aim for 10 breastfeeding sessons per day. If baby is not breastfeeding
well, work with your lactation consultant.
Method for weaning from supplements
Do not drop supplements suddenly –
this should be a gradual process.
- Prepare: Talk to baby’s
health care provider and get his/her input. Record supplement
amounts for a few days to determine how much supplement baby is
getting per day. Use expressed milk for supplements if available.
If you don’t have enough expressed milk, add banked milk
or formula.
- Days 1-3: Take the current supplement
amount (#1) and reduce by 1 oz (30 mL). Note that you’re
not reducing 1 oz at every feeding, but 1 oz over the
entire day. Monitor baby’s wet & dirty diapers.
If diaper count is good, then do not exceed this amount
of supplement each day – keep putting baby back to the breast
if he wants to eat more.
- Days 4-6: Take the current supplement
amount (#2) and reduce by 1 oz (30 mL). Monitor baby’s wet
& dirty diapers. If diaper count is good, then do not
exceed this amount of supplement each day – keep putting
baby back to the breast if he wants to eat more.
- Days 7-9: Take the current supplement
amount (#3) and reduce by 1-2 oz (30-60 mL) – try 2 oz if
things are going well. Monitor baby’s wet & dirty diapers.
If diaper count is good, then do not exceed this amount
of supplement each day – keep putting baby back to the breast
if he wants to eat more.
- Continue the above method, slowly
reducing the amount of supplement every 2-3 days as long as baby’s
diaper count and weight gain indicate that he’s getting
enough milk. Once you get to the point that the supplements are
only expressed milk (no formula), then you can usually proceed
at a faster pace--at this point you are making enough milk for
baby and just need to transition baby to getting milk only at
the breast (when not separated from mom).
- If baby’s weight gain or diaper
count are borderline or inappropriate, then spend several
more days at the same supplement level, or return to the previous
supplement level and proceed at a slower pace.
- Monitor baby’s growth. Weigh
baby at least once a week to ensure that he is gaining appropriately.
Get another weight check a week after baby is completely back
to the breast, to reassure yourself that things are going well.
Keep in touch with baby’s health care provider throughout
this process.
Pump to increase supply
- Pumping will help you to increase supply faster, plus you will
be able to use your milk instead of formula for any needed supplements.
Your aim in pumping is to remove more milk from the breasts and/or
to empty the breasts more often. The more milk you remove,
the more milk you will produce.
- A hospital-grade double pump will save time and maximize your
pumping efforts.
- Until supply is well established, it is important to get at
least eight good nursing and/or pumping sessions per 24 hours.
Ten sessions per day is better.
- If baby does not breastfeed at a feeding, pump for 20-30 minutes,
or for 2-5 minutes after the last drops of milk. If baby
breastfeeds, but does not soften the breast well, pump for 10-15
minutes after nursing. If baby softens the breast well, then adding
pumping sessions between breastfeeding sessions is most
helpful.
- Empty the breast as thoroughly as possible at each session.
To ensure that the pump removes an optimum amount of milk from
the breast, keep pumping for 2-5 minutes after the last
drops of milk. Use breast massage prior to pumping, and massage
and compressions during pumping to better empty the breasts and
increase pumping output.
This method of reducing supplements was adapted
from the methods used by Kathy Kuhn -- Thanks, Kathy!
Go to 
Breastfeeding
Log - Weaning from supplements
Go to professional handouts
to view handouts on weaning from supplements
More information on transitioning baby back to breastfeeding
@
@ other websites
Page last modified:
10/10/2005
Written: 01/27/2005
