Weaning

{Unless you are interested in babies weaning from nursing to bottles, just skip this post}

Henry is finally taking one bottle of formula a day now.  It has taken a couple of weeks, but now the weaning will begin.  I know once a baby takes one bottle, the rest are easy. 

I am often asked, "Do you have any suggestions how I can wean my baby from breast to bottle?" 

So for those moments, I'm going to write this so that years from now, when I cannot remember that the twins were ever infants, I can refer to this post. 

For starters, Henry has not taken a bottle at all since before he was three months old.   So, I knew it was not going to be easy to transition him.  Mary Catherine took a bottle the first time I gave it to her a few weeks ago.  I think it's because she takes a pacifier so she was used to another kind of nipple, if you get my drift.

I chose the third feeding of the day to start the bottle because it is right before Mary Catherine's and Henry's dinner time with food.  If they did not chose to drink the bottles they could eat dinner and then nurse before bedtime. 

I was having issue with my milk supply at bedtime because they were sleeping later in the afternoon and it was less than three hours between their third and fourth feeding of the day.  

For the first two weeks, I gave Henry breastmilk in a bottle.  At first, he did not want it and did not drink the entire bottle.  After a few days, he started to finish the breastmilk bottle.  I just kept offering it at the same time each day.  Once he was taking it without issue, I started to mix in formula with the breastmilk.  Every couple of days, I would increase the formula until it was half and half. 

Yesterday, I had not pumped, so I gave him 100% formula.  I really didn't expect him to take it, but it was all I had and I was swamped right then juggling a bunch of stuff.  Much to my joyous surprise, he drank the entire bottle. 

Yay!  So, after we travel this weekend to Staunton for Cy's 70th birthday, I will begin to wean their second feeding of the day.  I plan to nurse them in the morning and at night for awhile longer, until my milk gives out or until I go away for the weekend at the end of June.  Of course, I could just pump then if I have to, so we'll see.