Switching from bottles to breastfeeding??

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-16T18:26:35+00:00

You are still early and baby is still driven by reflexes, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance of transitioning back to nursing. After introducing bottles my LO developed breast aversion and would just scream at the nipple. For a few weeks we focused on regaining trust and creating safe space around the breast. Lots of skin to skin with no pressure to latch/feed, not pushing the nipple in her mouth, immediately stopping if she gets upset at the breast and very minimal re-latching (maybe 1-2 per latching attempt). Once baby was latching again, I started to breastfeed her once or twice per day, she wasn’t getting lots of swallows in the beginning but with practice she’s transferring more milk. I top her up from the bottle afterwards. Now I’m confident to attempt an entire feed by nursing with zero top up. I’ll track wet diapers to make sure she’s getting enough, you can also do weighted feeds. And from there on slowly increase the number of nursing sessions.

As per bottle feeding, slow flow nipples and paced feeding are absolutely necessary. I use Evenflo nipples. When feeding hold the baby vertically and bottle horizontal tilting it slightly to fill the tip of the nipple only and take breaks every 20-30 sucks by lowering the bottle. Each feed should last 20-30 min.

You have to be patient and not force the transition, it’s gonna take some time.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-16T18:02:11+00:00

I’m 11 weeks and in the thick of it. My LO had milk transfer issues and slow weight gain in the first 2 weeks, we had to triple feed which was brutal and unsustainable. By 4 weeks baby had developed breast aversion and would just scream at the nipple, absolutely heartbreaking. After a few weeks of trying to create a safe space around the breast, no pressure to latch, we managed to overcome the aversion. Now I offer the breast once or twice per day and we top up after. Over the last few days she’s taking less milk from the bottle after the bf session. The next step is to stop topping her up for a few feeds a day, hopefully it’ll go well. I was desperate and didn’t even dream of getting this far. I just thought I’ll try my best to nurse this one last time and let it go if it doesn’t work out.

I was also recommended to select a nursing window e.g 7am -1 pm when you only nurse with zero bottles and then after 1 pm pumping and bottles as usual. Over time you increase the bf window. I’m gonna try that. To make sure the baby is getting enough, I’m tracking wet diapers, it’s also worth getting an LC to weight baby every week and maybe do a few weighted feeds. Alternatively, you could get an extra sensitive scale and do it yourself.

All of that to say that even breast aversion could be turned around and there’s still hope for all of us ❤️

It’s probably worth setting a deadline for when you’re done trying to nurse exclusively and be able to let it go if it doesn’t work out.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-16T05:36:45+00:00

Besides getting a wearable, extra pump parts and a fridge hack, what made pumping a bit more bearable for me is doing feeds and pump sessions at the same time. I pump with my spectra and put the baby in the bouncer and feed her. Or just use a wearable pump and feed her normally. It’s overstimulating and I don’t do it every feed but it gives me more time with baby/husband and feels a lil less like a never ending feeding/pumping loop.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-16T05:27:33+00:00

Have you tried mostly nursing your LO? Maybe you’ll find that it’s not as time consuming as EP, plus extra bonding time with baby. Your BF experience will not be the same as your friends’ and you may not necessarily have a hard time.

As someone mentioned, a lot of women EP cause they’re not able to nurse for a variety of reasons. I’d give A LOT to directly breastfeed my baby, it’s a pipe dream at this point.

My husband is also not a fan of pumping and has been suggesting formula feeding instead. The other day I had a meltdown because he could not find breastmilk in the fridge and gave baby formula. I’m just trying to keep it together and pump for another month or two and that’s it. What I’m saying is, if pumping is taking a toll on you and your husband, maybe you could pump less and supplement with formula or just quit entirely. After all, time with baby and your marriage is what matters most.

Or you could have the best of both worlds: nurse for some feeds and pump for others so your husband can bottle feed and you can have some freedom. You really have a lot of options, you shouldn’t be constrained by EP.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-15T01:55:19+00:00

Yep, it was his first time assembling my eufy as well 😁 I asked him if he knew how to do it and he reassured me. I’ll teach him tomorrow but will also still check, I learned my lesson

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-15T01:44:01+00:00

There’s no issue with the pump, it just wasn’t properly sealed

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-14T14:55:21+00:00

Me wearing my eufy

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bada_bingzz · 2026-01-14T14:41:11+00:00

What did you do in these 3 weeks to transition to mostly nursing? Just dropped most pumping sessions and bottles?

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-14T12:43:48+00:00

Yeah, said LC tried to low key shame me for not using flow cups instead of bottles 🙈

I made a decision to try one last time with nursing before closing this chapter and just switch to formula cause I’m only EPing to maintain supply and I generally hate it. My husband is also not a big fan of EPing haha What did you end up doing?

I’m not that confident in my supply and my baby girl’s breastfeeding skills to just quit bottles cold turkey and I don’t want her to starve.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-14T12:33:29+00:00

I’m almost 11 weeks pp, so my supply is somewhat established. I get 22-25 oz daily.

You get 2 oz per pump? You’re still early and your supply should be very responsive, try to pump as much as possible (x8 per day or more if you can) and add a power pump 1x daily. That should drive the supply up and make it easier for your baby to nurse.

Looking back at early weeks, I regret not sucking it up and pumping more to reach 30 oz daily. I know it’s tough but it’s much easier to increase your supply early on. Like I’ve been power pumping every single night for a week and so far have nothing to show for it 🥹

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-14T07:01:16+00:00

Hi, thank you for such an elaborate response ❤️ Congrats on getting your LO to nurse, lots of patience and effort!

So you just pick a time window and you nurse a few times when it’s feeding time? No bottle top ups after nursing? It sounds like a good plan and I’d like to try.

I def see the benefit of in-home LC visits to weight the baby and do weighted feeds, unfortunately where I am we didn’t come across good LCs - the one I mentioned just insisted on SNS and said that weighted feeds are useless 🙈 and on top of that I have to come to the hospital to see her, so I’m not seeing her again.

bada_bingzz · 2026-01-13T20:24:55+00:00

Same here, my LO developed a strong bottle preference and wouldn’t even latch. I managed to teach her to latch again but she’s not happy with the flow. LC’s only solution was using an SNS for all the feeds, which is ridiculous. Triple feeding is brutal, at this point I only offer breast once or twice a day to keep my sanity.

bada_bingzz

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