Transitioning From Breastfeeding And Is The Baby Brezza Worth It?
Around mid-December, we decided to start introducing formula to Margot. My freezer supply had significantly dwindled, I wasn’t producing enough to replenish it (nor was I interested in waking up in the middle of the night to pump), and our nanny was starting in January. Margot also seemed like she wasn’t eating enough before bed and would wake up every 2-3 hours. We started to consider sleep training but realized that letting her cry it out wasn’t going to solve the fact she was just hungry.
What we thought was going to be a slow transition, ended up happening quickly. Margot immediately took to the formula (we went with Bobbie) and got all giddy whenever the bottle was present. She started to prefer the formula and spit up my breastmilk instead.
Margot’s transition from exclusively breastfeeding to being exclusively formula-fed coincided with the holidays and our trip to Kauai. Over a few days, she went from breastfeeding 1 hour a day, to 15 minutes, to nothing.
I didn’t do my due diligence to find the best way to wean. I essentially went cold turkey and figured it was all supply and demand, so I did very little to relieve the milk and pressure. Hormonally, it was a shock to the system too. Even though I knew it was the right decision and it was clearly what Margot wanted, I still felt some guilt about it, especially with how quickly everything changed.
After 2-3 weeks of being almost 98% bottle-fed, Margot started experiencing gas, so we tried to eliminate as many factors as possible. Instead of filtered fridge water, we switched to bottled water in case hard water was the culprit. We also bought a formula mixing pitcher because previously we were shaking the bottle, creating a ton of air bubbles. We were prepared to try Bobbie Gentle but with these few adjustments, her gas subsided.
Our bottle-making process looked like this:
Measure out 4 oz of water in the bottle and pour into a Pyrex measuring cup (because some reason 4 oz in the bottle measured out differently than 4oz in the measuring cup)
Heat in the microwave for 15 seconds
Pour warm water into the pitcher
Add 2 scoops of formula
Mix in pitcher
Pour into bottle
This seemed doable enough, but six steps in the middle of the night or when you have a hungry and hysterical baby become unreasonable. My tipping point came at 3 am one early morning when I tried to heat the water just a little bit more and dropped the Pyrex on the floor, spilling water everywhere.
Now enter the Baby Brezza Formula Pro. Classify this as something that seems completely unnecessary until you realize how much easier it will make your life. This machine is like a Keurig for baby formula, perfectly dispensing and mixing the right ratio of warm water to formula for a bottle in under 10 seconds.
After reading some reviews, my only hesitation was how much cleaning it would require, but it’s super simple and lets you know when the filter needs to be cleaned (it won’t let you make another bottle until you do so). Making sure the water reservoir is filled, filter is cleaned, and bottles are ready has become part of our nightly ritual. Overall, it’s eased the transition from effortlessly breastfeeding to more labor-intensive formula feeding. If you’re planning to formula feed from the get-go or switching to it, I highly recommend it.