Is it ok to breastfeed and formula feed?

Question

I am undecided. I want to give breast milk only through bottles by filling them with a breast pump. Are breast pumps allowed in the hospital? I'm going to ask the nurses to give my baby formula while we're in the hospital. Any suggestions.

Answer 1

My wife did, and had no problems.

Some people will try to tell you that a baby who sucks from a teat on a bottle won't suck from a nipple. Maybe some won't, but ours could have sucked a pig through a straw.

The other advantage we found (my wife never produced enough milk to express) was that we could rota the feeds so we both got a decent nights sleep.

Sorry, another thought. Our doctor told us that, in his opinion, about 80% of women who said they breastfeed were actually mixed feeding.

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong with doing both breastfeeding + formula and you can also ask your baby's pediatricition if you have more concerns about it. Breat pumps work well for you if you have the time and patience to do that every 2 hours around the clock and it takes about 15-20 min of pumping your breats. (Newborns need breastmilk every 2 hours so you must pump your breasts as if your baby is breastfeeding to get the right amount of milk to produce.) Since you will also be formula feeding, it should be okay to miss a couple times (maybe during the night so you can sleep) to pump your breasts. Also, since formula is thicker, it will settle in your baby's stomach longer so you don't have to feed as often as every 2 hours, instead you may feed every 3 hours.

Hospitals always recommend that you use breast pumps and they should give out a free breat pump kit (costs $50) and then you can go rent a breast pump and take it home with you. Hospitals also have lactation consultants that can help you with pumping breast milk and/or breastfeeding directly from mother to child.

Hope this helps! good luck!

Answer 3

If your baby gets used to drinking from the bottle she may not want to take the nipple after that (as it's a lot more work to draw out milk from the breast).

Your first milk is not even milk but this clear liquid RICH full of nutrients for the baby...so you should breast feed exclusively in the hospital for the first day or two till your milk comes in.

Breast feed if you can. Its the best thing for the baby. I wouldn't supplement until the baby is at least 3 months, then start weaning. Some babies don't take to formulas well and they get colic and gas pains and get very irritable, thus making you miserable too. You have to experiment with different formulas to find one that works best with baby and they can be very expensive. Breast milk is free...it gives baby the immunities it needs from your body, helps the brain grow and develop better and makes them smart!!! :~) If I were you I would pump a lot of milk, and freeze it in small freezie bags inside a larger freezer bag, and thaw out and feed baby that when you are going out or something. It takes more work...so invest in a good electric pump or see what they cost to rent as it's a lot of work to pump breast milk.

Good luck.

Answer 4

It is best if you breastfeed first in the hospital, it is very important that your child get the colostrum... otherwise when you get home where your comfortable then you can introduce the bottle and fill it with your pumped breastmilk. My step-daughter has a week old son who she is doing this with, she only wanted to pump bnut the hospital wanted ehr to breastfeed there and then introiduce the bottle later and it has worked so far he breastfed for like 4-5 days and then she pumps now and feeds him with the bottle. While my sister in law is breastfeeding and formula bottle fedding, since she doesn't have alot of milk and baby is still hungry.

Answer 5

Although your way of wanting to do things is a bit unusual, there should be no problem with you having a breast pump in the hospital. In fact many hospitals rent high quality breast pumps that are quick and efficient to use. Also, I found that when I was in the hospital, I was expected to do the feeding and changing of my own infant. The nurses would only take over when I asked for help. So, you may be the one doing the bottle feeding.

Answer 6

If you want to do both it's best to start off breastfeeding because that way your milk supply can get established. Breastmilk doesn't automatically appear, you have to make it. Plus your baby will get colostrum which benefits stays with your baby for life, something formula doesn't have. Breastfeed and get your milk flowing first, it takes a while to get that going as long as you have a good latch. Then once that's established, you can start pumping and giving your baby breastmilk in a bottle if that's what you want to do. Let me tell you it's so much more difficult to do that instead of just breastfeeding, bottles are always more work whether it's breastmilk or formula in it. Bottom line, make sure your milk is well established before you introduce bottles.

Answer 7

breast pumps are allowed in fact alot of nurses would encourage you to just bottle feed if you plan to use both formula and breast milk. when you switch from breast to bottle some think that you confuse the baby

Answer 8

It is okay to breastfeed and formula feed, however considering all of your questions I have a few things for you to keep in mind:

1) It's important to understand how breastfeeding works. Baby's suckling stimulates your breasts and tells them to make milk. So, the more bottles your baby gets of something other than breastmilk, the less milk your body will produce. As such, it's best to start by exclusively breastfeeding, establishing your supply over at least 6 weeks, and then slowly introducing formula to replace the breast at some feedings.

2) You mention that you want to exclusively pump, instead of nurse. As a mom who pumps for her baby while she's at work, let me tell you that from my experience, nursing a baby is much easier than pumping and feeding from bottles. There's no bottles to wash, no pump parts to clean, and no time spent pumping when you could be cuddling with your baby! I like to tell my friends I nurse because I'm lazy. (Especially at night -- no bottles to warm up means I get more sleep.)

3) It can be more difficult to start and maintain a supply with just a pump. Babies are better than pumps at getting milk out, so while you might only be able to pump 2 ounces at a time, baby might get 4 ounces in the same amount of time. If you never nurse your baby, but get your supply through pumping, you're likely better off renting a hospital-grade pump, like the Lactina, because these are best for establishing and maintaining supply.

4) Finally, it helps to know some things about the composition of breastmilk from the breast, breastmilk in a bottle, and formula. First, breastmilk contains a huge amount of important natural ingredients that help baby grow. Breastmilk replacement (aka formula) can be lifesaving when circumstances prevent a mom from nursing her baby, but it is not the same. It's usually made from cow's milk, but needs things removed from it that a baby can't tolerate, which then reduces the nutrients, so those are added back artificially, and then the fat/protien ratio is changed to resemble that needed by humans. So breastmilk should be the preferred option. Then, breastmilk changes throughout the course of the feeding. It starts out light and watery, to help quench baby's thirst. This is called the foremilk. Over the course of the feeding, it becomes thicker, and changes to the rich hindmilk. The hindmilk helps baby feel full, so he/she is satisfied and stops nursing. In a bottle, breastmilk or formula is all just mixed together, so this benefit is lost. So, the order of preference is:
#1 Breastmilk from nursing
#2 Breastmilk from a bottle
#3 Formula (obviously from a bottle)

5) Finally, breast pumps are allowed at the hospital. They may even be able to provide you with one. When you tour your facility prior to delivery, be sure to ask about them, as well as what other lactation services are available to their patients.

I don't know what the reasons are for your question or for wanting to pump and feed formula, but I encourage you to give nursing a try in the hospital and for at least 2 weeks once you're home. It's a great gift you can give your baby and it's shown to improve mom's health too! I hope you have a wonderful pregnancy and a happy and healthy baby.

Answer 9

You can do both...some people do. I am sure you can bring your breast pump as well. The hospital does provide formula for the baby. This is your baby and you can do whatever you feel is comfortable works best for you...do not let anyone tell you differently. If breastfeeding does not work then you can formula feed, there is nothing wrong with that. Good luck!

Answer 10

yes its fine actually its good.

breast milk is the best for the baby but it lacks vit D which your baby needs and would have to get a suppliment.
but if u use formula too the vit d is already in there so your baby would get all the goodness they need.

personally am going to give breast milk during the day and formula at night... the reason for this is breast milk goes thru the babies system faster so they become hungry sooner.... if u give a baby formula of a night it will be full longer and sleep better

Answer 11

With my first child, they had a breast pump in the hospital I could (and did) use. I pumped milk out for my baby, but they didn't keep up with it properly and ended up feeding her formula some of the time. She did breastfeed once she came out of the oxygen tent and I could hold her. Once we were home, I breastfed and gave her breastmilk in bottles. She never had problems switching back and forth.