does anyone have any advice on mixing formula nd breastfeeding?

Answer 1

I breastfed my baby for 9 months but shortly after she was born, she became ill and lost a lot of weight. When she was 4 weeks old, she still hadn't regained her birth weight and, after a lot of discussion with the doctor, I reluctantly agreed to do a single top up feed a day of formula to try and get her weight back up. I was determined to do the top-up feed for as short a time as possible and to continue breastfeeding for as long as possible. I did quite a bit of research into how to manage this and the advice was:

- Always give the formula at the same time every day and in the same quantities. This will mean that your body will continue to produce milk for the other feeds. If you chop and change the time, your body will never know when your milk is required and typically, you will find that your supply suffers so much that you end up giving up.
- Be prepared to try a couple of different formulas until your baby finds one that doesn't upset their stomachs. Formula is much more difficult to digest than breast milk. I found Cow and Gate Organic the best.
- Resist the temptation to give formula during the night. Your body needs night feeds to trigger milk production.

After about three weeks of giving one formula feed a day, my baby's weight had sufficiently recovered to allow me to switch back to exclusively breastfeeding. To be frank I was over the moon because I was completely bored of sterilising bottles etc! It really bought home to me how easy it is to breast feed.

Although I am a staunch advocate of "breast is best", I know from my own experience that sometimes medical or other issues mean that you might find yourself in a situation where you have to give formula but there are ways of being able to give both.
A good source of advice is La Lerche league.

Answer 2

Use bottled designed especially for this such as nuk transition bottles. It will make the breast to bottle transition much easier depending on how long your child has been nursing. Depending on his age, you would probably be using newborn or stage 1 nipples. Decide whether you will use powder, ready to serve, or concentrate (I like powder the best). Start with 2-4 oz. at a time until he gets the hang of it. You can always give more later if he wants more. I went through a lot try to nurse and I absolutely couldn't do it after several nurses and lactation consultants tried to help. Do not let ANYONE make you feel guilty for making sure your baby gets fed. Be thankful that we live in a time when the alternative to not being able to nurse is not starvation! That's what formula is MADE for...people who can't nurse. If you need anymore help, feel free to contact me.

Answer 3

Breastfeeding is definitely better for both you AND the baby. This is because the baby is getting all then needed nutrients that they should get, without the artificial ones you get in formula milk.
And, you also loose weight a lot quicker which saves you exercising!!
Also, I found that i bonded with my baby a lot quicker because i was with my baby for 30 minutes or so whilst they were feeding.

I definetely reccomend breastfeeding. Formula milk is convenient., but is very expensive.

Answer 4

I had twins and was determined to breastfeed although I didn't have much milk. They had ten minutes on each breast (burp!) and then an amount of formula (bottle) to 'top them up'. (another bigger burp!!) My boys were really happy babies, rarely cried and mixing breast and bottle did them absolutely no harm at all. It also made me a calmer mother, because I was able to feed them myself.
Ignore the 'you can't do it' people. If it suits your situation, of course you can do it. A mother's mood carries over to the baby, and if you're not happy doing what others have told you is 'best', then go with your instincts and try out what you know is better for both you and your child.
Enjoy this time with your baby, it shapes the rest of your entire lives together.

Answer 5

Unless you really have to then try not to. Expressing and using it as a top up would be better for baby if you are unavailable or whatever. As the whole breastfeeding system works on a supply and demand basis, you will be able to feed baby enough to satisfy them as long as you are eating/drinking/resting properly. It is hard work sometimes but it is worth it in the long term.

Answer 6

I did that with 2 of my children and it was fab.I had gallstones when my daughter was 3 weeks and had surgery when she was 12 weeks.
But I still wanted to do the best for her.So I mixed fed and breastfed to maintain our relationship and I believe that it stopped me getting postnatal depression again,I didn't feel like a failure
Nikki would get bottles in the night and breast fed basically when I was able to through the day or when I just wanted to be close to her.
I also did this with my last baby which was a godsend.She was fed like this from birth
Check with your health visitor,I'm sure they will say that it's up to baby to decide.

Answer 7

Exclusive breast milk is the best option, your child is very important to you so you want them to have the best but if you can’t do this for any reason, yes you can supplement breast milk with formula. I breastfed my son exclusively for the first 4 months and gave him both breast milk and formula afterwards because I had to return to work.

My sister in law’s eight week old baby eats continuously and she couldn’t cope with this, she is now giving her baby formula as well as breast milk. To be honest, it really is a personal choice.

Answer 8

a baby never goes hungry when you feed on demand - this can be tough for a good few weeks but once your milk supply & babys pattern are in place it gets easier.
try expressing if you want somebody else to feed the baby i wouldnt go with formula as well as it can upset the stomach.
don't forget to drink LOADS milk squash & hot drinks that will keep your supply up

Answer 9

my wife started out breastfeeding only, but the baby wasn't getting enough food.. so now she breastfeeds until she can't feed him anymore and then we give him formula.. it's been working really well..

Answer 10

It is generally not recommended because it can cause "nipple confusion" - the baby prefers one (usually the bottle) and refuses the other feeding method.

That said, my wife had problems feeding our daughter and ended up giving her 1-2 breast feeds a day, mainly for the antibodies, while she got her main nourishment from the bottle - and she coped with it just fine.