Can I breastfeed and bottle feed at the same time.?

Question

Im going back to work after a fortnight and won't to be able to do both just what is most convient is that possible? I do realise breast is best, but Im on my own and need to pay the bills.

Answer 1

Of course you can .. and you can bottle feed your baby breast milk if you get a breast pump ...
Only thing is , is that you will probably have to express while you are at work or else you will be pouring out milk as if you were a prize winning Milk cow .. at times when you DEFINITELY don't want that to happen.

and one bit of advice for you ... YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO .... for yourself and your baby ...please don't allow other people to make you feel guilty ...

all the best to you and your child

Answer 2

You *can* do both, but, unless there is some pressing reason to do so (i.e., you have to return to work), it's best to just breastfeed. Don't borrow trouble. Your baby hasn't even been born yet, so don't be already expecting that she 'won't take the breast.' Babies are made by nature to be able to breastfeed, so it would be VERY unlikely that she'll refuse the breast. If she does, a lactation consultant should be able to work with you to teach her to nurse. Also, while it's usually possible to give formula 'sometimes' (if necessary or desired) you can't just breastfeed 'sometimes.' Breastmilk is made on a supply/demand basis, and in the first several months, there is a minimum level of 'demand' necessary to establish and maintain a supply. So you can't just nurse a few times a day and hope to make milk. You will dry up. The best way to know that baby is 'getting enough' is to count her diapes. If she's wetting enough diapers, (6+ per day after the first week) she's getting plenty. You don't have to pump and/or bottle feed so you count ounces. So ... plan to nurse your baby. Commit to nursing your baby. Dont' have bottles on hand 'just in case', or formula. IF (as is VERY rarely necessary) it proves necessary to supplement a bit in the early weeks, you can do so without using a bottle. If you choose to introduce a bottle, or need to do so, (so you can be away from your baby) wait until 4-6 weeks, at which point breatfeeding should be pretty well established, and then limit it to just once a day at most. (Unless of course you're back at work, in which case you'd probably have to offer more bottles.) Most women who find that baby 'won't take the breast' have, in fact, caused the problem by offering early bottles and creating nipple confusion.

Answer 3

Lactation consultants and doctors would discourage you from doing so for the first 6 months, they want exclusive breast. I fed my now 14 year old both but she ended up preferring the bottle after she had a cold and wouldn't eat much. My 3 month old is doing very well with this. The thing you need to watch out for is that the nipples on the bottles you use should have the same or very similar feel and FLOW so that baby has consistency. If a bottle has a faster flow, baby will prefer it although they still crave the closeness that nursing offers. So, YES, you absolutely can with no adverse effects, but be sure to bottle some breast milk always if you can because of the immunity benefits and to keep your supply high. Congrats and best wishes to you!

Answer 4

You can breast and bottle feed. Pumping your milk while away from the house would probably be best, just because formula and breast milk taste different. You should start pumping and giving a couple of bottles before you go back to work though so your child gets used to the bottle.

Answer 5

Breast feeding is the most wonderful way of knowing that you are giving your baby the very best start in life that you can, you can do this both by using your breast itself and by using bottles and by using bottles this gives you the freedom to achive your goals and mantain a healthy close relationship to your baby.
Bottle feeds can be made up by both breast of powdered milks,if using breast milk there are a number of different pumps which you can buy from places such as boots,mothercare ect. Bottle feeds that are made up from breast milk can also be frozen and stored for later use,this makes it a lot easier for mum's to express at times that best suit them. I hope this answer can help you and good luck in returning to work,i hope all works out for you and your new baby x

Answer 6

You can do both. Express your milk too and freeze it if you get an excess. Also you can then still give your baby breast milk from a bottle. However be prepared that you may encounter problems getting baby to latch on after a while of using a bottle. They suck differently on a teat to the nipple and sometimes this causes nipple confusion. However if you are still expressing you will be stimulating your flow so therefore be able to maintain giving breast milk

Answer 7

You can do both, and in fact it's better to do both in my opinion. Get an electric breast pump so you can relax while pumping. Bottle it up for the babysitter and buy a can of powder formula in case extra is needed. Breast feed as long as you can. Formula is way too expensive to buy especially when you have free milk. When you are at home you can still nurse and bond with your baby. Your uterus will shrink back to normal size quicker and your baby fat will disappear quicker too. The nutrients in breast milk does seem to make a difference. I have 3 daughters. The first 2 don't seem to get as sick as my youngest one does. Be sure to get nursing pads to put in your bra before going to work. Nobody warned me about that and it can be a tad bit embarrassing with 2 wet circles on your shirt....and it stains too. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful bundle of joy.

Answer 8

Bottle feed is better when working or u can breastfeed and use a pump and put breast milk in the bottles in the fridge, but i am not sure how long u can leave it in the fridge as i bottle feed both mu children as i could never breast feed....

Answer 9

You can do both it is what i did but the baby soon realised he could get more milk faster from the bottle than me and soon wouldnt feed from me i did express milk then for a further 15 weeks but expressing is hard as you have to do it lots of times during the day or your milk will dry up the less times you express the less milk you will get

Answer 10

I doubt it could be attempted at the same time... i dont think a baby's mouth is big enough for a teet and a nipple...

On a serious note, yes you can, it is however generally recommended that you choose 1 or the other... however the occasional interchange (eg. wanting to avoid breast feeding in public) is accepted.