QUESTION: Feeding breastmilk AND formula

OK.... I have a question.

I am currently breastfeeding and I definitely intend to continue doing so.... but.... there are sometimes situations where I think it would be beneficial to have her used to taking formula also.

For example, Aunt Sandy has volunteered to babysit when we want a night out. At times like this I will not be able to breastfeed her obviously and after feeding her so often I don't really have much time or enough supply to pump also. I'm sure if I started pumping and feeding that my milk supply would increase but I would rather not do that. At this time it would be beneficial to send forumla.

Another example, at night right before hannah goes to bed she is often ravenously hungry for some reason. I feed her but when I breast feed her she often falls asleep at this time before getting the amount she really wants. I have been supplementing her with a bottle of pumped milk before bed so she goes to bed on a full tummy (this seems to make her happy and she falls asleep easily and sleeps well) because she doesn't fall asleep when taking a bottle. But my pumped milk supply is running low and i will either need to start pumping again while also breastfeeding her or I can supplement her with a little forumla.

I don't intend to ever switch exclusively to formula but I would like to use it sometimes. I don't see any reason that this couldn't be done but I would like tips on how to make the transition easier for her.

So far she has been very accepting to taking a bottle.... in fact the very first time I gave her a bottle she took it immediately without any problem. the nurse told me to introduce the bottle around 3 weeks of age when she has gotten used to breastfeeding but before she gets set in her ways.... I think it would be a good idea to introduce the formula during this period as well.

Any tips? or if this is NOT a good idea please tell me and I will figure out other ways. Has anyone else done this?

I exclusively BF Lydia, and I was so happy about it, but it totally backfired on me. She will not even take pumped milk in a bottle or a sippy cup. :( I would definitely encourage you to offer a bottle of formula and keep up with it every day so that Hannah will get used to it. If we ever have another one, I plan on bottle feeding for the overnights (and let hubby do it half the time). That way I could at least go out once in a while!

I will reply more in depth a little later when Ihave time but just wanted to remind you that any time you feed her something else or she doesn't empty you out completely you run the risk of decreasing your supply. This early on it is very important to keep up with the demand so that your body keeps up the supply :) I know that you don't want to pump to increase your supply but if she is grouching at night because she is hungry the best thing to do is let her eat to increase your supply. When she doses off while eating in the evening you just need to wake her up. One way that I was shown to wake up the reluctant nurser was to take one finger and tap the underside of her jaw firmly but gently. It should wake her enought o eat some more. Gotta go, write more later!

I breast fed for a short amount of time, but Nathan was having problems because he wasn't getting a balanced amount of fore-milk and hind-milk. I was also having infection after infection. I switched to pumping exclusively which solved Nathan's problems, but didn't really help with my infections. I pumped every time he had a bottle. Once he was sleeping through the night I still got up to pump. When he was around 3 months old my milk supply decreased drastically and I was giving him breast milk only about half the time and formula the other half. I tried teas and supplements but I couldn't get my supply back up and by the time Nathan was 4 months old he was on formula only. Though I wish greatly that he was still on breast milk, Nathan is doing great on formula. He's 6 months old, 16 pounds, healthy and very active! He's eating some solid foods now (he's had cereal, sweet potato, and 1 day of green beans). He's eating his new foods really well. I don't know if being on both breast milk and formula helped keep him from "getting set in his ways", but it certainly didn't hurt any.

I don't think it will hurt Hannah any to have a little formula. If you give her a bottle of formula at night instead of breast feeding you should try to pump after you put her to bed. Your supply will decrease if you bottle feed and don't pump.

Ronan is only 5 days old and i am doing both breasting feeding and pumping. Breast feeding at night and pumping and bottle feeding during the day. For one reason. My milk, for no reason at all, dries up about the 4 month mark. For Isabeau I had no idea till too late and had to switch her to formula exclusively. For Dedrick we found out in time to get a pump and on meds to incease the supply. He also ended up with formula added to his diet till my milk came back in enough.

Personally, and this is a very personal decision and there are no wrong or right answers, I would suggest pumping. Having an emergency supply of milk comes in very handy. Take last night for example. I almost passed out at home from sever cramping. Hubby grabbed the extra bottles of breast milk from the fridge and took me straight to the hospital. Later learned I have an infection in my womb so am now on antibiotics. But thanks to the extra milk in the fridge he was able to feed Ronan without any worry about getting formula or distrurbing me while I was being checked out.

So that is what I would suggest. I am already making more then Ronan needs and have some baggies frozen in teh freezer also. It is a great relief to me knowing that if an emergency arises that the milk is there.
Nicole & Ronan

I was breastfeeding...until I had to get a molar pulled... :rolleyes: so I had to use formula because of the pain killers and antibiotics they gave me......

but after that I still managed to combine breastfeeding with pumped milk and formula..... I pumped because I had sooooo much....... and maybe I just increased that by doing so but still...... so if we went out my mom had avast supply of either pumped or formula...... he accepted a bottle pretty nicely too.....

what I hated is that sometimes when we went out I had to go to a bathroom and self pump otherwise I would be ALL wet...... LOL :rolleyes: with time even if i was still pumping I was producing less milk until I stopped at about 7 months and changed completely to formula, because the production I was making was not satisfiyng him anymore so I had to brestfeed AND give him formula to get his tummy full.... then increased formula until that was it.....

it´s also a nice option for daddy to feed the baby sometimes......

Thanks for the info everyone :D

Yes it was advised by a nurse that if we ever want her to take a bottle in the future we should start introducing a bottle at 3 weeks of age because they are used to breastfeeding and have the technique down but after 3 weeks they can become set in their ways and it can sometimes take months to get a baby to take a bottle if you wait too long. BUT she was supplemented in the NICU with pumped milk when I wasn't there to nurse her. But she had no issues taking to a bottle at all... she will eat from anything... even the dogs nose ;) lol.

I have decided to start pumping again. My supply of pumped milk from when she was in the NICU is starting to run low and I do still want to use a bottle for her last evening feeding.... ONE: because I at least KNOW for sure she is getting as much as she needs at least once a day (I am always concerned she is not taking enough from me) TWO: because she falls asleep on the boob during her last evening feeding and it takes a couple hours to get her to eat enough that she will go to sleep satisfied AND I don't want her to get used to needing to be breastfed until she falls asleep because later on that will be a hard habit to break her of. So as of right now I bottle feed her her last feeding, burp her, change her and put her in her crib with her pacifier. But I have heard of babies getting used to falling asleep for the night while nursing and then they can't be put to bed any other way later on. and she has become pretty good at the routine we have now. THREE: like husky_mom mentioned.... it's also nice sometimes for dad to get to do the last evening feeding. He doesn't get to feed her much and I think this helps them bond more and it gives me a nice little break.

But I think I am just going to continue to pump and save that for bottle feedings when needed.... that should also help keep my milk supply up or even increase it if I do it enough. BUT I also might try giving her some formula every once in a while so she gest used to it in case she needs to be on formula for any reason then it won't be a shock to her as she will have already had it and might be a little more open to taking it.

We had to start supplementing with formula with Katherine while we were still at the hospital. She was losing more weight than they wanted her to. We continued to supplement once she got home so that my husband could help with feeding. We also knew that we would want her to take a bottle when she went to the nursery at church. My milk supply isn't as good as it was, so we are currently feeding mostly formula. (I have a feeling I won't have anything in a month or two.) She is doing great with both, and we are very thankful that she isn't picky, as it looks like we'll have to go with straight formula before too much longer.

One issue we had is that she was much gassier with formula than with breast milk. We ended up changing over to the Gentle version of her formula and using the Vent-aire bottles, which has been a great help.

I also have to throw in that our older daughter is adopted, and was never breast fed. She had formula all the way, including Chinese formula for her first 9 months (not as nutritious as US formula), and she is as healthy as can be.

I am very pro-bfing. Very. So, take what I say with a grain of salt.

I wouldn't introduce formula. Why? The research behind it supports an increase in intestional issues, increased risk for diabetes, and allergies, to name a few reasons.

I didn't give Jonah a bottle until much later in the game, and it was of BM, not formula. He took to a bottle without issue. He took to a cup without issue. He prolly would have latched onto a bottle of ketchup if I offered it. So, don't presume your baby will have latch issues.

Your antibodies in the BM do so much good for your child. And, BF for YOU does alot, too! Each time you miss an opportunity to BF, you decrease your supply. Decreasing your supply could lead to an early end to the BF relationship. You don't really get that time/place/experience back. Most people think their baby isn't getting enough milk, so they supplement. Supplementation is *usually* the problem, and if not the problem, the beginning of what will prolly be a problem. :)

Pump a reserve, it helps your supply, and allows your baby to continue with nature's 'best'.

Would formula hurt him? Probably not, but, it wouldn't help him like BM will.

As I said, I am very pro-bf'ing. And, as a single mom (yeah, I am mentioning it *again*), I could have used a night or two of sleep, or, maybe even a few hours off. I pumped at work twice a day to keep up my supply for the first year. I would do it all again.

The time goes so quickly, and before you know it, your baby will be walking and talking (and hopefully still BF'ing). I would encourage you to keep up the exclusive BFing.

Good luck with whatEVER decision you make. It is the first of many. AND, a huge congrats for giving your child the best start you possibly could.

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Originally Posted by sparks19

ONE: because I at least KNOW for sure she is getting as much as she needs at least once a day (I am always concerned she is not taking enough from me)

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She is getting what she 'needs'...the difference in the foremilk and the hindmilk can't be compared to a amount of measured formula. If she is pooping/peeing the requiste amount of times, and weighing in appropriately, she is getting what she needs from you.

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Originally Posted by sparks19

TWO: because she falls asleep on the boob during her last evening feeding and it takes a couple hours to get her to eat enough that she will go to sleep satisfied AND I don't want her to get used to needing to be breastfed until she falls asleep because later on that will be a hard habit to break her of.

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If I can present my own experience with Jonah. Jones was BF until he was 2.5, falling asleep at the breast for prolly 99% of the time. When he self-weaned, he had no issues with going to sleep without the breast. To this day, he goes to sleep without any sort of problem. So, don't let old wives tails (sic) get the better of you.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

I am very pro-bfing. Very. So, take what I say with a grain of salt.

I wouldn't introduce formula. Why? The research behind it supports an increase in intestional issues, increased risk for diabetes, and allergies, to name a few reasons.

I didn't give Jonah a bottle until much later in the game, and it was of BM, not formula. He took to a bottle without issue. He took to a cup without issue. He prolly would have latched onto a bottle of ketchup if I offered it. So, don't presume your baby will have latch issues..

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I really don't think she would have latch issues since she was more than willing to latch onto the dogs nose lol. Plus she had to take milk from both finger feeding and BF while in the NICU and she never had an issue switching back and forth. When I gave her a bottle for the first time I don't even think she noticed it wasn't the breast.... she took to it right away and still switches back and forth without issue. I do only bottle feed once a day (at night when my milk supply is at it's lowest after feeding every hour or two during the day) and I have started pumping again.... I've actually pumped a little twice already today but I think I will start pumping at night when I give her the bottle (of breastmilk not forumula) that way my body still thinks it's a feeding and hopefully it will help me make it further through the night without issue since she seems to be sleeping through the night lately. I have had to go wake her up two nights in a row to feed her lol. So like your son.... I really think she would latch onto anything... she doesn't seem too picky :D

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

Your antibodies in the BM do so much good for your child. And, BF for YOU does alot, too! Each time you miss an opportunity to BF, you decrease your supply. Decreasing your supply could lead to an early end to the BF relationship. You don't really get that time/place/experience back. Most people think their baby isn't getting enough milk, so they supplement. Supplementation is *usually* the problem, and if not the problem, the beginning of what will prolly be a problem. :)

Pump a reserve, it helps your supply, and allows your baby to continue with nature's 'best'.

Would formula hurt him? Probably not, but, it wouldn't help him like BM will.

As I said, I am very pro-bf'ing. And, as a single mom (yeah, I am mentioning it *again*), I could have used a night or two of sleep, or, maybe even a few hours off. I pumped at work twice a day to keep up my supply for the first year. I would do it all again.

The time goes so quickly, and before you know it, your baby will be walking and talking (and hopefully still BF'ing). I would encourage you to keep up the exclusive BFing.

Good luck with whatEVER decision you make. It is the first of many. AND, a huge congrats for giving your child the best start you possibly could.

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YES Bfing has done wonders for me... I am already back in my prepregnancy jeans... in fact I think they fit better now than they did before lol.

I think I have decided to forget about formula and just start pumping regularly again so that I have a supply of Breastmilk. I know hubby really does enjoy feeding her when he is able to so I don't want to take that away from him completely lol so he can at least use pumped milk to feed her and we will forget about formula.

I am not going back to work. So I will be home all day to breastfeed her and as it stands right now she eats about every two hours throughout the day and I breastfeed her everytime except for the last feeding of the night before bed. So I think she is helping to keep my milk supply up but soon she is going to need to eat a larger amount at a time so I think it is a good idea to start pumping again now.

BTW, I got a whole bunch of free samples of formula which I am now not going to use.... anyone know what charities would want it? or even if anyone on here needs it I can send it to you. They have never been opened.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

She is getting what she 'needs'...the difference in the foremilk and the hindmilk can't be compared to a amount of measured formula. If she is pooping/peeing the requiste amount of times, and weighing in appropriately, she is getting what she needs from you..

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Well she is definitely going enough. I think my biggest problem is that I don't know yet if she is gaining weight. We have a dr;s appt on thursday and she last weighed in at 7lbs 15.5 oz so I think after this appt I will feel better if I see that she has gained. Up until now I have no idea if she has gained or not because we didn't get a correct discharge weight from the hospital ( they weighed her with her clothes on and all the wires and tubes were still on her)

Now I don't think I have ever heard the terms foremilk and hindmilk... what does that mean?

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Originally Posted by sparks19

So I think she is helping to keep my milk supply up but soon she is going to need to eat a larger amount at a time so I think it is a good idea to start pumping again now.
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Trust yourself, your body and your baby. Your supply will grow as she grows and nurses more/longer. I delivered a 8.6 pound baby, and was able to keep up with his growth. :)

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Originally Posted by sparks19

BTW, I got a whole bunch of free samples of formula which I am now not going to use.... anyone know what charities would want it? or even if anyone on here needs it I can send it to you. They have never been opened.

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A woman's shelter? A foodbank?

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Originally Posted by sparks19

Now I don't think I have ever heard the terms foremilk and hindmilk... what does that mean?

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The foremilk is what comes out first (and sometimes, furiously), and isn't as dense or caloried or rich as the milk that comes out later. One of the reasons it is important to make sure a whole nursing session takes place, to make sure that richer hindmilk has a chance to let down.

Check out the le leche league website. It was so informative and helpful to me.

I am sure I am not spilling secrets here, but, we do have a former LLL leader amongst us- sirrahbed. She will have some great advice.

I breastfeed exclusively and when it was time to go back to work 4 months later my baby would not take the bottle. She would scream if she saw it, thankfully I had an understanding female boss.

I really agree with Johanna's response, in that you should avoid formula. When you have a good breast feeder, and you are not having any problems with it, I really think you should keep going with it. It may not be the most practical thing in the world sometimes, but there is nothing better then breast milk for your little one and if you introduce formula, your milk supply will go down. It's such a blessing when the bfeeding goes well and the child takes to it well and the mom isn't terribly injured from it. I think that when you alter that, you open up the window to supplementing more and more frequently with formula.

I gave all my free samples of formula to the local shelter for pregnant teens. I didn't even want it in my house because I knew how easy it would be to just mix a bottle of formula when I was so terribly injured when I first started bfeeding. They were happy to get the formula.

I really recommend Le Leche League (LLL) as Johanna suggested. They were wonderful, full of ideas, and they helped show me how to properly unlatch Quinn so I could heal. They are a great group and for me were lifesavers since I was in excruciating pain. They also have great ideas and offer support and advice for any issues you may be having. I've really enjoyed LLL and have even made some friends out of the meetings.

Good luck and please give that precious girl a little kissie for me. She's so adorable.

From my own experiences,I found it fine to supplement my babies breastfeeding,however on advice from our plunket here, nurses specialising in baby care, i ended up putting my son on the bottle, as they were telling me he just was not getting enough via breast, to this day i think they were wrong, i had no trouble feeding my daughter and did so for 16 mths, way longer than i ever anticipated i would do,anyhow to cut a long story short both are healthy young adults now, so i don't think either of them suffered because of it.

So if you intend to add a supplement i would think it would work fine.,it is your personal choice, however if the feeding is going well, maybe the others are right you should just continue with that, breast is best,good luck.