20% bf 80% ff

[Pinkjoanne]

So I've tried searching on the internet and I'm struggling to find answers to my combi feeding questions, everything is so negative.....I really wish I hadn't read the NCT site!
So for various reasons, including tongue tie, exclusively bf hasn't worked for us.

I'd like to combi feed my dd so that she has two bottles of breast milk per day. I will ideally do this with her latching on but it's looking unlikely. I'm intending to express twice a day, in the morning, then formula feed for the rest of the day.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it even possible with milk supply? Will my daughter still benefit from just two bf bottles?

Sorry for the mass of questions, I'm just struggling to find answers and I've found breastfeeding support groups to be very harsh and judgemental. One lady made me cry yesterday and really wasn't bothered!

 

[rachaell]

No personal advice except to say I'm interested in the answer. I was talking to two of my friends yesterday with 10 and 12week olds and they both combine feed with1-2 formula feeds a day and the rest bf. They say its working fine for them. Don't know if only doing 2 bf a day would keep your supply going enough though. Hopefully more experiencd ladies have some answers.

Re the bf group that is terrible! No one should be made to feel bad re their feeding choices. Xxx

 

[Rachy1982]

I combination fed my baby for 8 months and it worked just fine for us. In my opinion any breast milk you can offer your baby is better than none at all. I had to combination feed due to issues initially establishing breast feeding. But although it was stressful I think it worked well for us in the end. To start with I always offered breast and then would top up with formula. I'd express as well to get my supply up. Then I would breast feed for most feeds and my husband would give an evening bottle so I could have a break. Combination feeding since birth has meant that my daughter is used to bottles, so now at 8 months I've gradually reduced breast feeding to where all her milk is formula. I was ready for my body back. I haven't breast fed since Saturday morning and it hasn't been traumatic at all for her. She's happy as long as she's getting her milk.

Don't let other people upset you. You do what works for you and your baby. Take care x

 

[purpleslurple]

I BF for the first 6 weeks then combi fed until LO was 4 months and it worked perfectly for us. I BF'd him in the night and first thing in the morning but most of the day he had formula - I expressed twice a day and that produced roughly one additional feed per day.

If the alternative is giving up BFing then combi feeding is fab as your LO is still getting your goodness but it makes life more flexible for you too.

 

[Pinkjoanne]

Thank you!
We're still struggling along with a little breastfeeding and mostly formula.
I figure any breast milk has got to be better than nothing.
Thank you for being so helpful. It's a shame that there isn't much positive advice from support groups and the NHS in my area!

 

[Kaffee]

Hi all. Pinkjoanne, wondering how you're getting on with this, did your milk last out with this level?

I'm pumping a few times a day (only getting about 1oz per session) which I give him just before a formula bottle. He also goes on boob a few times a day, though not sure how much he gets from this. I figure at least he's getting some bm, though only about 10% of total for the day.

 

[Pinkjoanne]

Hello,

It's sounds like we're doing very similar.
I pump 3 times a day and get around 1oz each time.
Up until a week ago the 3 times a day were done with LO on the breast but her latch has gone completely now. The nurse that cut her tongue tie warned me that it may grow back a bit so I presume that it could be this.
It's great to hear that you're doing well too. I felt very demoralised when I first started.

 

[xlilkax]

I'm doing similar. I express as soon as I wake up and before bed, offer breast during day depending on what I'm doing and formula feed through out the night so I get a decent amount of sleep. My milk supply seems fine. Baby is 3 weeks old and I express about 4/5oz each time although he does need that topping up with 2/3oz of formula.

I think that it means baby is getting the best of both. He gets all the benefits of breast milk and breast feeding plus his dad gets to bond with him too and take some of the pressure off me so for us it works very well and we haven't had a problem with nipple confusion or anything like that.

 

[sorpresa_bea]

Hi ladies, just came across this thread. Bit late, I know, but I'm a new mum with an almost 4-weeks old baby boy. Due to him not sucking well from day one, we've had to resort to combi feeding too. I express every 3 hours to increase my milk supply (feed him on one breast whilst pumping on the other, then swap, for 15 minutes each side). I'm getting anything from 40 to 70 ml a day... (between 1.3 and 2.5 oz I think)

xlilkax - amazing to see you could get out so much in one sitting!

If any of the mums on this thread are still reading it, and wouldn't mind sharing your experience after a few months now, I'd appreciate it. I'm also unsure as to the total amounts I should be giving, specially since we do 30 mins of BF first and it's hard to know how much he's getting on each feed... Then I give him whatever I have expressed, and finally, if he still seems hungry, some formula, which can be anything between 30 and 60 ml. This seems to work at the moment, but it's a delicate balance and I'm never sure when I should be increasing the amount of formula as he gets bigger and older.

Also, going to a BF support group on Monday. I've been once before, when I was trying to exclusively BF. I bet they'll turn their noses up when I talk about my bottle / formula feeds... Sigh! A mum should NEVER made feel guilty for doing the best for their babies, right?

 

[Blueclass]

Hi I'm 29 weeks pregnant and thinking on combination feeding as I want to rest at night and also let OH bond with baby when she comes. Us I don't like the odea of bf, sounds silly I know. Anyway no one should make you feel bad. You have to do what works for you. I mean my OH works shift and of his on nights it will be me doing the night feeds and the day as he will be sleeping. At least if I formula feed at night she will sleep a bit longer allowing me time to sleep aswell. Then maybe 1st thing in the morning to get bits done and then bf in the day. Or if I bf in the morning when husband wakes up he could formula feed whilst I try and get head down for a hour. I think it's important for me to rest aswell as il be useless if I'm a zombie and actually why should I suffer and be tired all the time, il only be miserable. I also want other people to be able to feed her and have that time and bonding experience. Of course this could all change once she comes but this is my plan so far.

 

[Phoenix85]

Blueclass, just for what it's worth, prolactin levels are higher at night, breastmilk produced at night also contains more melatonin (sleep inducing hormone) which of course helps get the baby to sleep.
To maintain supply night (breast) feeds are actually very important.
On top of that, it's far easier/quicker/less disruptive to breastfeed at night than to have to get up and fix bottles.
Also formula does not guarantee they will sleep longer at night.

You may find it's better to breastfeed for most of the night feeds and give some bottles during the day or early evening.

 

[Blueclass]

That's good to know, thanks. I haven't decided which way round il do things but it's good to have all this information. Il see how it goes when she arrives.

 

[purpleslurple]

The other thing to remember is that making up bottles can be a faff - if you BF in the night then it's get baby out of the cot, straight on the boob - no waiting for a bottle to be ready or anticipating what time they will wake up.

Also, your boobs will fill with milk and need emptying - you either feed baby or express it off so it makes sense to BF first thing in the morning as you would be sore if you didn't remove the milk.

I used to express during the day so my husband could do the 11pm feed - that meant I could go to sleep at 9pm and sleep until 2am ish. You will find what works for you!

 

[Blueclass]

Thanks for the advice it's great to know all these things before she arrives x

 

[Birdie]

I used to express during the day so my husband could do the 11pm feed - that meant I could go to sleep at 9pm and sleep until 2am ish. You will find what works for you!

I would really like to do this when #2 arrives purpleslurple!

My son (now 2.5yo) was exclusively breastfed & in fact I'm still feeding at bedtime now.... but I struggled to find the time to express as he was an incredibly frequent feeder - and when I did try I only ever got less than 1oz!!

But this time around I would really like to establish a bedtime bottle early on.

I wondered what advice you would have to help achieve this.... how early did you start? When exactly did you express & what type of pump did you use?

 

[purpleslurple]

Hi Birdie, I used an Avent electric pump and sometimes it would take me a few goes to get enough milk for a feed. However, you can leave the pump attachment on the top of the bottle, pop it back in the fridge and get it back out late to express some more into it. I always found that I produced the most milk in the mornings so would make sure to express then. Breast milk can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days so I built up a stash so I wasn't under pressure if I didn't get around to expressing one day.

We introduced the expressed bottle at 2 weeks - some argue about nipple confusion, not having established BFing etc. but I was so shattered I would've tried anything and we had no problems. In fact, I felt much more in control as I was getting a solid 5 hours sleep a night!

 

[Birdie]

Thanks for the reply! 2 weeks was my exact plan for introducing a bottle actually... I left it far too long with my son and he flatly refused it.

Did you express after a morning feed or very first thing on waking up? I think my problem was that my son would feed & not leave me with much to express, so I just got so disheartened and was wasting so much time trying!

Can I ask how long you managed to keep up the combi feeding?