BF combi question...

[Melanie3103]

I wonder if anyone can help me with a bf question...

Is it possible to exclusively bf for the first few days until milk comes in (when it's the "liquid gold" colostrum whatever it's called), and then do half n half in terms of breast milk (from the breast) and then formula feed for the other feeds ?

The part of bf that I'm the least comfortable with (well 2 things really) and I might change my mind of course.. but I'm just researching now... is bf in public when out n about, and the expressing part (I cannot shake the dairy cow image out of my head)...

Before you shoot me down.. I know it's a personal thing.. and I'm just looking into the alternatives and keeping an open mind at this stage.

So... IF I could do 50/50 breast with formula from a bottle - this would be an ideal solution for me, as far as I am concerned. Avoiding the need to bf in public, sharing the feeding with hubby, not having to resort to pumps/expressing, while still passing on antibodies and nutrients to baby from my breast milk, and all the good bonding experience too.

BUT.... what will that do to my milk supply - I have visions of breasts exploding LOL if I only feed 2-3 times per day (ideally at night and first thing in the morning), then switching to formula for the rest of the day... or perhaps the supply merely adjusts ? I don't know. I know they say that feeding regularly and often will help with producing enough milk for all the feeds a baby needs, but what if you only want enough milk for SOME feeds. Or will it simply dry up without feeding or expressing every few hours ???

Thoughts and experiences please ??

 

[hayes]

Hey hun my lo is 6wks old n for 10 days I bf totally then introduced the bottle as he needed it as not putting on weight but carried on bf aswell and he took to both fine and went betwhen both no probs. However sum babies do get nipple confusion and then wen on bottle don't want to latch back onto boob. I also hated the thought of the expressing for fear if looking like a cow n it wasn't that bad wen I tried it. I got a Hand pump n found that ok so expressed bf n bottle fwd all at once n my lo was fine. IN the end tho i went onto bottle all the time by slowly cutting our the boob n then phased out the expressed bottles too so that my boobs drying up wasn't so bad. Hope sum of that helps.

Michelle.x

 

[BevG]

its totally possible but id advise to bf for as long as possible to start with to build up supply, once supply is established you can go half and half but its such a faff if you dont have to id not bother, it can be useful to give lo a bottle now and then and expressing is a chore but its still much easier to bf. the first 6 weeks are the hardest so if you can get thru those your usually home free. i combi fed my dd1 from 5 days old til a week after her first birthday, your body finds a level as long as you keep giving boob as well as bottles you should keep producing enough milk to do those boob feeds