Can you bottle and breast feed??

[suzzi]

Im a bit at odds and ends over the breastfeeding thing, im going to bottle feed as breast feeding dosent appeal to me and to be fair id be soooo self consious doing it where anyone could see me.

So my question is can you feed formula and breast milk? as i was thinking of getting a breast pump and expressing so baby gets some breast milk.

 

[LaurenMM]

Hi hun, I really wanna breastfeed but I dont wanna do it in public lol my MW said I could breastfeed and express it so I could take bottles with me when I go out and breastfeed when I'm at home. Not sure about formula and breastmilk though hun sorry x

 

[Sarah13]

I think you can but it might be best and easiest for you just to go down one route. Formula tastes different, think it's sweeter so baby might then refuse breast milk. Maybe try breast feeding for a couple days in privacy so baby gets the colustrum stuff then swap over to bottle and formula if you still want to. I don't want to feed in front of people either, I did with my daughter but my boobs are so gross now I'm old I couldn't handle the embarrassment of anyone getting a glimpse of them! I shall express as well though but not planning on using formula if I can help it.

 

[Geminiblue]

..there is always nipple confusion as well. Its a different sucking action from nipple to teat on a bottle. Some take to it some dont. I expressed and breast fed and towards the end did one bottle of formula at night..see what your HV suggests and see how your little one gets one its a hard one to call when they're not actually born yet and you dont know their behaviour or how theyre going to react. Some babies just dont like milk either so its a toughie xxx

 

[Hemera]

my friend recommended giving formula at night as its heavier in their stomachs so they should sleep for longer, but I would give breast milk for the first few weeks as their tummys are tiny and because formula is heavier it will stretch their tummys out which means you might not be able to produce enough breast milk to satisfy them if you mix the two early on. Wait until you're making lots of milk

 

[DW1978]

Yes you can, my friend is doing both with her newborn at the moment x

 

[Sw888]

When my dd was newly born I was recommended to wait until she was at least 6 weeks old and breastfeeding was "established" before trying to introduce a bottle. I really struggled with bf in public until a health visitor recommended a breastfeeding cover. I bought one on her recommendation and it was brilliant, it came everywhere with me and I didn't have to bother with expensive nursing tops or vests. You can see them online, brands include bebe au lait, baby bubu and a much cheaper option but with the same functionality is Peekabooboo which you'll find if you google Peekabooboo + breastfeeding

You may find expressing before you go out each time quite time consuming and you won't need to do that if you have the confidence of feeding in public with a cover on. Also breastfeeding is fab for helping to get you back towards your pre pregnancy shape! Good luck!

 

[nikki8092]

Hi hun, I solely breastfed my daughter but with my son i used both methods as he was always hungry and sometimes i couldnt keep up. Didnt bother him in the slightest x