combining breast&bottle

[madmish]

does anyone here combine feeding?
i have been considering giving jamie formula during the day(probably around 2 feeds would be what he'd need) and keeping his night and early morning feeds as breast.i have been expressing,but to be honest,i am struggling to find time to do it.
i was just wondering what milk you reccomend to do this if you combine feed?. thanks in advance ladies.

 

[Melly+2]

i would try not to hun coz your milk suply will be lessened, its up to you though xx

 

[SarahH]

I did formula through the night and breast through the day to start with. I used SMA Gold.

S. xx

 

[madmish]

I did formula through the night and breast through the day to start with. I used SMA Gold.

S. xx

hi, what age did you start combining,and how did she take to it?
thanks.x

 

[SarahH]

I started straight away as I was having so much trouble breast feeding and didnt want the pain and tears through the night!

In the end I started expressing for day feeds and formula for night at about 3wks and then went on to exclusive formula at 16(ish) weeks.

She was fine about it... Never had any problems.

S. xx

 

[madmish]

i would try not to hun coz your milk suply will be lessened, its up to you though xx

i realise this, but that's fine with me, i am glad i got this far with breastfeeding,i didn't think i'd do so long,my other 3 were bottlefed after about 2 weeks.but i feel that i'd like to combine to take some of the pressure off me, i basically do everything for all 4 of my children, my hubby is not very domesticated, lol! but i know that he can handle giving a baby a bottle, he's done it 3 times before. at least this way i will beable to get some time to myself and relax!!-A happy and relaxed mummy=happy and relaxed children!!(i hope!!)

 

[madmish]

I started straight away as I was having so much trouble breast feeding and didnt want the pain and tears through the night!

In the end I started expressing for day feeds and formula for night at about 3wks and then went on to exclusive formula at 16(ish) weeks.

She was fine about it... Never had any problems.



that's great, thanks for the advice.x

S. xx

 

[budge]

i have never combine fed but im sure at this stage you would be ok to do so. Loads of women combine feed and find it ok so im sure you'll be fine
check with health visitor if you're unsure

 

[Em78]

i started with one bottle of forumla for bedtime feed at about 3 motnhs i think. i was having trouble pumoing one day (i used to express this feed so dh could feed lo) so thought we would just give him the carton we had for emergancies and he didnt bat an eyelid! made me think twice about all that expressing to get one bottle of breast milk when he couldnt give two hoots if he had formula!

i combined till about a month after i went back to work (he was obvioulsy having more forumla then whil i was out) and then i had to switch totally to formula as my supply dwindled.

we used apitmal as its supposed to be the closest to breast milk. as he got older )7/8 months then i confess we just used whatever was on offer/ in stock in the local shops etc and he never seems to notice any difference!

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[rusks]

i combine fed luke from day 1 as my milk took ages to come in.

i express as much as i can and then top him up with the bottle (sma Gold) i know what you mean though expressing is so time consuming, i will keep it up for the time being but then i will go to exclusively bottle feeding, and i won't feel guilty for it cos i know i gave luke the best start i could and that plenty of formula fed babies do as well as breast fed babies.

good luck with it xx

 

[babyjay1]

I'm in a simular situation really and would love some advise. My little boy seems to feed constantly during the day. When i express it takes me ages to even get 2oz. I'm obviously not producing enough milk so i was thinking of giving him a formula feed at around 2pm and continue breastfeeding the rest as normal. I realise my milk will reduce if i skip feeds so i would just express a little in the afternoon. Really just want the best for my LO, any suggestions?

 

[Tasha20]

I'm in a simular situation really and would love some advise. My little boy seems to feed constantly during the day. When i express it takes me ages to even get 2oz. I'm obviously not producing enough milk so i was thinking of giving him a formula feed at around 2pm and continue breastfeeding the rest as normal. I realise my milk will reduce if i skip feeds so i would just express a little in the afternoon. Really just want the best for my LO, any suggestions?

I used to find expressing very difficult and have been doing it on and off sinse Olivia was 3 weeks old.

I used to only get 2oz just like you if I was lucky, but now I can get 4/5 oz in 10 mins! just stick to a time ( in the morning prefrebly ) and do it for 25mins everyday.

Olivia still feeds, every 40 mins to 2 hours a day and it feels pretty constant but when shes on solids it will be alot easier, its just perservering and getting on with it Everyday I look at my little girl and look at how cute her chunky legs are and think WOW ive fed my little girl exclusivley and was able to do that for her Im so proud of myself

Its nothing to do with your milk supply hun as to why he feeds so often its just what some breastfed babies do, not all but mine certainly does! try increasing your calorie intake and drinking plenty of fluids.

Also try some Fenugreek which you can get from holland and barrett, it worked for me and my supply was up within a week, which helps when they are going thru a growth spurt.

Dont give up your doing great

 

[babyjay1]

Thanks Tasha that does make me fel better I'm already taking Fenugreek and i haven't noticed a huge difference. I'll do the expressing thing you mentioned and see how i get on with that. I just feel as though all i'm doing is sitting down with my boobs out all day Hows your LO sleeping at night, how many times does she wake up for feeds ect.?

 

[Tasha20]

Thanks Tasha that does make me fel better I'm already taking Fenugreek and i haven't noticed a huge difference. I'll do the expressing thing you mentioned and see how i get on with that. I just feel as though all i'm doing is sitting down with my boobs out all day Hows your LO sleeping at night, how many times does she wake up for feeds ect.?

lol yes it does feel like your sitting with your boobs out all day

Yes try the expressing it seemed to work for me that way

Well it varys really, she doesnt actualy sleep until about midnight and will then wake sometimes 3 times a night or once a night, I try and get her to space her feeds out during the day so that when she does feed its for longer and then in the evening she will cluster feed, so she goes longer at night, but it doesnt always work that way unfortunatly

All I think about is how much good this is doing for my bubba and that by 6 months it will be so much easier, its not that far away and they are only babies for a short while, just enjoy it

pm me whenever you need some advice, sorry to take your post over madmish

 

[madmish]

haha, you are welcome to contribute to this post, that's what i wanted!!

well, i decided to give it a go with the mixed feeding, and it is going great. i give jamie aptamil(blue box) around 5pm then again around 10-11pm and breast feed him the rest of the time. he is sleeping better and seems alot calmer too. i am a bit dissapointed with my self 'cos i did want to breastfeed jamie exclusivley for at least 6 months, but to be honest i didn't think i'd get this far!!!

thanks for your advice girlies!!

MMxx
p.s, just out of interest how much do your babies take per feed? jamie takes 7-8oz, is that normal?

 

[Misslarue]

I've combined fed from day one as Daniel didn't have a good sucking reflex (4 weeks prem). I breastfeed and then top up with sma gold, although for the first 4-5 weeks I alternate between bottle and breast. To keep your milk up, (as explained to me very sternly by the lovely ladies at the breastfeeding clinic! ) you should be expressing at least 8-10 times a day for around 10-15 mins (once at night).
Good luck

 

[Tasha20]

i am a bit dissapointed with my self 'cos i did want to breastfeed jamie exclusivley for at least 6 months, but to be honest i didn't think i'd get this far!!!

Youve done very well hunny its hard work dont beat yourself up, youve done what you think is best for you and your baby

 

[babyjay1]

i am a bit dissapointed with my self 'cos i did want to breastfeed jamie exclusivley for at least 6 months, but to be honest i didn't think i'd get this far!!!

Youve done very well hunny its hard work dont beat yourself up, youve done what you think is best for you and your baby

I totally agree, you have done really well I do understand what you mean though, i'm gonna give this expressing a chance to see if it gets better and then make some decisions i think!