Combination Feeding - Formula and Expressed Milk?

[Noelle610]

Hi ladies - hope you're all doing well on this Monday.

I'm considering combination feeding and I wanted to know if anyone had successfully done this.

Some background: my little girl lost more than her normal amount of body weight the week after birth and had some jaundice. As a result, we had to suppliment her breast-feedings with formula. She's already familiar with the bottle. While I welcome opinions, please don't tell me that I should not have supplimented to get her weight up - I will not go against my well-respected pediatricians suggestions.

I'm having a terrible time breastfeeding. It's so stressful that I dread it. It doesn't hurt, it's an emotional thing really. Before getting pregnant I suffered from severe anxiety. I had been on medication for about ten years prior to my BFP and then I went off of it. I did really well during pregnancy, but I found breastfeeding has brought back a lot of these feels of fear and inadequency. Everyone talks about how easy it is in contrast to formula feeding, but if you have a screaming child that refuses to latch and a mom who is constantly crying because she can't feed her child... well, I'd rather prepare a bottle.

I was thinking I could pump (I'm currently doing that to get my supply up) and alternate between bottles of breast milk and formula. I truly don't mind pumping. Yes, it's time consuming, but so is having a baby and trying to breastfeed/soothe. I want to get breast milk in my baby, but the panic of trying to put her to breast is so consuming for me right now that I don't think it's making me the best mom I can be. I feel completely bonded to her - we do skin to skin and cosleep from time to time. I don't think a bottle will change that.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on if this might be possible. xo

 

[Lollipopbop]

Well we're kind of in the same situation. I really wanted to BF but my LO just wouldn't latch and it was getting so emotional watching him scream out in hunger so we've supplemented with formula. I'm also pumping and giving him my breast milk, I haven't completely given up on breast feeding but this is working for us at the moment and he's so much happier. I was beside myself for the first couple of days, crying and feeling guilty and so tired and it was awful.

Just do what you feel most comfortable with. I'm new to FF too as I really thought BF would be easy
Just relax and feed your daughter bottles, breast or both.. it's up to you and she'll be healthy and close with you no matter what

 

[Noelle610]

Well we're kind of in the same situation. I really wanted to BF but my LO just wouldn't latch and it was getting so emotional watching him scream out in hunger so we've supplemented with formula. I'm also pumping and giving him my breast milk, I haven't completely given up on breast feeding but this is working for us at the moment and he's so much happier. I was beside myself for the first couple of days, crying and feeling guilty and so tired and it was awful.

Just do what you feel most comfortable with. I'm new to FF too as I really thought BF would be easy
Just relax and feed your daughter bottles, breast or both.. it's up to you and she'll be healthy and close with you no matter what

Thank you! It helps to hear about someone in the same situation. Isn't it crazy that we have all of these preconceived notions about what it will be like to be moms? It's such an adjustment. I totally relate to the crying and guilt.

 

[Emzywemzy]

Im doing this I was finding exclusively bfing too demanding as Evie wanted to feed all the time and never seemed satisfied. So now I pump every 3 hours and she has alternate expressed breast milk and formula bottles. She's much happier for it and so am I! I've found my supply has dropped a little since stopping bfing but I'm trying to stick with 3 hourly expressing to keep it up.

I was in a similar situation when my first dd was born, she was jaundiced and a poor feeder and lost lots of weight, so the doctors recommended topping up with formula. Unfortunately I was unable to express, I think because she had never encouraged much of a milk supply in the first place, so I ended up exclusively ffing. But this time, I have more milk so its working out well for us

 

[Lucia]

I am BFing and also giving my LO formula and expressed breastmilk. He seems okay and hasn't exhibited any "nipple confusion". I REALLY struggled with guilt over not BFing him exclusively for weeks, but it got to the point that I was miserable and he wasn't getting enough. I feel so much better now.

Just do what works for you and your LO.

 

[sweetpeaxo]

I'm currently going through the same thing. I tried breastfeeding, but my son would just not want to latch and when he would, it was SO painful for me. He'd pull away and cry, then I would cry. I felt horrible that I couldn't master something that should be natural.

I had been pumping and giving him bottles. But unfortunately my b/m isn't rich enough in nutrients for him he still weighs what he did when I brought him home from the hospital so, now I'm 100% doing formula.

I feel like a failure in a way, but at the same time he is so much more content and I'm more content my Dr also suggested doing b/m and adding a little formula to it to bulk him up, but I gave up on pumping and now I'm trying to dry up my b/m. And boy does it hurt

 

[Noelle610]

I'm currently going through the same thing. I tried breastfeeding, but my son would just not want to latch and when he would, it was SO painful for me. He'd pull away and cry, then I would cry. I felt horrible that I couldn't master something that should be natural.

I had been pumping and giving him bottles. But unfortunately my b/m isn't rich enough in nutrients for him he still weighs what he did when I brought him home from the hospital so, now I'm 100% doing formula.

I feel like a failure in a way, but at the same time he is so much more content and I'm more content my Dr also suggested doing b/m and adding a little formula to it to bulk him up, but I gave up on pumping and now I'm trying to dry up my b/m. And boy does it hurt

thanks for sharing your experience! You are NOT a failure. You're doing what's best for your LO.

 

[StranjeGirl]

BFing is only easier later on, after you go through the beginning hell!! I was in a similar spot as baby lost weight and I wasn't making a lot of milk. I was also stressed as we were packing up to move when she was 3 weeks old. After a week I started supplementing and then tried to only pump for a while as I had some blocked glands that hurt so badly. Unfortunately my body didn't respond well to the pump (it obviously didn't realize how much I had paid for the dang thing!!!) LO also just didn't want to latch and feed. I would get her on and she would fall asleep. The day of moving I wasn't able to pump at all or nurse and when we got to our new place it was so difficult as work was being done and I had no privacy..and I needed a breast pillow, nipple shield etc..I wasn't like one of those pros who stick the baby under the shirt and things seem to be just fine. Anyway, even with lactation consultants and supplements my milk still dwindled. All of a sudden LO wanted to latch again and I thought I could at least feed her 2-3 times a day (and I was still pumping but only getting half and ounce sometimes after 20 min on each breast...sometimes even less) Then at 7 weeks she would not latch anymore and would totally scream. I think my supply had dwindled more. It took two weeks for my milk to even come in so that didn't help. ANyway, now I'm exclusively FF and although I wish I was exclusively BFing, my life is so much easier and LO is so much happier! My pediatrician said he'd rather see a happy FF mom then an unhappy BF mom. I think combi feeding works really well when you have enough supply. I have friends who did it with no problem. Just know that BFing is known to be very difficult. I know very few people that it came easy for. For most it was hell, and many had to give it up. Some ended up with their babies in the hospital because instead of listening to their doctors they listened to pro-breastfeeders who said not to supplement. I'd much rather supplement than have my poor baby starving and dehydrated. Anyway, congrats on your new addition and do what works best for your family with no regrets! Your LO will thrive whether it is breast milk, formula or both!

 

[jenn2282]

i combo feed. i pump cause she had issues but i don't make enough she gets 2-3 fomula bottles and 7 breast milk bottles a day.

 

[Mrsmitch80]

I'm in the same boat combi feeding. I try to pump but with a toddler it's really difficult to pump every few hours and give bottles!!

If I catch my lo before she's too hungry I put her on my breast, sometimes that's enough but mostly she needs an ounce or so of formula on top. If she's screaming with hunger I give a bottle first then when she's not so hungry I put her on the breast for the rest. This is working for us, I have poor supply but fenugreek is helping.

I know my milk may dry up doing this but I'll continue for as long as I can xx

 

[Wannabeam]

Just wanted to say thanks to the ladies who shared their experiences in this thread. This is something I intend to do once I give birth as I really want to use my own milk as much as possible but don't feel confortable putting baby to breast due to personal anxiety issues. I was sooo worried about combo feeding not working or not being possible, but now I see that whatever approach I take all will be fine and I am no longer stressed. So thanks ladies

 

[Noelle610]

BFing is only easier later on, after you go through the beginning hell!! I was in a similar spot as baby lost weight and I wasn't making a lot of milk. I was also stressed as we were packing up to move when she was 3 weeks old. After a week I started supplementing and then tried to only pump for a while as I had some blocked glands that hurt so badly. Unfortunately my body didn't respond well to the pump (it obviously didn't realize how much I had paid for the dang thing!!!) LO also just didn't want to latch and feed. I would get her on and she would fall asleep. The day of moving I wasn't able to pump at all or nurse and when we got to our new place it was so difficult as work was being done and I had no privacy..and I needed a breast pillow, nipple shield etc..I wasn't like one of those pros who stick the baby under the shirt and things seem to be just fine. Anyway, even with lactation consultants and supplements my milk still dwindled. All of a sudden LO wanted to latch again and I thought I could at least feed her 2-3 times a day (and I was still pumping but only getting half and ounce sometimes after 20 min on each breast...sometimes even less) Then at 7 weeks she would not latch anymore and would totally scream. I think my supply had dwindled more. It took two weeks for my milk to even come in so that didn't help. ANyway, now I'm exclusively FF and although I wish I was exclusively BFing, my life is so much easier and LO is so much happier! My pediatrician said he'd rather see a happy FF mom then an unhappy BF mom. I think combi feeding works really well when you have enough supply. I have friends who did it with no problem. Just know that BFing is known to be very difficult. I know very few people that it came easy for. For most it was hell, and many had to give it up. Some ended up with their babies in the hospital because instead of listening to their doctors they listened to pro-breastfeeders who said not to supplement. I'd much rather supplement than have my poor baby starving and dehydrated. Anyway, congrats on your new addition and do what works best for your family with no regrets! Your LO will thrive whether it is breast milk, formula or both!

Yup, I totally understand where you are coming from! I'm not a breastfeeding pro either... my LO needs the pillow and nipple shield for us to get anywhere. It's certainly not easy for me or Charlotte.