Mix of breast and bottle??

[Angelface]

Was in work yesterday, speaking to a customer and we got onto the subject of breast feeding, she said she breast fed and bottlefed, just 1 bottle a day, i didnt know if this is a good thing or not?
She did say when it came to weening her baby off the boob it was soo much easier.

Any ideas??
Could it cause confusion??

i kinda like this idea as it gives my OH a chance to feed LO too!

 

[claire1983]

I wouldnt recommend this until breastfeeding is established (about 6 weeks) This is because your baby will need to milk your breast as much as possible to enable a good milk supply. Also sucking a teat is very different to sucking a nipple and it will confuse your baby. If you want to BF I strongly suggest exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first 6 weeks then maybe try expressing and giving that in a bottle if you want your family to get involved as that way it wont interfere with your supply. - Hope this helps.

 

[sam's mum]

It is possible and lots of people do it. Your breasts make as much milk as your baby needs, so if you'e replacing one feed with a bottle every day, you'll just make that much less milk. I was advised to wait 4 weeks before trying Sam with a bottle of expressed milk because by then breastfeeding has been established and they're unlikely to get confused - as they suck differently on a bottle (but no later than 6 weeks as the later you introduce it the more likely they are to refuse a bottle) x

 

[Whisper]

As the other girls have said but i just wanted to add that you need to give the bottle at the same time of day every day that way it won't interfere with your supply. My HV suggested the last night time feed say about 10/11pm....

 

[Rayven]

Same advice here really hun, just make sure if you are including a bottle that you replace the same feed everyday with a bottle so it doesn't interfere with your milk supply. You could always express that feed to keep your milk supply in.
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[reallytinyamy]

There are a lot of us on here that mix, you just need to get the timings right

 

[Serene123]

If you want to breast feed don't do it. You will be so upset when your baby favours the bottle. Trust me, been there. It has taken so much hard work, and so many downfalls to get to where we are now (breast feeding!) and I would seriously not recommend ANYONE giving their baby a bottle if they're intent on breast feeding and can stick at it!

 

[leedsforever]

If you want to breast feed don't do it. You will be so upset when your baby favours the bottle. Trust me, been there. It has taken so much hard work, and so many downfalls to get to where we are now (breast feeding!) and I would seriously not recommend ANYONE giving their baby a bottle if they're intent on breast feeding and can stick at it!

I agree.... especially in the first 6 weeks or so!! Its been prooven babies favour bottles... and courtney has completely given up with me now!! She likes her milk fast and easy... she dont want to work for it!! She doesnt even turn her head to me anymore! Last time she fed from me was friday! And she was on me forever!! I think once bf-ing has been eastablished formula for night feeds and social events works for some ppl!!

 

[ryder]

Lots of people here and that I know are very successful at mixing feeds right from birth... It depends entirely on the individual and the baby. No one is the same. The only concern the baby has is getting fed, and depending on how easy-going the baby is, or how difficult, this goes into play with mixing feeds etc.

Alot of people breastfeed for different reasons, and many people mix for different reasons. Going out socially, they want their OH to feed etc...

Whatever you choose to do you have to be prepared to give it your all and really want to do it.

 

[Serene123]

^ That's true, I can't disagree, I gave in and gave her a bottle.

All I'm saying is, babies are different. Caitlyn could have downright refused the breast after she had a taste of the easy bottle feeding, but I was lucky. Not everyone is that lucky and all I suggest is if you want to breast feed you don't give them a bottle unless it's absolutely necessary!

 

[mummyoffive]

bottle feeding is not advised whilst breastfeeding for at least the first 6 weeks. The milk (if not expressed) is totally different taste and consistency to breast milk.

If you really want your OH to have a go etc then you could have a go at expressing and feeding baby from a cup?

A tiny cup is used to feed baby expressed milk (OH can do it) and it is often a great method for when baby is hungry and having problems getting the hang of brestfeeding. Just a suggestion, but I have seen it done many times and if you are intent on breatsfeeding could be a great help.

Good luck xx

 

[Ann-Marie]

^^ Or use a syringe

From personal experience, Mia having sucked from a teet is the worst thing that happened for us. She's totally lost the knowlegde of how to feed from me now, and kneads my nipple with her gums, the same way as she has to do on a bottle, and it is agonisingly painful !!!

Good Luck

 

[vippymini]

as mentioned in a previous post i dont allow them a bottle till after 6 weeks , but now with my baby girl shes happy to go either way, if im in all day and not overly busy shes solids and breast fed, if ive got to go out first thing ill take a bottle till i get home or if she stirs while im doing dinner she have a bottle. i know at the weekend were going on quite a long drive so she have a bottle for the car .

 

[Heather.78]

I got it all wrong from day and am now paying the price tired and knackered after giving birth and hearing my baby screaming for hours I asked for a bottle, however once back in the comfort of my own home Ive been slowly working on getting my milk supply up so I can just give breast milk istead of 1/2 and 1/2 not an easy task but Im lucky she will also latch on my breast, except when screaming the house down. If you can breastfeed then do it and if you cant dont worry about it

 

[ExcitedMum2Be]

i think it is different for everyone and it can work perfectly, yet for someone else it can totally mess up bf'ing. i feed my baby boy a bottle 2 evenings a week when i am at college as my husband needs to be able to feed him if he is hungry while i am away for 3 hours. if i get the time i try to express as much milk that morning, but most of the time i will get so sore from expressing and will get barely half a feed that we give him cow and gate formula. so monday and tuesday evenings he has 1 feed from formula... and if he doesnt get hungry while im away he gets boob instead once i get home. my supply is never too low to feed him when he is hungry. but if i manage to express a full feed then that night or the next day the boob i expressed from will be rock hard and huge as it thinks baby is eating more and trys to accommadate for that lol.

all i can suggest is that maybe you try baby on 1oz of formula (if you really really want to give formula as mixed feeds) and this is only if baby is over 6 weeks. and then put baby on the boob for the rest of the feed. then the next time try 2oz and then on boob... and so on. thats how i did it with jaiden, but that doesnt mean it will work for everyone else. i just found it worked as it gradually introduced him to the bottle.

he can now drink from a dr browns bottle anytime i decide to give it him, and then bf again when offered. but the most he has a bottle in a week is 3-4 times.

sorry its so long, and i hope you can understand what i am meaning by it. im rubbish at explaining myself. do what you feel is right. everyone is different. and if he starts to reject the breast from the bottle it can be corrected... but it does take alot of hard work to correct. jaiden rejected the breast at 5 weeks old because i introduced a tommie tippie bottle. he just doesnt like them. but after trying dr browns bottles hes happy again x