Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't....

[SenoraPostrophe]

...replace ds's mid-morning "feed" (in inverted commas because it's currently several feeds) with formula at 16 weeks?

My original plan was to exclusively breastfeed until close to 6 months, but my mat leave runs out on Monday ( ) and I'm finding it very hard to actually get work done. I have been working a couple of days a week for the last few weeks and expressing, but I never seem to be able to express quite enough. Having one ff a day would decrease stress greatly and (hopefully) help to get him into something of a routine.

...or does anyone have any tips on getting lots of expressed milk even though baby feeds at different times every day?

[mears]

Try expressing small amounts off at a time rather than a whole feed. Whenevr the babe is sleeping, express off an ounce or two. If you do it quite frequently over the next few days you will be amazed at how quickly it mounts up. I never got the hang of expressing after a feed because I didn't get very much. I expressed before feeds when my breasts were fuller. Expressing is never as efficient as a baby feeding so even when dd wanted fed just after expressing, there was still plenty of milk for her. I expressed to the Specail Care Baby Unit so I expressed throughout the day at various intervals. I always expressed before I went to bed as well. Once you have a stock you can replace it by expressing at work to replace it. I personally did not want to give any of my babies formula at all.
I realise that is not everyone's cup of tea. If that is too much hassle, then give formula if that helps you continue feeding for longer. Well done you for having exclusively fed for so long. Gols star award

[SenoraPostrophe]

Thanks mears.

Only thing is, 1-2 ounces is my absolute max. express! I expressed an ounce earlier and ds has been grizzly/sleepy all day (and hasn't had a proper long sleep). And come to think of it, he's always like that when I express in the day - I think he finds it too much like hard work when the easy bit has already been done, IYSWIM. (he's slightly tongue-tied, but the doc said he didn't think it was enough to cause a problem)

So my new plan is to use what I've expressed today, plus a little formula tomorrow, but I'll express when he would have had a feed anyway. But to stick with bf the rest of the time.

[mears]

1-2 oz is fine though. Just do it a few times a day if you can. I kept what I expressed in the fridge for up to 24 hours then froze it as a complete feed. I froze it in batches of 2 or 4 oz so that none was wasted. Sounds as though you can manage those amounts. Well done

[Heathcliffscathy]

Senora, I mixed feed and have been doing it since three and a half months. It is working really really well for me. I do 3 breast feeds and one formula feed per day. I never really got good at expressing and like you could only do a couple of ounces at a time. I know i could have persevered and it would have got better, but i was so knackered and trying to express was becoming a really stressful experience. I started him on a bottle of formula a day and we have never looked back. I now feel as if I can go on breastfeeding for as long as we both want (and will be lead by him). I don't feel as psychologically tied to ds, which actually makes me feel more able to be with him if that makes any sense at all. I also have the satisfaction of nursing him (with all the joy that brings) plus the satisfaction of seeing the amount he takes a one feed (which is v reassuring....silly but true). I'd be interested to hear if there is any disadvantage to doing this (mears?). Am I negating the benefits of b/feeding by giving some formula? If not, why isn't this encouraged more? I feel that it would mean that more women breastfed for longer. hth senora: go for it, you'll never look back!

[Heathcliffscathy]

ds is 6 months old btw

[tamum]

I'm really hesitant about suggesting this in case it's bad advice, but I always expressed from one side while ds fed from the other, first thing in the morning. I got loads more that way than when he wasn't feeding. I realise it might mean your ds would miss out on the second side a bit, but it's worth a try, I'd have thought. I used to get about 4 times as much doing this. Right, standing by to find out from mears if this is dodgy advice

[SenoraPostrophe]

Thanks sophable.

That's very reassuring. The reason I'm so worried is that I mix-fed dd at this age and it quickly led to a decline in breast milk - I stopped at about 5 months. But I think the thing I was doing wrong was giving the odd formula feed at different times (and when we came here house hunting, 2 or 3 in a row) I managed to restore my supply, but then we moved house and I didn't have time.

But as he's my second I have the advantage of generally knowing that he's getting enough (was v paranoid about that with dd! ).

I'm seriously tempted to give formula at night too as we've had two very bad nights in a row now, but I'll persevere for a bit longer.

[Heathcliffscathy]

i've been mixed feeding for 2 1/2 months now. i was worried about milk supply dwindling, but as i always breastfeed him at the same time each day, i seem to be avoiding it (very clever things breasts). go with what you feel in your gut...try to ignore anything else

[elliott]

senora, I have the same experience expressing as you - 1-2oz max unless its a very good day. I do as mears did, do several sessions throughout the day and at the end of 24 hours freeze it - I can usually manage a 4-5oz bag that way. I also do what tamum does - express the opposite side first thing while ds2 is feeding. Becuase the expressing is so inefficient there's always stacks left for ds2
Like you I am very wary of mixed feeding as I feel that's what led to the end of bf with ds1. I know lots of people manage it but some don't - and I'm still convinced that even this time around I need to be very careful about anything that will diminish my supply - it still seems rather marginal.
I'm also back to work soon (3days/wk) and I'm aiming to give one bottle a day midmorning - ebm for as long as I can keep it up, then it will have to be formula. I'm going to keep bf in the afternoon though as I think that's my best chance of keeping it all going - making sure I don't go all day without a feed. Good luck!

[SenoraPostrophe]

tamum - didn't see your message.

Sounds like a good idea, except we still don't have a "breakfast" feed as such most days. He wakes up in the night at shorter and shorter intervals until he's awake IYSWIM. This is partly why I'm so tempted to just give some formula.

He also won't take a bottle, which doesn't help, but we've been sort of squirting it into his mouth, which works some days and not others.

[aloha]

Poor you. I do know how you feel. I mixed fed ds very successfully for over a year - ie still had plenty of breastmilk when I needed it. HOwever, formula didn't improve his sleeping at all - I know, you don't want to hear that. I really wish it had. I think you need to do whatever would make you feel less stressed now - be that continuing to breastfeed if giving you formula makes you stressed or giving him formula - which isn't poison! Going back to work is a tough, emotional time sometimes and you need to cut yourself some slack IMO. Good luck.

[bluebear]

Hello SP, I tried to mix feed my ds and ended up with no breastmilk very quickly..I'm going back to work soon and even if I express from one side whilst feeding on the other (the only way to express successfully in my book) I wouldn't produce enough for dd so this time I have been careful to offer a bottle at the same time each day..and after my boobs had adjusted to the loss of that feed..I offered a second bottle at a later time..now dd is breastfed morning, bedtime, and 11pm ish (and middle of night if she wake and needs comfort), and bottlefed 11am,3pm and sometime 5pm if she hasn't taken much.
She was also very anti-bottle and I was having to use a cup to feed her -very messy!..then I tried the Playtex bottles..fantastic but embarrassingly realistic teat with a 'nipple' that elongates when sucked...she'll take formula from these without too much fuss.
Hope this helps, and good luck.

[kagsie]

I introduced one bottle a day at about 16 weeks after desperately trying to express enough to do a daily bottle for weeks. I did exactly as Tamum and expresssed first thing in the moring whilst feeding but what a grind! DD is coming up to 9 months, still has a bottle mid afternoon and I have continued to feed her morning and night. I have no problem with offering formula feed - it helped to bring in dh and gave me a little flexibility. My only thought now is whether I needed bother with the bottle and gone straight to the cup as I have a devil of a time getting her to take water, juice, milk anything from a cup (spout or no spout!)