To ask how to combi feed?

[SexPeopleLynn]

Sorry, infant feeding has little traffic and I'd love some advice please

My DS is 5 days old and I had originally planned FF like his brother. But I've attempted BF and decided I would like to mix them.

He seems very much at ease with switching from breast to bottle but I don't really know the right way of doing this!

Do you alternate feeds between FF and BF? Or do you mix each feed and start with one and end with the other and if so, which way around?

I'm sure there isn't a 'right' answer but I'd love experiences of what worked best as I feel a little bit all over the place with it at the moment!

Thanks so much

Its best if you want to keep breast feeding that you limit formula as at 5 days your milk would have only just come in, and it's realy important to feed as much as possible from the breast to increase supply, best to just breast feed for at least 3 weeks as your baby will have many growth spurts in that time that are all ment to increase milk production, however if you choose to add formula into the mix now regularly it's best to keep it to the same time each day, best avoided between the hours of 1am and 4 am as this is when your milk hormone is highest. Also you will have the most milk in the morning so not the first feeding of the day as the more milk baby takes out the more your body will make for the next feeding. I'd suggest afternoon evening feed, and to pump the missed feed. But it is best to not combine feed for the first 12 weeks so your supply is established. Good luck with what you choose to do.

Oh and congrats on your new baby

I've accidentally been combi feeding my 8 month old as with his tongue tie we just had a really bad start to BF and my supply never caught up

I have been giving DS a bottle (either formula or expressed milk) at specific points in the day, then topping up with BF on demand, for nap time, and exclusively BF at night. DH gives him a bottle just before bed time so I can relax a bit before nights, then he gets one when he wakes up in the morning, and he now gets one after each nap as he's on two naps, but when he was younger it was around every 4 hours, so 4 bottles a day.

One thing I didn't realise was to not change the bottle teat size, as it can cause bottle preference. So he's still on mam size 1 teats, which are for 0-2 months. He should have stayed on size 0 but I'd already progressed him before I realised. When he went onto the 2s briefly he kept choking on the milk.

I would suggest not mixing bottle and breast feeds in the same feed - one perk of breastfeeding is no bottles to clean up after! - but going boob first will help maintain your supply. I have done occasional post-formula BF top ups just to save having to make more formula when he's been extra hungry though.

I breastfed when it was easy/convenient (I was very nervous about breastfeeding when out and about) but FF when breastfeeding wasn't convenient and for the bedtime feed.

I combined fed my first baby no issue from day 1. I didn't really have a plan, I was just struggling a lot so my husband would give him formula when needed and I breastfed when I could. Second baby, I struggled as I was so exhausted so my husband gave formula in the morning was the first week, then we switched to fully BF as it was handier.

Some people I know have breast at home and formula when out, or just formula at bed. I don't think there needs to be this specific plan just what works well for you and baby.

Mine was a mixed feeder due to prematurity - to start off with she was tube fed and I couldn't express enough, and then she was a fairly slow feeder so didn't get quite enough on each feed, so we topped up with formula.

They advised starting each feed with a breast feed because that meant the breast milk would line the gut, so if you're able to offer breast at each feed then doing that first is best.

Your milk supply still needs to be regulated by your baby’s needs so I’d persevere with it. He’s only 5 days old 🙂

I did mixed feeds with both of mine. I didn’t have enough milk with first and for second I FF in the evening hoping for a bit more uninterrupted sleep.

No regrets here, no preaching,whatever works for you and your child.

I don’t miss cracked nipples but I miss the snuggles and bonding when I felt “connected” with my boys when feeding.

I'd just breastfeed most of the time then ask your partner to give a bottle for the first night feed so you can sleep.
If breastfeeding is going well what's the point in making bottles during the day.

Thanks all

I really do appreciate all the replies. Just to give some context, I started BF with my first and I found it gave me quite bad anxiety (never, never suffered such feelings before) and I was a bit on the edge of PND. As soon as I switched to FF I felt like a weight was off my shoulders.

I'm in a different place with DS2 but still get slightly panicked when BF: it's not something I overly enjoy like a lot of mums.

But I have found it easier with DS2 and his latch is super so I want to try and give it enough of a go that he gets some from me as well as FF.

So the comments which quite rightly say to let my milk establish and EBF at the moment, I can't quite bring myself to do as it makes me panic. Will this be a problem if I mix from here on and not EBF to start?

I think the nights are the worst so I'm perhaps thinking of trying to mostly BF in the day (especially as DH is here to support) and line up bottles in the night?

OP, when you say anxiety, have you heard of D-MER? I hadn't and I couldn't quite articulate how BF made me feel while I did it. It might be useful to google if you haven't heard if it before, to see if that resonates.

I combi fed from about 4 weeks, and just replaced the bedtime feed with formula that she took from DP, thankfully never had an issue with supply or switching between bottle/breast, and I stopped BF after about 6 months by just replacing one feed at a time.

All that said, she was an easy baby in that we never had any issues with feeding/sleep etc, and unfortunately you don’t know which way it’ll go until you try.

I would do one night feed between 1am&5am if possible op as it's important for your supply x

Like a PP I combi fed from the beginning as DS was in NICU and tube fed at the very start.
I was gradually able to bf, but on the advice of midwives topped up with formula (I had had a bad pg and labour and milk wasn't enough).

Quickly got into the habit of bf most of the time during the day and DH ff at night (very bad sleeper!). Kept up some element of bf until 6 months until I had to go away for a day and Ds didn't really seem to miss it.

@suzieruns Thanks so much for that info. Really interesting read!

I think there are definitely elements that I relate very much to: that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, feelings of dread and worry but not quite sure what you're worried about. But it doesn't stop and starts before I put my son to the breast. And it doesn't happen at all while pumping- I can happily pump for hours and not feel the same.

I did have it with DS1 but I think now I know what it is I can sort of separate it from everything else, know it will happen and it will stop and also know my worries don't translate to real life.

I don't even really know what I dread or worry about, it's just a feeling.

It's very unlike me: I'm not a worrier by nature and quite relaxed about parenting (in that I don't tend to overly compare or get anxious) and try and go with the flow.

I think if I can add some BF into the day and keep night as FF that feels like a good start?

@shouldistop

I would do one night feed between 1am&5am if possible op as it's important for your supply x

Thanks for this. I'll give it a go to add one in.

I know he's only little but at the moment he's only having two feeds over night anyway - but I know from experience this will change!!

I combi fed from very early (5-6 days) due to a hospital stay. At the beginning I did bf first for every feed and also pumped to keep up my supply. Sometimes I used the Haakaa on one breast while feeding from the other. I only did a small amount of formula at a time and did lots of skin to skin, cluster feeding etc. to give my supply a chance.

Once things had got settled I could choose to do bf or ff which was handy at night or out and about if she needed a quick feed to settle or for comfort.

I'd hoped to phase out the formula but it never happened despite all the work, however we combi fed for 8 months which wasn't bad going.

I think trying to feed at similar times will make it more comfortable for you. The last feed and first feed of the day I would definitely breastfeed so you don’t wake up engorged and not able to feed.

Maybe add one bottle each morning after first feed to start with. Then after a week if you want more add another mid afternoon

That way you will roughly be altering

ps I also got the weird nausea thing with letdown - especially when pumping!

I combi fed DS1 from the get go. He had an infection after birth and the hospital told me to and we just carried on. I used to breastfeed first and then finish off with a bottle. He was the hungriest baby my health visitor had come across! I don't think any human woman could have kept him going on boob alone. It worked really well for us and we kept up the boob until he was nearly 8 months.

I did find he wanted to go up teat sizes with bottles as normal though. My youngest is basically EBF and has a bottle if I'm out. I've moved up teat sizes faster with him! He's 6 months and we're on a size 3. It must come flying out of me. Just something to bear in mind that not all breastfed babies like a small teat.

I'd recommend buying the book 'mixed up' by Lucy ruddle too for good, non judgmental info

Currently nursing my 4 month old. Combi fed her older brother no bother from birth - partner gave him his bedtime bottle. Listened to advice this time to hold off for a few weeks to let bf become established etc etc and she won't take a bottle at all. Been trying for weeks using a range of approaches. Plan is to give milk in a sippy cup at 6 months. It's hard. Proud I've managed myself this time but really, really wish I could get a break to spend some one to one time with my boy. Just be mindful if you delay introducing a bottle there's no guarantee baby will take it. Good luck!