Can I breast and formula feed

[gothicmama]

I am expected to go back on my Uni placement approx 4 wks after the birth of my second child . I bf dd and would like to do so again however I had major problems expressing adn was wondering if I could BF and then give formual bottles when I am not there. I have not been able to get any sense from midwife and am getting really worried about whatt I can do meet teh baby's needs but also to meet teh needs of teh rest of family (we live on Student loan so if I cannot return we have no income )

gothic, you need to speak to someone in detail about this. Ring one of the helplines. At four weeks, introducing formula more than just occasonally is likely to reduce your breastmilk supply and it will dwindle - if you are only going to offer say one bottle a day then you might get away with it, but even then there is a risk if you don't express.
It is illegal for anyone to expect you to return to work before 6 weeks after the birth, but whether this law applies to Uni placements I don't know. It bloody well should

I'd defer that university placement if I were you. I think it's insane to expect anyone to do anything 4 weeks after giving birth. I did mixed feed but I think it worked because I would have weekend and day off feeding frenzies with ds if I felt my supply was declining. It soon perked up again. Are you a single parent? Is it impossible for your partner to help out? Do you qualify for any maternity benefits?

Hi gothicmama. In my experience, yes you can, and really don't understand why so many people make out that you have to chose between the 2!! I introduced a bottle to my DS early on (4-6 wkks I think) because he was feeding all the time and I was on the verge of giving up. As long as you drink plenty of water and eat healthily it should not have an effect. I introduced a second nighttime bottle a few weeks later so me and DH could altternate night feeding. Later on I had days where DS was formula fed when I was out and seemed to have little effect. I continued to breast feed until he was 7 months (just mornings and bedtimes for the last month). I personally think it made the transition when I stopped completely easier as DS was already happy taking a bottle (I had friends who really struggled with getting their's to take a bottle at all)

Tracey Hogg Baby Whisperer book is quite useful as she is a big advocate of mixed feeding.

Good Luck!

Oh meant to add that my HV was not v supportive and told me that if I introduced bottles I would "end up switching to formula all together" I can see how this may be her experience as it can be a lot quicker to feed by bottle, but if you are determind to mix feed you can.

I met a lady from Switzerland when I was feeding DS and their HV tell them to mix feed and always advise that formula is given as the 10/11pm feed so that Dad can help out and give Mum a rest (basically what Baby Whisperer says)

Oh meant to add that my HV was not v supportive and told me that if I introduced bottles I would "end up switching to formula all together" I can see how this may be her experience as it can be a lot quicker to feed by bottle, but if you are determind to mix feed you can.

I met a lady from Switzerland when I was feeding DS and their HV tell them to mix feed and always advise that formula is given as the 10/11pm feed so that Dad can help out and give Mum a rest (basically what Baby Whisperer says)

melrose, I'm glad mixed feeding worked well for you, but it's worth noting that:

a) the benefits of breastfeeding (for the baby and the mum) are significantly reduced if you mixed feed.

b) studies show that most women who introduce formula before six weeks, end up stopping breastfeeding earlier than they want to.

NQC I know what you are saying, but at the same time mixed feeding is better than completely formula fed. I have also read that as long as the baby is getting some breast milk every day it still has the same immune-building benefits.

I also can see why inttroducing a bottle can be a slippery slope to completely stopping breat feeding, but if you are determined to continue bf it can work v well imo

thank you for the replies so far I think I wil try to get agreement to go back 2 weeks later.

Havent had time to read whole thread but just wanted to say that for various reasons we started giving a small bottle of formula at around 3 weeks. I continued to breast feed at all times apart from the 8pm-ish feed. I never had any problems and continued to BF for quite a few months.

also agree with idea of deferring going back, even if you do decide to introduce bottle at 4 weeks baby might need some time to adjust to bottle.

Individual experiences will obviously vary, but the more often a bottle is given, the greater the impact on the supply. Many women (not all) can 'get away' with a bedtime bottle for a young baby as long as the baby continues to wake in the night. Many women can appear to get away with reduced breastfeding, only for the supply to hit a crisis point weeks later when the baby wants more. It is absolutely not a question of being 'determined'. If only that's all it took.....

Generally speaking, you risk your milk dwindling to a crisis point where it can be hard to retrieve it without a lot of work and motivation, if you limit breastfeeding in whatever way when the baby is very young. There will be individual exceptions, but the research, the physiology of lactation and the experience of people like me who have spoken to gazillions of mothers all combine to make the picture pretty clear.

Yes, if there is no alternative, from a nutritional point of view some breastmilk is better than none....but the facts about supply are the same.

Ok I think I am going to bite teh bullet and get my head round teh need to express. Last tiem it was a complete disastor and managed about 2 drips. Has anyone any advice

It varies so much from woman to woman. My experience was that on introducing formula in the second week with my first child, my supply did dwindle and although I mix fed until he was 4 months old, by then I felt it had dwindled too much to continue. My friend, on the other hand, has mix fed from birth and is still breastfeeding her 2 yr old. Unfortunately, especially if this is the first time you have mix fed, you don't know until you do it whether it will work for you. I know now that my supply is not abundant. I have never ever leaked, even in the early weeks, nor have I been able to express. I did however successfully breastfeed my second child until she was 18 months old, so I obviously make "just enough" milk, providing I am exclusively feeding, but no extra, and not enough to maintain whilst mix feeding.

Thanks fro that RP I fear I will ahve teh same probems as you as I did not leak and could not express it was as though there was enough for dd when she needed it and that was that. I really don't know what to do.. maybe just see what feels right when bump arrives

Women's supply does tend to get better, with later babies.

Also, though, you tend to leak less with later babies, from what I know. The muscles that keep you from leaking get stronger.

I leaked a bit with DS1, but struggled with supply (no formula, just nipple shields and a rough time at the start). I have leaked a few drops here and there with DS2, but have had no problems with supply. He's been much fatter from the start.

Expressing seems to be a skill, to some extent. Or a learned thing. I found if I expressed every day, I'd get more each time, as I got used to it.