Is one BF a day poss?or does milk dry up with combi feeding

[Firsttimer1007]

Over the last month or so I have been introducing formula bottles to my now 6month old DS(which he has taken to really well after a few difficult wks to start adjusting to formula). My plan was to continue with BF morning and night, although i think that with dropping feeds my overall supply decreased ie at the feeds I was continuing there wasn't as much milk as there used to be. Does this happen or is it my imagination? Consequently because I was worried about him not getting enough I also dropped the last feed of the day and now just BF first thing in the morning and during the night when he wakes.

However I don't think he is really getting enough as my breasts no longer feel full. I don't feel 'full' in the mornings like I used to and although I never liked this sensation I now really miss it! He doesn't last very long from this first feed til his next FF, poss only 2 hours but can go 4 hours between FFs.

So really I'm wondering that if once you drop a significant number of feeds your milk supply decreases so much that the amount at the feeds you do keep up also drops? I would feel bad about stopping BF altogether and would be sad to stop but I don't want DS to be hungry either!
Ive read on here and other places that a lot of women do keep up one or two feeds longer term but are these women the norm or is it unusual to keep up a good supply for the feeds you want to continue after introducing bottles?

Also wanted to mention that when I get a let down when feeding now it's feeling sometimes very painful is that normal? Almost feels like DS is biting me, although maybe he is as he has two teeth now... Could he be getting frustrated at waiting for let down now he's used to bottles?

Hi my ds is only 4 months so i'm no expert!
When he stopped feeding during the night, initially my boobs felt like they were bursting, now they are normal. Think that the 'full' feeling you get is when your body is adjusting to how much you need and just because they dont feel full doesnt mean you dont have milk.
I combine feed my ds, he has one bottle a day before bed, and if we're out and I bf him instead, its frustrating for us both as I clearly dont have enough milk at that time of day.
If you want advice about combine feeding i'd ask health visitor/ gp as people on here have no interest in replying unless you ebf!

I asked a similar question on here a few weeks ago. The response was generally that if your baby is older (7-8 months +) then it's possible to mix feeding without affecting supply but before that it's probable that your supply might be so affected that you'd have to stop breastfeeding. Probably not what you wanted to hear...not what I wanted to hear either! But these aren't definites. Hopefully someone more expert will reply to you directly though!

It is possible to feed once a day for a long time, not sure whether the age of your child matters though. In our case, DS dropped down to a single feed in November ( at 21 months) and we then weaned at 23 months. After 10 days without a feed he came back for more and I was delighted to find he had milk around his lips when he came off. This was despite me being 5 months pregnant...
Don't worry about not feeling full: it is normal for that feeling to go, but it does not mean the milk has gone.

Ps: sorry, no idea how mixed feeding fits into all this, have never tried. Have. You looked on kellymom?

It's possible for one feed a day to be sufficient to maintain bf, but not at 6 mths, sorry. Breastfeeding has to have lasted longer than this - and you started to drop bfs at 5 mths and then went from 2 bf to 1......the body thinks you are stopping entirely, and your baby is still of an age where he would 'ask' for a greater volume each time.

You can turn things round by feeding more often - you'd need to really increase the frequency of feeds and restore your supply, and then stop very very very gradually after that.

Hope this helps.

i dropped to one feed with my son around 11 or 12 months. from around 10.5 months it was two times a day, early morning and bedtime, but the morning one fell by the wayside and we continued the one night feed until around 18 months. as tiktok says 6 months may just be too early though.

Oh no not what i wanted to hear at all! Think I'll continue to try and keep it up, really don't want stop completely, not to mention faf with bottles in the night... Can't believe a few wks ago I was complaining about engorgement and not being able to cut back and all of a sudden the milk seemed to disappear, I'll be careful what I wish for next time

If 6 months is too early to drop feeds, how long is long enough? DD will be 9 months when I go back to work. I will be working 3 days a week, but they will be long shifts so I will be out for 14hrs and possibly not get any breastfeeds on those days unless she wakes throughout the night ( not really what I want as I will need some sleep before the next 14hr shift) as I will leave before she wakes and not be home until after bedtime. I would like to still breastfeed on days when I am at home if possible. Will that work or will there be no milk there on those days because my body adapts to the days without feeding? Expressing has never worked for me, and won't be an option during work anyway as it is a job where I will be lucky to get 30mins break during the day for lunch and absolutely not possible to take extra breaks for expressing. The work days will not be set days and could be any day except Friday and may or may not be consecutive. Night shifts will also be another problem.