Combined Breast and Bottle Feeding?? Has anyone tried this??

[mumtobeof3]

Hi,
I'm currently pregnant with my 3rd and was wondering if it is possible to breast and bottle feed.
I breast fed my dd for the first 2 weeks but couldn't fill her. I was gutted and found it really hard to stop as i loved the bonding from it but my midwife said i should switch to just the bottle as eventually my milk supply would stop.
I would really like to try breastfeeding again but this time my concern is the time it is going to take to feed as i am going to have 3 school runs to make along with all the other daily jobs and getting my other 2 children ready for pre-school etc. I would like to exclusively breastfeed for the first few days to give my baby the best nutrients while i have my partners help but i can't help but worry that once im left with 3 children on my own im going to struggle just with breastfeeding due to the time a feed can take (sometimes my dd could take at least half hour to feed!!). Is it possible to combine both breast and bottle??? Has anyone ever tried this approach and succeeded??? Stories and advice please Thankyou

Sorry forgot to add that this is regarding formula in the bottle in the event that i am unable to express enough milk or don't have any available. Just trying to explore all the options. Thankyou

I don't really have any advice on how to juggle the early days of breastfeeding with two other children (I'm sure someone will come along who has) but I do know that was awful advice given to you by that midwife - absolutely awful, especially as you were so keen to continue. Breastfed babies feed almost continually for around the first six weeks. That's not because breastmilk is 'not filling them', that's just how breastfeeding works. If you start with this DC, and feel willing/able to continue, and a midwife gives you a load of old hooey like that, ask for a second opinion!!

Thankyou. My dd screamed all the time, she really was hungry, it didn't matter how much i fed her she was never settled or content after a feed. Once i switched to bottles alone she settled so much better which left me feeling a bit of a failure on the breast feeding front but i have to say i was pleased to see my dd a more happy and content little baby. I am certainly going to give it a go this time, i will maybe just have to be a bit more patient (easier said than done). I often find all the midwives have very different opinions on all aspects which makes life very confusing as you are often relying on them to give you the best possible advice.

I combined and ended up breastfeeding until 20 months - best tips I had were not to introduce any bottles until 4 weeks in, to enable bf to establish, and then when introducing formula to treat as separate feeds rather than a "topup" after each breastfeed. My DD had a 3-4oz bottle at teatime (6 p.m. ish) initially and then I introduced another at lunchtime ish. I currently have 3 week old DS and am planning to do similarly, not least to help settle him around mealtimes so that I can deal with DD. Good luck!

It sounds to me like your DD was tongue-tied (nothing to do with you or your milk supply), which should have prompted your midwife to refer you both on to a breastfeeding/lactation consultant, not just advise you to go onto bottles. Such a shame for you Maybe this time ask to see a BFing specialist while you're still on the ward after your DC is born? You can discuss the problems you had last time so you can plan for this one. If she does think it sounds like your DD had a tongue tie, she might be able to check your new baby for it so it can be sorted straight away.