Mixed feeding

[hotcrossbun83]

Hi all

For various reasons and after lots of tears, I've accepted that bf doesn't work for me and ds (5 weeks)

I'm expressing as much as I can and topping up with formula. Currently he drinks 120ml per feed and I can express 60ml so he gets 50/50. I use ready made formula and combine both in one bottle. I researched and seemed that was ok, only reason not to was in case they didn't finish bottle and it wastes the ebm but he always finishes bottle.

However I think it's time to move to powder, it's getting expensive. Does anyone have experience of doing this? I'm thinking it might be easier to have some feeds ebm and some formula, but is it better he has some ebm each feed to help digestion? I really would prefer to avoid 2 bottles per feed, it's a lot of sterilising already with the pump etc (and ds is clingy so I barely get a second to fit it all in!)

If I do start doing all ebm or ff feeds, how would you split it? Alternate, or ff at night in hope they sleep a bit longer? He gets colic in evenings so want to ease that as much as possible but not sure if type if milk makes any difference.

I have hired a pump and am aiming to increase my supply so would aim to replace ff bottles with ebm as time goes on.

Firstly well done for persevering with bf at all, it's bloody hard! Don't beat yourself up for combined feeding, any bm is better than no bm & so long as your baby fed & loved, however you feed your baby, that is ultimately all that matters.

For various reasons we had to combine feed ds1, at the time it broke my heart but he is a happy, healthy 2yo now who is very bright & in to bloody everything so don't worry about combine feeding.

I used to offer the breast first at every feed then top up with formula. Will your lo latch & feed direct from source so to speak?

There's no right or wrong way to combine feed, you could do alternate feeds. Formula is no guarantee Ffor your baby sleeping longer but you could try to work it that the last feed before bed is formula so that someone else can do bedtime for you then just bf (if he will latch) through the night to save having to be organised with bottles at night.

I always did feeds of either EMB or formula, not a combination. You can do without the hassle! And it must affect the taste?
I don't know about when to offer which (ff never made a difference to DS' sleep) but my HV said that to keep up supply it's always better to bf/express at night as the 'milk producing' hormones are working at night, and apparently milk expressed at night helps baby to sleep.
Hope that helps.

A supplemental nursing system could work for you. There's an official product you can buy from amazon or you can buy an infant feeding tube, one end goes in the bottle of formula (I put the bottle in a little bag round my neck) and the other end tucks in beside the nipple like a straw. They suck and get the ff and bf at the same time. They're sucking so supply won't diminish as much but they also get the top-up.
This has saved bf for me and my 5mo ds - been doing this for 3 months now.
Tip though - It worked with regular formula powder but comfort powder is thicker and clogged the tube. Hth.