Changing baby to combination/ff

[PrincessHayls]

Hi, I have a 10 day old baby girl who was exclusively bf until last night. She has previously been content after a feed but last night she fed 3 times in an hour and just wouldn't settle. My partner rushed out and bought some formula which she took 80ml of straight away - obviously hungry! I now want to do a combination of expressed bottles, formula and bf (eventually getting rid of bf as I'm really not enjoying it). I wanted to know if anyone has any advice on how best to do this - I want to avoid engorgement and mastitis! How many feeds should I drop at a time and what's the best way to manage the expressing? Thanks.

Just to let you know that she was cluster feeding and it's normal as she works to increase your milk supply. Happens a lot in the evenings. So not necessarily that she wasn't getting enough milk from you.

Anyway, I am currently moving from bf to ff and was advised you should drop one feed every few days. And if you feel very engorged then just express off enough to feel comfortable. If you keep pumping you will keep making more milk.

princess, it's true what Pinkie says....this is absolutely normal and even desirable in a new baby :)

Babies feed often not just to get nourishment and to increase the milk supply, but to check in emotionally and 'socially'. That's how we develop. 'Not settling' can often mean no more than 'I like being close to you, feeding when I want to'.

Feeding three times in an hour is very typical newborn behaviour.

It may be that one of the reasons you have for not enjoying breastfeeding is a lack of confidence in it and an anxiety about what to expect...could that be it?

Whatever....a combination of expressed bottles, breastfeeding and formula is the most difficult and pressured way to feed a baby, time consuming and full of hassle! Perhaps you can have a chat with your midwife, or a breastfeeding counsellor, and see what your options might be. Using formula alongside breastfeeding is of course possible, but this early on tends to lead to all formula and no breastfeeding. Whatever you decide to do, the midwife and/or the breastfeeding counsellor should help you do it comfortably and effectively.

I'm doing this with my 15 day DD. I manage to express pretty much enough for the day bar 1/2 formula feeds. It's working well. I express each time after I feed her & so it's ready for the next feed. She's been fine with the formula & much more settled - her latch was so poor she wasn't eating enough from the breast. It's also nice not having to do every feed myself now. Good luck!