Combination feeding

[mehhh]

Hey

My dd is 17 weeks she has been breastfed with 1 bottle formula per day since birth (in the evening), she has recently been refusing to latch at her day time feeds and wanting a bottle, I thought my milk may be drying up but when I try express to get the milk on the nipple for her to latch there is still some there

We have no issues at the night and morning feeds so I don't understand why she is doing it?

I know this is probably my fault for giving her the 1 bottle but I really want to carrying on breastfeeding... any tips with this at all would be fab?

Half of my thinks to stop beating myself up and if she's happy with the bottle to let her have it but then the other half really isn't ready to stop just yet

Thanks in advance xx

(Bumping) sorry

I don’t have huge amounts of advice because we switched to combination feeding with a view to fully move to formula within a couple of weeks (which I have done now).

I know when we first started introducing it, DS did get very frustrated on the breast but same as your LO was fine at night. How would you feel about giving more formula during the day but keep breastfeeding at night? I think I read somewhere that because they’re more alert during the day they’re more aware that they can get what they want from the bottle way quicker and get back to playing.

What I would say is don’t feel you have to keep going with the breastfeeding if you don’t want to. If you do that’s fab and I’m sure there will be ways to continue doing both but I breastfed for longer than I really wanted out of a sense of guilt. My DS has been amazing on formula and I feel so much better for the extra sleep and me time!

Really what I mean is do what’s best for you and not what you Mum guilt says is best because it’s not always right.

@AiryFairy1991 thank you!

Before she was born I thought I wanted to breastfeed but wouldn't have been overly fussed if i couldn't, but now I've done it I feel like I will be so upset if it doesn't continue!

I think I will just continue with the bottles in the afternoon and try and express, otherwise it just gets really stressful for us which is strange she has always latched really well until this week

I think mum guilt is definitely a thing I feel guilty every time I give her a bottle!

I think if you are expressing and she is getting some breast milk going forward that's a plus in itself. And if you do this you will keep some.milk coming in case she is happy to go back.

Don't beat yourself up about it either way though. A few and happy child is the main thing.

It's quite common at this age for babies to begin to express a preference one way or the other.

One thing it could be is that she will be getting more alert and nosy, so she might be frustrated that she can't look around when BF like she can when bottle feeding.

Have you gone up a teat size? It's important to stay on the slowest flow teats when combination feeding, otherwise sometimes they get lazy and prefer the faster bottle flow. In fact, even a slow flow/newborn teat is faster than the breast usually, so something else you can try is breast compressions when feeding, this is basically just squashing/pressing your boob to apply a bit of pressure to the milk and make it easier for her.

@blackteasplease yeah I'm glad she's still having the few breast feeds per day - just now worried the milk will dry up for these too ... she's always had one formula at 8pm-ish, she then started wanting one st 5pm as well and then this week another at 1/2 as well as the two later on

@BertieBotts I thought that too maybe, we have had a lazy day today, she likes to drink her bottle lay down usually and she was arching her back desperate to look around... she's still on the slow tests as well

Hiya.

I would say to not beat yourself up about combo feeding. I have almost quit breastfeeding so many times but now I really enjoy combifeeding. My LO is growing well and I get chances to have time off feeding him too so can get lie ins! :D

He gets two or three bottles a day (I offer 4oz and always offer boob before and afterwards) and then breastfeeds whenever he wants to (sometimes it's a lot! Haha) sometimes he takes a full 4oz sometimes he takes 1/2oz but after having supply issues and issues with him just not getting enough milk (wasnt weeing enough) I just am glad he's getting good liquid in him :p

He also sleeps on the boob fairly often and I just let him. I've figured if he's happy and weeing and pooing I'm not going to stop. I kind of like chilling with him to be honest! (And it gets me out of doing the washing up ;))

@Gierg thank you! I'm trying to be a bit easier on myself about it and just go with what makes her happy, we still breastfeed in the morning and and night in bed together so at least it's a nice time to do it and have a snuggle! I think she is just too nosey to breastfeed in the day!