Combination feeding from birth?

[ttbren]

Is it possible to do this? Can I give my baby a bottle or two a day (formula most likely) from birth? I know that it affects supply so when he has the bottle could I pump at the same time? I know about nipple confusion. This is due to personal reasons which I feel are justified. Thanks!

I started off combi feeding. It worked well at first. I gave him formula and breast. Worked or about 3 weeks. I don’t actually think it was 100% nipple confusion but he basically stopped latching. When my milk came in I found that my breasts completely changed shape. I just couldn’t find a position where he would latch. The only one that worked was the rugby ball position with pillows all round me. This was during this year’s summer heatwave. It was hot and exhausting As He also got bored with the breast and fall asleep. Basically the bottle was much easier. I got really upset and literally dreaded each feed. So I gave up breastfeeding and pumped instead. Now gets 40% breast milk and the rest is formula. I pump 4 times a day. It was a great decision and works for me.

I think looking back had it not been as hot and if I’d maybe got a bit more help I could have made the breastfeeding work better and for longer. I also think he was getting more milk than I thought he was as an anxious new mum. Wierdly pumping has taught me how my breasts work and how much comes out so I think i probably was doing better. I will definitely try the same thing again. So I would say give it a go.

What is hard is that there is basically no guidance out there re combi feeding and midwives really push ebf.

I did. It went fine. No nipple confusion at all. I didnt do it for long though as I hated breast feeding and stopped as soon as I could (8 weeks).

I combo fed from when DD was about 3-4 days old. How much bottle she gets varies as sometimes I have supply issues and sometimes there’s no problem - so on a week she might have had no bottles, she might have had 2 or more. She’s fine, tbh depending on your return to work situation going bottle and breast early is quite good as often EBF babies refuse the bottle when you need to go to back to work (and therefore bottle feed). Good luck.