Combination Feeding - how long can I breastfeed for?

[NellDunnHadItRight]

I had planned to EBF when pregnant, but DD was born with a tongue tie and struggled to breastfeed. After she lost more weight than the midwives were happy with, we began topping up with formula when she was 5 days old. I would feed her on the breast for as long as possible and then my DH or myself would give her a bottle of formula or expressed milk immediately after. Luckily DD took well to the bottle and began gaining weight again. Her tongue tie was snipped when she was nearly three weeks old, and she's now 6 weeks old and nursing much better - latching better, feeding for longer and she seems to be thriving. However, although the odd feed at the breast satisfies her, we haven't been able to drop the formula feeds for the most part. She likes the bottle and also she's a little greedyguts! So long as she's doing well I'm happy to continue combination feeding, but my aim is to breastfeed as long as possible so DD gets the benefits, even if we only get to 8 or 10 weeks. I wanted to ask other mums who have combination fed - how long did you do it for? Do you have any tips for carrying on with BF? Will my milk supply stay constant if we continue topping up with formula? Any and all advice welcome!

I did it for 6 months. Gradually manage to drop the top -ups but had one of the night feeds as a full bottle just to give me a break

Fed on demand during the day which boosted supply. Was useful that baby would take a bottle if I needed to go out etc

Was a bit of a shock with DC2 who flatly refused all bottles and I ended up breast feeding for 15 months!

I did mixed feeding with my preemie but just switched to full bfing once his jaundice got better around 3 weeks. (He had a lip tie.) I‘d been pumping so my supply was good. He was exclusively breastfed after that and carried on feeding until 3. The lip tie was never corrected. They finally agreed it was a problem that needed treating at 9 months and the day after he fell on his face crawling and tore through it.

Yes your supply will match the regular demand. So e.g if you gave her three 15 minute feeds a day, you would continue making enough to do that as long as she wanted it. Even if she’s having formula, solids or cows milk alongside it.

IM doing same although baby 7 weeks and tongue tie appointment next week. Since getting a small electric pump (under 50quid) I’ve managed to express enough for top ups, mainly 70ml 7 times a day. Have reduced that now and expressing a bit less. Haven’t had to use formula for a while didn’t really want to as it would mess with supply. Aim is just to bf if tongue tie op helps. What is baby’s weight gain? 28g a day is what I was told but baby was doing 75g gains so didn’t need so much top ups!

I combi fed for 11 months when DD's milk intake dropped and we ditched the bottles, and now am still BFing at 13 months :)

I did it for four months with both of mine. With the first I mainly bottle fed pumped and formula milk. With my second it was a bit of everything. For the first 10 weeks or so she was on about half breast milk (both pumped and from the breast) and formula. With both I found my milk supply tanked after they dropped the late night feed. I found if I wasn't feeding / pumping in the early hours I just didn't produce the same amount and it wasn't worthwhile. DUghter is now five months and I actually miss it. My boobs are pretty much back to nuu oh real and I'm missing that feeling of accomplishment (plus all the cakes I was able to eat without gaining weight)

I mostly breastfed DC but had one or two bottles of expressed milk until they were 6 weeks. Then introduced formula too and gradually weaned her on to a mix of breastfeeding, expressed milk and formula mostly because by then I couldn't express enough for the bottle feeds I wanted to do, I only had a manual pump. She fed well until we got to 50/50 bottles and formula around 10 weeks when she started to show a strong preference for the bottle and would scream and not latch at the breast sometimes and eventually at all. I pumped a little for another fortnight mainly to avoid mastitis so gradually reduced the pumping and so she had some expressed milk in that fortnight and then was fully formula fed by 12 weeks-ish. Not what I had planned/wanted but I had severe, unexplained pain/nipple trauma the whole time that loads of input from BF specialists couldn't resolve so my mental health was shot. I would have continued combi-feeding at a 50/50 ratio if I could have but DC had other ideas.

Over 2 years!
Keep BFing whenever they want
After a few months do BF plus weaning

Younger DC: Still going at 2.10yo. Dropped the formula at 8 months when she was well established on solids.

Older DC: combination fed until 15 months when he self weaned off the breast