Is it okay to give formula just occasionally?

[SundayTwizzle]

Baby is 6 weeks old and currently exclusively breastfed.

I've been trying out expressing for a couple of weeks now so that DH can do the odd night feed and also so I can get my hair done pop out without worrying that she will get hungry. I hate it though, it takes me ages to produce the smallest amount and it's so hard to find enough time in between feeding DD myself and everything else that needs to be done.

So I was wondering is it ok to give her the odd bottle of ready made formula once in a while or will it mess up breastfeeding/cause tummy trouble? Has anyone done this?

@LakeShoreD

I know it’s not really what you’re asking but if you want baby to take a bottle whenever convenient then it’s something I’d work into the regular routine, not something I’d do only on occasion, because otherwise you run the risk of outright bottle refusal especially as baby gets older. But of course it’s fine to mix feed in whatever quantities work best for you and baby!

You could just get bottle refusal anyway. My 2 refused a bottle. First had one one a day but at 6 weeks just outright refused. My second was great at taking a bottle and we gave her 2 a day in the hope it'd be better but then one day she just stopped. Thankfully my second wasn't as boob obsessed as my first so I could leave her for few hours with just no milk.

Hi 👋🏼

I also dislike pumping (don’t think anyone enjoys it!) but I’ve managed to build a great freezer stash for these occasions to let others do a feed just from using a Hakaa silicone pump while DS feeds on the other breast.

Would 100% try it as an effortless way to give more BM than FM, if you’d rather do so.

The occasional bottle will be fine, you could pump at some point that day to replace the feed if you like and have time. Also means you'd have some milk in the fridge for another day (lasts 6 days in the fridge). If you've skipped a feed then you're more likely to get more milk out pumping. Make sure the flanges on your pump fit you well (google how to measure).