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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Question about combi feeding

3 replies

marajade12 · 16/05/2022 14:02

Hi All
Id like to introduce a bottle to my breast fed 5 week old so dh can get involved in feeding and so I can get to bed early and catch some sleep before the night shift. Breastfeeding is going well with no issues.
my question is do I need to pump that missed feed or just let my supply re adjust. I’m worried about affecting my supply.
Thanks

OP posts:
Bancha · 16/05/2022 14:07

I have done this with both my babies and I kept the bottle at the same time each night (roughly) and allowed my supply to adjust. I can’t see the point in not feeding the baby yourself and pumping instead. I haven’t had any supply issues so as long as you don’t either I’d say you’d be fine. It was a life saver for me! Hope you get a good chunk of sleep!

Twizbe · 16/05/2022 14:15

I combi fed my first.

I'd caution first about doing it if breastfeeding is going well. DH can do loads of things other than feeding that can help, including doing bath time, feeding solid food when weaning, taking over household chores, having afternoon cuddles to let you nap.

Then giving a bottle a day usually creates more work than reducing it.

I'd also recommend not doing formula before bed until you've got them used to the bottle in the day. My son has CMPA and he'd throw up the special formula as well. Having that before bed wouldn't be a good idea.

As for how to do it. Introduce an oz in the day sometime. See how they do with the bottle first. Pick one bottle and stick with it. FWIW my son went between bottle and breast with no issue. My daughter flatly refused bottles and dummies. Hated them. They were introduced in the same way at same time.

Until baby is happy with the bottle / formula and you've settled on when you'll do a bottle, express the feed you're missing. Once you're happy it will work for you, you can stop expressing and your supply will regulate. Once you're past 6 weeks your supply will regulate up and down quite easily for one or two feeds. If you want to do 2 feeds a day, alternate those with a breastfeed. For example I did;

7am - breast
10am - bottle
1pm - breast
3pm - bottle
7pm and overnight breast.

For me personally I preferred EBF as it was much much easier. Once baby had settled into a routine at around 3 months it got really easy. Once they start weaning and dropping feeds it gets even easier still.

KangarooKenny · 16/05/2022 14:16

I did this and just let my body adjust.

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