Desperate to crack combination feeding for 3rd baby

[ChitterChatter1987]

I am due our 3rd baby (boy) in May.
Our two girls were pretty much exclusively breastfed from birth to 6mths (other than afew top up formula feeds in the first few weeks) DD1 took the occasional bottle as a baby but not consistently.DD2 refused them completely from about 4wks old!
We tried different bottles, with expressed breastmilk or formula, but she just didn't want to know (although to be fair we were never majorly consistent with pushing it regularly)
Both have also breastfed for comfort before sleeping which of course is natural but for both those first couple of years were very intense and I was very restricted in not being able to have much time either going out with friends/DH, 1-1 time with my older daughter, appts etc.
I am a devoted mum and I totally get that sacrifices have to be made when you have a young baby, but i would really like a balance of being present for baby and still being able to mostly breastfeed, but also be able to go out for awhile sometimes.
My eldest will be 9 when this baby arrives, and I feel it is important she gets some 'grown up time' with me.She was 4.5 when my youngest was born so we could do most things with both of them, but now wants to do more big girl stuff. We have already planned to go to a gig together this summer and also i have a night out to another gig with a friend planned (both local but will be away for quite afew hours)
So I really do need baby to take a bottle,but hate the thought of them being really upset when I'm away from them and not feeding, especially before an age where they are having solids.

Please, those of you have managed to successfully combination feed, give me some tips of how you did so!

Take baby out with you.
It won't be more than a few months that it might hastle your older child's program - but it probably won't be a worry at all to have a happy small baby tagging along..

To 2 gigs? Might not be appropriate for a tiny baby and OP was asking for tips to combo feed

OP - how old will baby be when you want to go out?

I found the biggest thing was I needed to be out of the room and someone else give the bottle. If I was there, she could smell my milk and only wanted me

I expressed so the taste was the same, just different delivery method.
Once they are a few months old some babies will take a cup if they don’t like the bottle

I worked away occasionally so had to do it, but also had nights out with friends.

Fed both of them until over 2

With my 2nd I ignored the midwife advice not to give a bottle for the first 6 weeks and dh gave an evening bottle straight away as a routine. Dd happily accepted bottles. I struggled to keep up with pumping though o it waned after a while and she refused formula. What I should've done is made that bottle a formula frlm the start..

We combi-fed from day 3. I was unwell after the birth and DS was losing weight. Midwife suggested we add in a bottle after the breastfeed so we did. This continued till he was 4 months and I needed to go into very strong antibiotics.

I was returning to work at 8weeks so we knew he’d need to take a bottle. My plan had been to express but that was harder due to how unwell I was.

From about 4-6weeks if he was solely with DH then he’d had formula, and if he was with me then he’d have breast milk followed by formula.

You need to give a bottle several times per week and maybe even every day from about 6 weeks. If you're pumping it's a pain in the arse to organise. Most women go back to work at 3 months where I am, so the HVs really push it. It seems to work

Thanks for your reply- baby will be 2/3 months.
Also, DH became accustomed to being able to just pass DD's to me for feeds and I think he needs to build his confidence up with settling and feeding baby independently as he has never had to, I would always step in, rush back, get out the bath etc but it was alot and not great for me mentally as I never got a proper break.

Not sure i said in my original post but i really struggle with expressing.
I tried manual single pump with DD1 and electric double with DD2 but unfortunately with both I struggled to get more than 2-3 oz even when pumping for ages.
Due to that, I would formula feed for the bottle feeds, but unsure how that would work with supply and engorgement/leaking etc.
I was thinking breastfeeding through the night, first thing in morning, then having a mix of breastfeeding/formula during the day and evening if possible.

I added one bottle per day of formula alongside breastfeeding and it worked really well. To be honest I did it whenever was convenient. Neither refused the bottle and I continued until both were 10 months. It definitely can be done.

as for taking baby with you, I wouldn’t! Just leave baby with dad, it will be absolutely fine. You are allowed to spend time with your other children too!

That absolutely sounds possible

Keep it as a fluid plan and go with the flow (literally at times!)

Your DH does need to persevere and you have to try not to jump in - hard I know, but just means a longer, more difficult transition. It’s so much easier if baby can’t see, hear or smell you.

Even if you get 2-3oz pumping, if your baby is iffy with formula, you could mix half and half to help get used to it

You still need to introduce a bottle early and regularly, otherwise they won't take it whatever is in there. I don't know about mixing formula and breast feeding. For me, I'd have been very uncomfortable and probably lost my supply. Pumping is a nightmare though I agree. Do you think you've got the right pump? They're not one size fits all. I get less than a teaspoon with a manual pump and it took a long time to get the set up right with the electric one. It's a bit panic inducing because at first it makes you think that you've got no milk! It is still a pain though, so understand if you'd want to use formula.