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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

No benefits in mixed feeding???

26 replies

jaabaar · 01/03/2010 23:11

Hi,
I was always planning to bf. however as my daughter was very heavy at birth (nearly 11 pounds) paediatrician said to ups are needed.

So today, at 5 weeks we are still bf and bottle feeding. I try my best not to let my milk reduce. However today I was told that ifyou mixed feed you do not get the benefits of bf???? Meaning that if you bottle and bf you might as well onlyh bottle feed as the benefits are not there anymore?

Is this true???????

OP posts:
Habbibu · 01/03/2010 23:19

What - you were told to use formula simply because your daughter was big? Seriously? That's mad. dd was 10lb 11oz and ex bf until 6 mo just fine.

I think there are benefits to any amount of bf you can give, but if I were you I'd get a second opinion on necessity to give formula at all. Be cheaper if you didn't have to, at the very least!

wilkos · 01/03/2010 23:25

what a load of crap.

so you have been told that because you are giving her formula top ups your breasts have gone on strike and have decided not to be nourishing anymore?

they are breasts. they cannot think independently and withold nutrients because they have the hump you are formula feeding

of course your breast milk will benefit your daughter. whoever told you that bit of "advice" is a loon.

plantsitter · 01/03/2010 23:25

It's not true, no.

ascouser · 01/03/2010 23:28

what you have been told is rubbish

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 01/03/2010 23:29

no, it's nonsense. congratulations on the birth of your not so wee baby, keep up the good work.

mumblecrumble · 01/03/2010 23:30

What twaddle. Poor you!

We mix fed (though 90%) booby and we were tld the same. That because of supply and demnd the baby wouldn;t beneft.

WHAT?¬!??¬¬?

Total balls

mears · 01/03/2010 23:36

Paediatrician gave you duff advice. Your body made a big baby and can feed a big baby. After all women can breast feed twins exclusively successfully (and more!)

There are some protective elements of breastfeeding that can be interefered with by giving formula as well, however babies benefit from any breast milk that they get.

Continue as you are or even reduce top-ups if you wish. Your body is capable of producing the amount of milk your baby needs.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 01/03/2010 23:37

i was told (you'll like this) to think of bm as a live transfusion rather than simply 'food'. this really kept me going when my supply was dwindling. every ml counts.

BertieBotts · 01/03/2010 23:46

Every breastfeed is beneficial to your baby - you have given him a great start already The benefits continue if you are mixed feeding but are greatest when completely breastfeeding if that makes sense.

PrettyCandles · 01/03/2010 23:54

This is complete nonsense. Yes, formula has effects that breastmilk does not, and does negate some brestmilk benefits, but nonetheless any breastmilk your dd gets gives her the benefits of breastmilk. And also gives you the benefits of producing bm. (There are health benefits to the mother.)

I was pushed into bottlefeeding my first, but I felt awful about it so kept giving him breast first, then a bottle. According to the can of formula, he was taking full formula feeds on top of whatever bm he got from me. At 6w I had had enough, and decided to try and relactate. If you want to know more, just ask - I shan't push it on you.

Each of my three was bigger than the previous. No3 was 11 lb. I was worried how I would feed him, but, thankfully, had my previous experiences and Marvelous Mumsnet to support me. We had a rocky start, but, as with no2, I succeeded in fully breastfeeding him. He is still a big, solid boy.

All of mine have had some formula. Two have had mostly breastmilk. All are healthy, intelligent, well-grown, and fit.

And I know that I have done my body some good by breastfeeding. There is a history of breast problems in my family. By breastfeeding my dc I have given myself some protection aginst breast problems.

mummyof2byapril · 02/03/2010 08:35

Why wouldn't you be able to exclusively breastfeed an 11pounder, my boy was exclusively breastfed at 6-7 months and he was weighing several times more than 11lbs!
It's just about increasing your supply by breastfeeding more so you have enough for them.
What was that pediatrician on? Very confused by his logic.

mummyof2byapril · 02/03/2010 08:37

The only extra benefits of formula feeding DC aswell, is the extra stench in their nappies, the higher likelyhood of constipation and such, and probably extra sick coming out of his mouth!

BertieBotts · 02/03/2010 12:43

That was a bit unnecessary mummyof2 - the OP is only going on what she has been told by a health professional.

MrsSawdust · 02/03/2010 12:55

and and that a paediatrician would give such terrible advice.

But op, you don't need to worry, your baby is certainly benefitting from every drop of bm you are giving. (You could even phase out the bottles if you wanted. Your body is more than capable of making enough milk for your little one.)

ArthurPewty · 02/03/2010 13:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Bramshott · 02/03/2010 13:17

Frankly, even if there IS some debate about whether the unique health benefits of breastfeeding are still present in mixed feeding, it's still:
(a) much cheaper
(b) much easier
(c) a great way to feel really close to your baby
(d) possible to do in your sleep

GibberingGinger · 02/03/2010 13:30

My sister was told something similar by her health visitor and was so upset by it. She had struggled and struggled with breastfeeding and was topping up with formula, and the health visitor told her she was negating any of the benefits of breastfeeding by using the formula. I think I would have thrown the HV out of the house if I had been present.

Any breast milk is good, and formula is not poison and not going to cancel out the benefits of the breast milk. In my opinion combination feeding can be the best of both worlds.

Congratulations on having such a big healthy baby. Hope she is thriving and hope you enjoy feeding her whether that is breast, formula or combination, its a lovely bonding time.

plumblossom · 02/03/2010 13:34

My DD was born 10lb 12oz, and I only stopped feeding her last month at 16 months, she never had top ups.

molly77 · 02/03/2010 13:39

dd was big too and I was persuaded she needed formula in the hospital but am now ebf - just because your baby is big doesn't mean you can't your body will just produce the amount your baby needs.

I do have friends who have struggled to mix formula and bf and found their milk production reducing.

If you do want to ebf go for it! you still can even if you've been mixing for 5 weeks. You just need to start brestfeeding on demand, it will mean you feed very often for a few days and your baby may be a bit unsettled but your supply will catch up.

Good luck with whatever you decide - any amount of bfing is good for baby

Waterduck · 02/03/2010 14:17

I wish I'd discovered mumsnet 10 weeks ago!! I began BFing but after a nightmare feed at 2am on boxing day, I started combine feeding on 'advice' from my MIL, who said my baby was using me only as a dummy. Looking back it was all normal behaviour for a BF baby after only a few days. I continued to combine feed for 2 weeks so can now only calm myself by thinking atleast had 2wks breast milk albeit it with bottles too. Firmly agree with wilkos!! My advice would be to listen to your own instincts...I wish I had & not to my MIL!!!

Mishy1234 · 02/03/2010 15:23

Agree with everyone that of course you can exclusively bf your baby if you wish to do so!

Top-ups with formula can sometimes mess up the supply and demand process in the early bf days, so that can reduce your supply a bit. I'm aware of a lot of people who have mix fed in the early days to go on to exclusively bf, so I'm sure that you can do this if it's what you would like.

Mishy1234 · 02/03/2010 15:25

Oh and sorry, forgot to add that of course your DD is getting benefits from all the breastmilk she's getting, although there are some which are negated by mix feeding.

JackiePaper · 02/03/2010 19:42

your baby is still benefitting from having your milk, most of the benefits of breastfeeding are 'dose-dependent', so the more breastmilk, the bigger the benefits, but any breastmilk is better than no breastmilk.

There are however some benefits of breastfeeding that are actually benefits of exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months - ie no formula or food until the age of 6 months - these are things like lower instance of GI problems and protection against cows milk allergy.

yes - the paediatrician was a loon, but just try to remember the good you are doing for your baby (and yourself) and congratulate yourself on that, and if you did want to reduce the top-ups it is possible with specialist breastfeeding advice.

Original poster
jaabaar · 11/03/2010 22:10

Thank you ever so much! I was struggling with BF and the only thing that kept me going was that I am doing something good for my baby. Being told that it is worthless felt very demoralizing

Thanks to your input i look at it different now!

The reason I had to bottlefeed at the beginning was due to low sugar levels due to size of baby. All that was fine after a few days.

thanks again!

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 12/03/2010 07:21

Good for you

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