Successful combination feeding

[fiveweeksandcounting]

DS is 14 weeks old and is BF with 2 bottles a day, one of formula and one of EBM and I have been trying to introduce a mid morning bottle with a view of stopping BF within the next month or so. However, he's not hugely keen on the bottles and my guilt says that it's unfair to take away his bf when he loves it so much.

How feasible at 14 weeks would it be to give 3 bottles a day bearing in mind that I don't mind if I have to move to fully FF but can't actually bring myself to go cold turkey when BF is working physically but I'm afraid that I've just had enough of BF full time and am starting to resent it?

Would pan out as approx

7am BF, 9am BF, 11am FF, 1.30 BF, 3.30 FF, 6.30 + 7 BF as a split Bedtime feed, 11pm EBM expressed at about 10pm to effectively not dropping a feed, 4am BF if he wakes, sometimes sleeps through.

bumping for you

Hi FiveWeeks,
I got on quite well with mixed feeding until I dropped bf. It worked well for our family. I don't see any need to feel guilty about it. Your timings sound fine.
My midwife suggested using a higher flow teat - because she said bf babies are used to the milk flowing more. And also if she was fussing a little I used to gently rock her while feeding.
Hope this helps

When are you giving the bottles at the moment, and when did you start? If you were fully breastfeeding this is what I'd advise - you can hopefully adjust this to fit you!

At first, breastfeed as normal but switch the 10pm feed to an expressing session, still breastfeed at 11 (don't worry if you feel empty as milk will still be there) for a few days then stop the 11pm feed but keep the expressing up.

Keep this routine for a week or two to allow your supply to adjust.

Now switch the 11am feed for a bottlefeed, again keep up this routine for a week or two to enable your supply to keep up.

Next switch the 3.30 feed for a bottle and keep this constant for as long as you wish to continue breastfeeding. When you want to switch the remaining feeds try to drop feeds as spread apart as possible but keep the morning one and/or before bed one (or the expressing session) as the last ones that you drop.

If the baby has a growth spurt but you want to keep the breastfeeding going it's better to breastfeed as much as possible through the growth spurt rather than offering extra bottles, this will keep your supply up to the baby's demand.

Don't worry if at 3 or 4 months you stop getting the "full" feeling between feeds, this is normal and just your body adjusting, it doesn't mean you have run out of milk.

Not sure about the size of teats, I was always told it was best to keep to the newborn teats as breastfeeding tends to be a slower flow than bottles. But if you use the faster flow teats, you might find he comes to prefer the bottle quicker, which might suit you better if/when you want to stop breastfeeding gently.

HTH

I don't know much about combinded feeding but
BertieBotts sounds like she's given you some good advice.

My midwife suggested using a higher flow teat - because she said bf babies are used to the milk flowing more.

Hum don't think this is right BF babis have to constantly suck at the brest to get milk. It's actualy the other way round Bottle fed babies actualy have to work less and milk as milk drips/pours in without much effort. I was alway told to use a newborn teat for a BF baby so they don't get use to a higher flow and then refusse to work at sucking from the brest.

Good luck