Mixed feeding - advice

[Maria101]

I've been exclusively breast feeding my 4 week old baby, but yesterday I gave her some formula. She was 9lbs 5oz at birth and is a very hungry baby, often having huge feeds every hour or so (she's gaining lots of weight). I know that's normal, but I was hitting the tiredness wall and needed some help. Today my breasts are very big, hard and tender. Does anybody have any tips on getting established with mixed feeding, and dealing with tender breasts? Please don't give me a hard time about introducing formula though! I intend to breastfeed most of the time, but want to give her formula a couple of times a day. Any advice from somebody who has been there gratefully received!

Keep breastfeeding as much as possible. Thats it really (sorry). That will keep your supply up for the next few weeks until it is properly established.

It is better not to give formula overnight as that is when you produce most milk and your milk has sleepy hormones in. Evening feeds could probably be replaced most easily.

I mix fed DD for 5 months. I had to stop because I was on medication which was totally incompatible with bf - no supply problems or anything so it can be done but it is right to think about it carefully.

Hi,
I mix fed until DS was about 4 months as I couldnt keep up with him - he'd feed every 45 minutes from 3pm-9pm and I was as thin as a rake - there was nothing left! I'd feed him as he wanted from 3pm til bed at 7pm, then my husband gave him formula. Then Id feed him again in the night once my boobs had refilled. I didnt give him any formula during the day, and tbh, he didnt usually take more than 100ml of formula. It was just the bit extra he needed.
When he got to 4 months and he wasnt feeding so frequently, the formula wasnt needed.

Ive no tips for how to stop the boobs getting engorged. Mine do even now (DS nearly 8 mo) when he drops a feed, or changes routine. I just express if that happens and then freeze it. Oh I did that in the early days and gave him expressed from earlier in the day, rather than formula sometimes. My worry was that as DS was such a whopper (9lb6) and so hungry, that on formula he'd just blow up like a big balloon....

I have been mixed feeding since 5 weeks and DS is now 14 weeks. I introduced a bottle of Formula at 11pm from 5 weeks and then introduced a 4pm bottle at about 8 weeks. This stopped the evening cluster feeding so the 4pm bottle is formula and the 11pm is now EBM as I now have enough milk to express for that. I have also now introduced a mid morning bottle too but waited until 13 weeks to do this BUT and this is key, I'm not that bothered if it leads to full FF. Having said that my supply is fine but my baby is older than yours. My DS feeds (approx)

5am BF, 8am BF, 10.30am Bottle, 12.30pm BF, 3pm bottle, 5.30 /6.30 this is a split bedtime feed to tank him up 11PM ebm

At 4 weeks old though he was having about 12 feeds in 24 hours.