Using a breast to feed baby with bottle top ups

[aburrow93]

Hi all

I am due in January and have constantly struggled to decide how to feed my baby. Me and husband both feel that breast feeding isn't the option for us, mainly due to stories from people we know about their experiences and also wanting to share the responsibilities, we also start lambing 6 weeks after due date so baby will be with my step mum with me around the farm. However I am extremely conscious of the benefits for the baby to receive breast milk. So I would like to express feed the baby and then top up with formula is needs be. Can anyone advise if they have done this? Did they need to pump during the night And did their milk come in okay? I know that I can't make an exact plan as you never no what will happen untill the birth but would like to have an idea.

Hi there, just stumble across your question here and thought I would offer you the bits of knowledge I have on this subject. I know people who have exclusively fed breast milk by pumping and using bottles. I think you'd have to do your research because I can't give you all the advice as I've not done it but I believe at the start it is quite demanding and requires you to pump every 3/4 hours to increase your supply like you would if you were breastfeeding baby from the source. Power pumping is a thing too which you should look up. Involves pumping for 20 mins then resting for 10 then pumping for 10 then resting for 10 and anther 10 minute pump to finish. I believe it mimicked cluster feeding so ups supply.
I think renting a hospital
Grade pump is the the way to go which you can do via medela or I think local hospitals may be able to help you out with a pump too . I have rented from medela (the symphony pump) this to increase my own supply for a combo fed baby. It's around £40 a month to rent (can quite remember the exact cost). They simply send it to you and you use it for as long as you need and then just send it back.
The people I know that pumped exclusively established a very big freezer stock and then stopped pumping around 6 months. I believe it has lots of benefits too because baby gets all the breast milk you want them to get and you also get the opportunity of a break from baby which is invaluable. It is demanding at the beginning though (but so is any method of feeding a baby!)
Hope you get this as I think it's been a while since the question was posted. Also hope it's of some help to you.
Good luck.

Hi thank you for your reply it was very helpful! It was good to have someone supportive who doesn't think I'm crazy and understands that I just want to do what's best for baby but also works for our family. I have looked at a few threads on here where people can be a quite negative about solely express feeding so it was good to actually get some decent advice, I know it won't be easy but as you said the first days/weeks probably never are.

I did mix feed my first before deciding to get rid of the bottles, milk definitely came in and was enough to sustain a very chubby child.

I would suggest that you get a haaka or generic similar silicone pump. You feed baby on one side and suction the pump onto the other and it just collects the milk with minimal effort. I wish I had that for dc1, dc2 is solely bf and I really love the pump.

As an aside, have you had a baby before? You may not be in a fit state to actually do the lambing after 6 weeks even if you have no complications.

Kellymom has a lot of information about exclusively pumping. Just put exclusively pumping breast milk into google and go to the kellymom link.
You're not crazy and it can work. You just have to not be afraid to pump everywhere when needed. The girls I know have pumped on trains, in cafes, when a passenger in the car and well, wherever needed when it's time to pump.
Look up about storage too and make sure you label the milk with dates so you know when to use it.
I think after a few months they both did start to supplement with formula too but I don't think that's a necessity, it's just quite demanding being hooked up to a pump every few hours.
As the other poster said though, 6 weeks post partem is quite soon to be going lambing and things. New babies are exhausting and you will be exhausted. Just remember totally care of yourself too.

Thank you for your comments. It is my first baby however I have several friends/family with children some recovered quickly overs had difficult labour or c section and didn't. I am fully prepared I could give birth late or have difficulties. Lambing will be with my dad so there are no major commitments. I can do as little or much as possible depending on how I'm feeling and my.husband is extremely helpful so I don't want to worry anyone into thinking I will tugging sheep about I won't be, unless I do actually seem to be okay 😂