Combination feeding

[mum2bemay22]

My DS is a month old now and I have breastfed him since birth, I don’t really stick to watching the clock and just give him milk when he wakes for it or is unsettled. I’ve rexently introduced a formula feed just before bedtime to get him used to a bottle. I have tried expressing but I find it a huge faff and I want to get him used to formula as well. He is breastfed throughout the day and night though. Just wondering when I should start introducing another bottle of formula and when in the day that might be best? Please don’t make me feel bad for doing this, I find breastfeeding lovely because our cuddles are the best but at the same time I have found breastfeeding a challenge mentally and I don’t want to give it up completely by any means just start to slowly cut down. Any ideas on this? TYIA ☺️

I wouldn't make anyone feel bad It is possible to do both. Maybe lunchtime ish? I think the evening is important for establishing breastmilk supply. However its many years since I had babies

My DD is now 7.5 months and is still mix fed, although I’m now actively weaning her onto formula.

We did one bottle a day until 6 months at about 10/11pm. The second bottle that we did was around 1pm, although she was on a fairly consistent routine by then as she was older. My thinking was to space it out so that there wasn’t a big gap where I wasn’t breastfeeding and she was missing 2 feeds in a row. Also that time suited me as I am usually home as it’s my toddler’s nap time and I found breastfeeding easier when out and about.

I just took it a day at a time. I think your milk supply is meant to be established around 6 weeks, and baby should start to get into a rough pattern. Perhaps if you prefer to bottle feed in public then a mid morning bottle, as that’s when you are most likely to be out?

Do you plan to move to bottle feeding or do you want to continue breastfeeding with the occasional bottle? If all is going well and you don’t intend to switch totally to bottle feeding, for now I’d probably try to stick to what you’re doing with the occasional additional bottle thrown in if you want to or need to leave baby for a few hours. It’s exhausting still at 4 weeks, but realistically it will likely get easier soon. I’ve formula fed one baby and bf another and beyond the early weeks, bf is so much less of a faff than bottle feeding. So you may be quite happy to mostly or totally bf, but good to offer the occasional bottle now to get used to it. If you want to offer more, it probably doesn’t matter when as long as it isn’t during the night and you aren’t going long stretches without emptying any one breast.