EBF but want to FF when out and about... possible issues?

[avajamesbee]

Hi everyone, I have some questions I couldn't find an answer to via the search bar.

I am a first time mom with a 10 week old whom I am exclusively breastfeeding. I feel BF is well established at this point.

In the beginning I would breastfeed outside when going to cafes, restaurants and such without any issues. However, now that he's become more alert, he keeps randomly unlatching, gets easily distracted etc. I tried using a nursing cover, but he gets incredibly annoyed with it. I also tried using a bulky blouse that could cover me if he unlatches, but he gets frustrated with that too - basically anything that touches his head is a no-go. The last time I tried feeding him while we were at a restaurant he got very frustrated by the nursing cover, in turn I got stressed and I think my milk wouldn't "flow" as he started crying hysterically when I tried to latch him on, so I ended up feeding him in the toilet cubicle (luckily it was a clean one!).

I find myself getting more and more reluctant to go out for more than a couple of hours, however this poses an issue as when running errands etc. Therefore I have started thinking about other ways to feed my baby. I thought about feeding him expressed breastmilk, however sometimes when we go out I manage to come back home in time to BF him, but by this point the expressed breastmilk has been outside of the fridge for a while and I have to throw it away which seems like a waste.

I read about ready made formula bottles on here, and was wondering could I bring one of those with me as a back up option and feed him one of those if the need arises. However, I have a few questions in regards to doing that:

1. Are there any possible issues those bottles that I might be missing? For example is it possible for my supply to diminish because of the odd formula feed here and there (I'm talking about once every couple of weeks)?
2. What about engorgement - I've been told that could cause mastitis if the breasts don't get emptied in time.
3. Is ready made formula worse than powdered formula in any way? Since it has a longer shelf life, does it contain more preservatives and are there any considerations against using it regularly?

Thanks in advance!

You should be ok as BF is well established by now, it shouldn't affect your supply as long as you bottle feed at different times (if you stopped BF at the same time everyday you would stop producing at that time as it is supply & demand)

I did this, so I could go out without DD for a bit & because I found it easier out & about too

I also think this should work fine, as long as baby accepts the bottle and the formula. You might find you need to express a little bit for comfort when you've done a formula feed (by hand would probably be fine). I would certainly express a bit if for some reason you did two or more formula feeds in a row.

Something else that might work for breastfeeding out and about, just to give you another option, is a nursing vest under a normal top. Then you can pull the top up and the vest down, with very little exposure and nothing flopping on baby's head. I sort of tucked the top into itself or into the neckline if it was a bit loose and might flop.

I feed in the car usually or find a quiet corner
I do wear a vest so top up, vest down very little on show. If you match the top and vest even better.
I’m on my second bf child now and I’m brazen about flashing a tit now!

Should be fine if feeding is established. Just remember ff can be a hassle too. If it's just gonna be occasionally then consider the ready made ones with the teats attached rather than faffing with bottles and sterilising them every 24 hours. More expensive and less environmentally friendly so only for occasional use really.

Could you try pumping if you know you're gonna be out. I know it's not easy for some but worth a go

I started doing this around 6 weeks and it's fine. She has a regular bottle of formula as her last feed of the night and then the odd one when we are out somewhere I dont feel comfortable BFing or I need to go out . Doesn't seem to have affected my supply at all and it's very handy.

I also did the vest and top combo. As well as that I had a large muslin that I would tuck the corner of under my bra strap on the feeding side which I could use for a light cover whilst getting baby latched on. Easy to remove or put out of the way once I'd got settled.

If you use formula when out, you will obviously miss a feed which might mean you become uncomfortably engorged before the next breastfeed.

As an aside, the ready made formula is not worse than powdered. It doesn't contain any additional preservatives. The long life comes from the fact that it is UHT treated and sealed inside sterile bottles.

Expressed milk can last 6 hours out at room temperature, and up to 6 days in the fridge. If you kept expressed milk cold using insulation or a coldpack, you could stay out all day with it. If still not used, you could freeze and defrost later on to use in weaning foods (porridge, mash etc). That's what I would choose to do in this situation.

If you are unlucky you may find a little bit of formula causes issues such as constipation, colic, cow's milk sensitisation etc and so if it were me I'd prefer to avoid it (however many would have none of these issues).

All of the research into breastmilk vs formula tends to compare exclusively breastfed to exclusively formula fed and so much less is known about mixed feeding; which is something worth bearing in mind.

(Equally I wouldn't want to overstate the above for those who have chosen to mixed feed, which is also a great option for many families!)

Thanks everyone for the very informative responses! I do use nursing tops as well, but when the baby unlatches, he does it very aggressively and my the poor nursing top doesn't stand a chance at covering anything! I just use them to keep my tummy warm when breastfeeding nowadays haha. The muslin tucked into the bra strap is a good idea though, I will try this.

It's very reassuring that the occasional bottle won't affect my supply. I do understand the concerns with FF and I will keep these in mind if I try to give him some formula.

In regards to expressing and taking the expressed milk with me, unfortunately I can't express enough for a full feed say the previous day. What I do is I express a bit every day after the morning feed (I get about 30ml) and freeze it for future needs. The one time I took expressed breastmilk with me, I defrosted 3 - 4 bags of 30ml and I took this with me, however I threw it away after since it's been frozen once. I don't really know how to express more than that as baby eats everything at his feeds. How is it usually done?

I did this with my first and had no problems (second has been mixed fed from birth and also no problems). The ready made cartons are just UHT, nothing different to powder.

Do you drive? DS refuses to breastfeed in public so I feed him in the car when I’m out.