Combi feeding

[DeeDeeDaisy]

My DD is due on Monday and I will be an FTM.

Ideally I'd like to do a 50/50 combination of breast feeding and feeding expressed breast milk.

Has anyone managed this successfully?
I read that it's best to introduce the breast first and then after a few weeks (some sources say 3 weeks, some say 6?) gradually replace feeds with a bottle of expressed milk. Does this work?
What happens if you introduce a bottle earlier?
Can I pump straight away and store, or should I wait until we are bottle feeding?

I know every baby is different and I don't know how breastfeeding will go. Just want to hear some experiences, really!

The reason 6 weeks is recommended before introducing a bottle is that is when your milk supply has stabilised, after that it's a lot more difficult to increase your supply if you need to.

You could pump and freeze your milk from birth, but that can lead to your body thinking you need more milk than you do and having an oversupply which could potentially be difficult to reduce, but more of an inconvenience in most cases.

There's also the potential for your baby to prefer the bottle over breastfeeding especially early on, as it's much easier to get milk out of a bottle as they don't need to work as hard.

To give yourself the best shot and the easiest term it would probably be best to aim to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 weeks, then introduce a bottle and pump the feed that you miss. And then increase.

If you happen to have an over-supply of milk it will be easier to not pump so much- you could use a Haaka on the side you're not feeding from and build a freezer stash that way. Otherwise you might find yourself having to pump for every feed that you want to express, so it could potentially be more hassle than just breastfeeding. There's really no way to tell before birth- every woman has a different capacity to store milk in her breasts.

If you do bottle feed buy bottles that have a more realistic nipple shape, it's often not the ones advertised as 'most realistic breast shape'. You don't want one that looks like the breast at rest, as that's not what it looks like when a baby is feeding. So the Tommy Tippee ones that look like a nice round boob with a sticky-out nipple are the worst shape, you want something with a more gentle slope like Lansinoh or Mam. That helps to match the latch for breastfeeding better.

Also have a read up on paced feeding, this will help to stop making it too easy for your baby to get the milk out of the bottle and better mimic the ebb and flow of breastfeeding.

Why do you want to do 50/50 breastfeeding/feeding expressed milk?
I mostly breastfed but i did start pumping at about 8 weeks and giving a bottle (took a while for my baby to accept it) because I was going back to work part time from 4 months. Having a baby that would take a bottle and having a small supply of expressed milk built up gave me a bit of flexibility if I wanted to go out without the baby. To be honest I didn’t do it that often because it’s still a faff having to find somewhere to pump while your away and I mostly just wanted to be with my baby.
Pumping and bottle feeding is three times as much work as feeding direct from the breast - you have to pump, then feed the baby, then clean all the equipment. Do it if you want for the flexibility it can give you. Don’t do it just because your partner or family want to help feed baby, especially if they are unlikely to do the washing up part too!

I found expressing so much extra work that I have given up on it now and just breastfeed. My supply isn’t quite as high as it should be though so I use a bit of formula at bedtime to keep baby satiated.

It’s possible to combi feed with a mix of breastfeeding and pumped milk but bear in mind that babies are much more efficient at getting milk out than a pump.

I found it difficult to set aside any time to pump - not easy to do when holding the baby. Also, often as soon as I finished pumping my baby would want to feed. This meant she would be dissatisfied at the breast and I’d end up giving her the milk I’d just expressed - which made it feel pointless.

However, if you have an oversupply of milk then it’s much more possible to store up a supply for later.

I’m breastfeeding my 13 month old and I had originally intended to be able to express some milk for occasional bottle feeds, we did this a bit at the start but as others have said, you may need to pump while your baby is being given the bottle of expressed milk to relieve engorgement and maintain your supply. Or you need to find time to pump between breastfeeds which is not always easy while you are caring for a baby that is also breastfed on demand.

I found pumping significantly more stressful than it would have been if I had just breastfed but I kept doing it so that baby would have been able to take a bottle if needed. Despite this, at 4 months old my son point blank refused any bottles or dummies. Even though he had no trouble previously, they suddenly became highly offensive to him.

Obviously your experience could be completely different but my idea of expressing when I was pregnant was worlds away from my reality so just wanted to share a real life experience.

So exciting for you to get to meet your little on soon ❤️

I am combi feeding but it's mainly formula. I just get enough to give baby a bottle a day of breast milk, so about 4oz. She is only 4 weeks so that's the right amount for now.
I only pump 3 times a day and usually get an ounce or so each time. In the beginning I was getting loads but I didn't keep up with the frequent pumping because as everyone else has said it's bloody hard work.

Don't think about it too much. What you're suggesting sounds like very hard work. Pump for occasional bottle yeah but 50/50 sounds really tough. You'll be knackered. Your supply will be all over the place initially. Pumping a lot is painful and difficult and lots of women cannot pump enough milk for full feeds despite being able to feed their baby directly from breast. I have breastfed 2 babies (1year and currently my 9 month old) and I have only been able to get 20ml each side from pumping. You're setting yourself up to fail with this plan. You have to see how you are, firstly with breastfeeding then with the pump. You just have to wait and see if you can do or tolerate either. Even if you can, 50/50 is tough.