Combo feeding from birth? Anyone done this? Advice thamks

[NewbieToThis]

Hi so I’m due my baby in March and from the get go I’ve planned to combo feed from birth. I’ve been thinking of either doing a half and half routine so half the feeds breast and half bottles or 2 breastfeeds to 1 bottle of formula. I think that would work the best. I get an extended stay in hospital so I’ll have plenty of support for combo feeding. I also plan to get the Wren pump and pump if I can.

has anyone done this before from birth? How did it go? What bottles and formula did you use for your babies? I’ve heard good things about Tommie Tippee, Mam and Nanobebe bottles also I’ve heard that Kendamil or Cow & Gate Formula is good.

I know a lot of people will say ‘why not just exclusively breastfeed?’ I get migraines and I don’t do well on really reduced sleep so combo will just work much better for me. If my baby goes off breastfeeding then I’ll pump instead with those Elvie or Wren electric pumps as they are hands free.

We combo fed for medical reasons with one of mine. It was absolutely fine, no issues as some suggested we might have. Baby ate and slept just as well as their BF elder sibling.

I think all formula is much the same in the UK, we happened to use Aptimel which was fine.

Bottles can be a bit hit and miss, my baby liked some but not others, they seemed to prefer the more convex shape.

We did two bottle feeds a day usually, and the rest BF. Some of the middle of the night ones we’d use a bottle too.

Best of luck.

I have. Our son had a breast and bottle within 30 mins of being born
It worked very well for us, against all the advice BUT - we have been very lucky that he was just a hungry baby that ate well. I’m unsure if it would work for any baby or if it was just stroke of luck
It meant though my husband could help with night feeds, I’d recommend trying

ps we used tommy tipee antycolic bottles

I did because I never had enough milk to fill her up. The best bottles I found were the Morrison's own ones, and she had Aldi formula.

SaltyGod thanks so much for your reply. I’m glad combo feeding worked really well for you and your baby. Yes I’ve heard that formula milk is made the same in the UK but when I’ve watched YouTube videos on combo feeding a lot of the mums recommended Kendamil but it’s good I can use any of them. Did you have the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine? Considering asking for that for my baby shower but worried it’ll be too big as I have a very small kitchen.

I've done this with all of mine so that DH could help with night feeds

Newhere5 brilliant glad it worked out for you. Which bottles and formula did you use? That’s what I like about combo feeding as other people e.g. my husband can help as we plan to split up the night shifts into 2 6hr slots.

Newhere5 just read your other comment about the Tommee Tippee Anti Colic bottles I’m considering getting them

I combi fed from the first to second week with all three of mine. For me it was important to give the bottles at the same time every day so that my body knew when to produce milk and sk that I didn't become engorged. I loved combi feeding, it allowed me to get some much needed rest in the late evenings as my husband always did the 11pm feed so I could go to bed early and sleep through that feed. I could go for an evening out with friends. Once I had my second a third children it meant I could leave baby with husband and spend sone quality time with the older ones.

CharlottePimpernel thanks for your reply. I’m glad it worked well for you too. Didn’t know Aldi had their own formula. I know Lidl and Aldi do their own nappies. My friend uses the Lidl ones on her son and she says they’re great but just need to make sure they’re secure to stop any leaking.

bellsbuss that’s brilliant glad it worked for you. It’s great that with combo feeding it means others can help lol

Lots of people have success with this, what I would say with my bf counsellor hat on is you might need to do a bit more breast feeding in the early stages to establish a good bm supply to support the combi feeding - ideally putting the baby to the breast every 2 hours for the first 10 days or so, and one middle of the night feed also important, so I’d time the formula to give you a break in the day (get someone else to give it) and get your rest in then.

3WildOnes thanks for your advice. I’m glad it worked out for you too. Yes I’m planning on having a set routine for formula feeds. I’ll probably give them 4 times a day and the rest either pumped milk or breastfeeding.

Hollyhead thanks for your advice. I plan to do more breastfeeds in the early days to build up my supply. Like I was saying in my post I’ll do 2 breastfeeds to 1 formula feed to help build up my supply.

Sounds great, good luck and enjoy your new baby 🥰

I combi fed my daughter on advice from the midwife after she lost too much weight after birth. It worked really well for her and for us. We gave her 2 bottles a day and breastfed every other feed. It gave my partner a chance to get involved and helped them bond and it also gave me a chance to rest and sleep. My daughter gained weight well and never had an issue going from breast to bottle.