Feeding - one bottle and supply?

[Sunshinegirl452]

Hi ladies. My dc is 1.5 weeks. Our feeding has got off to an OK start however I did have a bit of pain and in agreement with my midwife substituted one feed on two days with a bottle (dc had 30-75ml for each feed) to let my sore boob rest.
My question is whether I substitute one feed for a bottle now will this have any long term impact? I feel like it may give me a little flexibility to spend time with my dc1 (ie could do bedtime on my own etc) which she needs since baby arriving

keen to hear any stories where this worked for you without killing supply

I wouldn’t want to do any more than one bottle a day as keen to make bf work plus
My dc1 was ebf anyway so would feel bad.

also - any good bottle suggestions please?

All 3 of mine had a bottle at the start for varying reasons and it didn’t kill my supply. With the first 2 I moved them off of it, but with DD we kept it until she was older and it didn’t cause any issues. The main issue is it can cause nipple confusion and they can start developing a shallow latch, but as long as they’re latching on OK it should be fine. We used Tommee Tippee bottles for the first 2 and Medala for the 3rd as she didn’t get on with them.it can be a bit of trial and error at first.

Good luck with the early days!

I’d see if you could get an appointment with an IBCLC (lots do zoom now) or go to a local BF group for advice on the pain. Midwives unfortunately don’t have lots of training on BF and tend to suggest giving a bottle instead of looking for the cause / alternative ways of treating/helping. It might be a success using a bottle and one bottle a day might do no harm, but IME early days are all about building supply and getting the latch right. It’s been such a short time, your DC1 will adapt and you’ll get plenty of 1-1 time in the coming weeks once you’re through the trenches (can you get 1-1 after feeding, will baby lay happily for a few minutes in a Moses basket or somewhere like that?).
Congratulations on your baby 🥰

p.s. lots of people rave about the MAM bottles.

I gave one bottle of formula a day from the beginning and breastfed for eight months. No supply problems until my baby regularly slept through the night at 6.5 months (and then my period came back and my supply dropped - but I was happy to stop at that point).

Thank you everybody I think my main driver is just wa ting that chance for one on one with dc1 without having to maybe feed baby too. I know it’s short time but my dc is quiet and I think it would help her. Might give it a go

There was definitely a point around eight weeks (after I got rid of thrush - so painful) where I thought about ditching the formula and going EBF - my supply would have caught up - but it was a nice routine for my DP to give a bottle. In fact until 4.5 months, DC wouldn't take a bottle from me at all (and honestly, why would they if there's an option?!). Very little risk of bottle preference when you are predominantly breastfeeding.

I'm a few weeks ahead of you as my little one is 6 weeks. I expressed at 1.5 weeks so I could do bedtime with my 1st every other day as per our usual routine. From 3-5 weeks I could do a feed before bedtime get baby to sleep and hand him over to dad with my pj top and he'd stay asleep or at least relatively calm whilst I did bedtime. The last week he's started being unsettled between 6 and 9 in the evenings so it's been a bit more hit and miss.

My daughter has really loved having me at bedtimes. If a bottle of formula helps you do that do it. It might be a short time thing too as in a few weeks you might be able to time a feed for just before bedtime and again after bedtime with formula as a back up.

Another option would be to pump for a feed. If you pump a few ml after each feed it will up your supply and you'll easily end up with 50ml for the evening. Where I am we're actively encouraged to give 1 bottle a day from 4 weeks to make sure the baby will take a bottle. They don't recommend doing it with formula though because it affects supply and can cause cramps. Before 4 weeks is a bit risky that the baby won't go back on the breast.

If you're sore, an ice pack will reduce inflamation and help to prevent mastitis. Don't use heat or massage, it makes it worse. Paracetamol helps too

I agree with this, unfortunately midwives have very little training on breastfeeding. If you would rather avoid formula.