Can I keep up small amount of breast feeding after switching to formula

[HappyBear00]

Not here for breast vs formula debate but looking to see if anyone has successfully kept a small amount of breastfeeding/expressing going after switching over to formula feeding early on.

We are 2 weeks in and due to low supply and low weight gain we are on the trajectory towards switching to mainly formula feeding.

For the last week I've been bf, followed by bottle and expressing with an electric pump. Carrying on with that every 3 hours isn't sustainable, but I could see myself doing it maybe half of the time (so every 6 hours). Just wondering whether this will be enough to sustain some milk supply. Not looking to increase supply, but just keep some for when she is looking for a quick snack/comfort and to add some expressed milk to formula each day.

Keen to hear experiences from others but please no judgement.

We did... It was most successful when I breast fed and DH did the bottle feeds ( mix of expressed and formula ) DD got confused if I tried bottle feeds.

Absolutely you can. I kept up a little morning feed for a long time and many continue the nap or bedtime feed as a sleepy easy feed. Every feed counts and gets a nice shot of immunity jn there. Best of luck.

You can just put him or her on whenever it does suit you and you're both relaxed and go for it.

I did, daughter wasn't gaining weight so had to switch to formula at 6 weeks. I was devastated not to be able to breastfeed and tried to keep it up by pumping and/or BFing before bottle feeds.

To be honest it ended up being so time consuming and faffy that it became easier to just give a bottle, and the BFing petered out by the time she was 12 weeks old. My supply seemed ok, she was just so small and weak she wasn't feeding very efficiently- it took 30 mins to finish a 60ml bottle!

At the time, I was really upset but looking back with a level head (and no post-partum hormones!) it was fine.

Three weeks is around the time when it suddenly gets easier. Having ‘low supply’ is pretty rare. Assuming you are drinking loads of water and eating well, you should be able to make what you need. I’d cut out the expressing (it’s a pain). Feed baby every hour, both sides. Sit in front of the tv and do nothing but have someone bring you snacks and drinks and feed the baby. You can, of course, breastfeed if you want to, along with formula, but you will need to get your supply up and sustained if you want to do that. Having ff one and bf one, bf was so much easier and less stressful than ff once you crack it.

I’d focus on just getting your supply going with the hourly feeding. Bit of formula top ups if you still need it. See how you get on. Then you can make a decision what you do once everything is easier.

I had a system with my partner that I would breastfeed for night wakes, but if baby was still unsettled after 30 minutes of feeding, he would make a bottle of formula and give a top up. That kept my supply up but also helped with my sleep, baby's sleep, and baby's jaundice (too tired to feed well at the beginning). I couldn't stand to pump too. You can use ready to feed in the night to make it quicker when they wake so much. As long as you keep breastfeeding the baby regularly, even if you're not sure how much milk they are getting, you will keep making milk and the baby will keep getting benefits from it.

Thanks for the helpful advice from those that have been there (and those who answered my question rather than one I didn't ask!). We are going ahead with breast first before bottle each feed and ditching the expressing. So far this has felt much more doable and we have a happy mum and happy baby.

I couldn’t cope with expressing. I didn’t like it but it also screwed everything up. Mine all settled on BF throughout the day and a large bottle (whatever the full feed for that age) late evening. Worked perfectly for me. It meant a long pause in the evening when I was tired and the baby was really full so slept longer. So at a pinch I could go to sleep at 7ish and get a long stretch.