Combi-feeding success stories and tips please 🙏

[Bugs22mk]

Due baby number 2 soon and wanted to somehow figure out combi-feeding.
I exclusively breastfed my first but she would never except a bottle and we had lots of issues - for that reason I’m set on being able to offer a bottle this time around .
wanting to try and breastfeed as well but just not sure how.
Any tips on how to breastfeed and give bottles of formula from the start? It’s a minefield with supply etc so I’m just finding it hard to plan.
thanks!

Plan to mainly breastfeed. Pick one or two feeds per day that will be formula (or a formula top up) and do the same time every day if you can. For me that was 8pm and 2am or thereabouts. As baby slept better, the 2am one became a breastfeed to maintain my supply.

I found my baby wouldn't take a bottle from me personally before 4 or 5 months. I couldn't even be in the room when the bottle was being offered, the baby preferred breast milk. I combination fed into 8 months when I was back at work and ready to stop.

I felt I reached a good balance with DS but I was coming to from the opposite direction from you: I was determined to breast feed the second time round after really struggling and not succeeding to establish a latch with my older DD.

So we introduced bottles within the first couple of days but only for daytime feeds and only a little top up after breastfeeding first.

I only breastfed him through the night while getting bf established.
We gradually used more formula during the day then switched some feeds to bottle once I was 100% confident breastfeeding was well established and after a few weeks it felt like the best of both worlds. I do realise I was lucky that DS wasn't picky about the bottle or formula brand and didn't much struggle with wind or colic.

@Arch9000 thank you - when you gave a bottle initially did you use breastmilk or formula? And did you pump at the same time? Ideally we will also use formula too long term but I do have a pump I just don’t want to create a over or under supply

Just wanted to say that I think I did everything 'right' with my kids and it still didn't work.

I started bottles about 4 weeks with dc1, and at 1 week with dc2. DH did all the bottle feeding attempts with me out of the room. It was freshly pumped warm breast milk. The teats were identical size/shape to my nipples and the flow rate appropriate. Did all the tips re posture, attitude, speed etc. Chilled out DH.
Neither child ever drank more than a few slurps and generally hated the bottles. I'll try again with dc3 but I assume we're screwed and my offspring are bottle snobs.

Happy to hear advice for what to change for dc3 if anyone has any!

Where I live, it's normal to go back to work whilst still breast feeding at 3 months. We're advised to give a bottle regularly from 4-6 weeks. If you start earlier, you risk bottle preference and hurting your supply, if you start later, they've lost the suck reflex and probably won't take one. By regular, they really mean one per day, but for us two per week worked fine. I used pumped rather than formula.

Did you taste your milk ever? Some women's breast milk is disgusting when pumped! Mine would only drink max an ounce in a go from a bottle, then would come back 10 minutes later. Breast fed babies don't normally go glug glug glug like bottle fed. DH needed a lot of patience on daddy days. He also liked it very hot

Actually I did! Try anything once 😂 It was very very sweet but no unpleasant flavours.

Ah this sounds ideal and I would do this but - unfortunately this is exactly what we did with our first and she just completely refused the bottle by this point so are wanting to do it from the start to avoid this. I’d prefer for breastfeeding not to work out than have that again as we had loads of issues.

Ah yeah this is hard! I unfortunately would prefer to go down the bottle only route this time if we do head this way. My first just wouldn’t accept anything either and it caused us lots of issues which is a shame because there were aspects I loved.
we tried quite a few bottle types but have read the Lansinoh ones are very good for combo feeding so will try those initially this time.

We used Lanisoh at first then moved to Dr Browns. If they won't take it at all, it's normal an issue for a logopedist. My friend was advised to do 48 hours pumped bottles only even if the baby cried because for her it was just practice and getting sucking strength up. Most babies take to it though.

No judgement, but why aren't you keen to breast feed? If you had issues last time, it was likely caused by whatever was stopping her bottle feeding. If you get an easy feeder next time, both bottle and breast will probably be much easier. Breast is a million time more convenient than bottle, especially if you've got one that will occasionally take a bottle and you aren't going straight back to work.

Agree with this, keep it to 1 feed for the first few weeks. Get baby's dad to do it if you can initially, and leave the room during so baby can't smell you.

I think the advice is that BF overnight is important to build/maintain supply so don't replace a night feed with formula.

We ended up introducing a bottle on day 6 due to medical issues and it never led to bottle preference or BF refusal, DC quite happy to do both. No advice on pumping I'm afraid though as I never got anything when I tried!

I had trouble producing enough milk with my first and my second was admitted to hospital at two weeks old because she lost so much weight. My regime after that was start every feed with a 10 minute breastfeed and then give formula. It all worked great for everyone.

Our daughter is only four weeks old, but we've combi-fed from the first week- we used the little pre-made formula bottles in the first few days as my wife had an emergency c-section. Ever since then we've been able to use breast milk in bottles, but always try and give her 1-2 bottle feeds a day to make sure she stays used to the bottle! Even if it is a split feed, half breast with a small bottle top-up, this should be enough to keep them used to the bottle!

I combi fed from early on. Not straight away but early.
I got good advice from a health visitor.

First, learning to feed from a breastfeeding is harder than learning to feed from a bottle so wait till you feel your baby knows what they're doing on the breast. It can only take a few days then you're good.

Second, start by giving a set amount of formula every day. Say 2oz. If your baby seems hungry and is breastfeeding a lot, don't fall into the trap of thinking you don't have enough breastplate and give more formula. Stick with the set amount and breastfeed all the rest of the time so your supply builds up like if you were exclusively breastfeeding.

Good luck. I combi fed for way longer than I exclusively breastfed.

she had reflux and poor weight gain. We were under the paediatric team so saw the lot - consultants, speech and language, osteo etc. and the next step would have been a feeding tube so we defo tried everything with the bottles. She was also cluster feeding like every 20 mins until like 8 months so I was barely able to leave the house. I’m keen to try breastfeeding again but, I would prefer to risk them having a bottle preference over them not accepting one.

Also had weight issues with my first but she just wouldn’t accept a bottle as we waited had followed advice to wait until 6 weeks to introduce.
Did you try and pump while you gave the formula / how did you know how much formula to give?

That was rough. Mine lost a lot of weight in the first week and I remember how stressful it was. Fingers crossed you get an easy one this time. Breastfeeding is often hard for the first 3 months, even if it's straightforward, but after that a lot of women find it makes life so much easier compared to bottles. Not all, obviously. You might find a simple breastfeeding experience (if you get one) is cathartic, so I wouldn't write it off just yet.

I never pumped for ds, and bottles were always formula. My aim was to succeed in breastfeeding him as never got a successful latch with his older sister : in the end I pumped for her for a few months but it was never enough on its own. (There were a number of barriers followong emergency section, and pavlik harness at 6 weeks. )
With DS I was just a lot more stubborn about breastfeeding him so that was always the priority - the first bottle was at a few days old but I always bf first and topped up woth a little formula after, and for the early weeks always breastfed through the night which I know os supposed to promote hormones to help get your supply established
I wish it was more straightforward to plan, but feel like everyone's experience is as different as every baby. Good luck xx

I never pumped with my second but always seems to have enough milk to give her a nice feed and then she’d top up with the formula. With my son it was constant breastfeeding but he was in such a low centile for his first year it was stressful.

Thank you - this is really helpful!