Question by Karen M: Is it ok to feed my newborn baby with formula and sometimes breastfeed?
Best answer:
Answer by dueinoctwith#3
Perfectly fine just know you won’t have as much breastmilk because it is a supply and demand process for your body. So if you only nurse at like say nighttime and formula feed during the day you won’t have much milk supply and sometimes it ends up drying up.
Give your answer to this question below!
Yes, just remeber that if you don’t breastfeed regularly, like the same all the time the milk may dry up and will also cause you some discomfort.
It’s not a good idea. Supplementing a brand-new, fragile milk supply with formula leads to losing your milk pretty quickly. Not to mention introducing a bottle right away can cause nipple preference/confusion, since it’s way easier for a baby to drink a bottle than learn how to nurse. They’re smarter than they get credit for; if it’s easier, they’ll do it!!!
The best choice is to pick one and stick with it. Obviously formula is inferior in all ways to breast milk (even the formula companies admit it). It’s your decision.
Yes, it is ok to feed your newborn both. If you want to make sure you keep up your breastmilk supply then use a pump when you are giving your baby formula.
I don’t know your situation, but I started out with just breastfeeding my child until I had to go back to work, 3 months later. Then I introduced formula because it was very hard for me to pump at work. My baby had a mix of breastmilk/formula until she was nine months old. When my milk dried up (at nine months) she continued with the formula. Transitions from nipples to bottles never were a problem. Good luck, and remember, as long as your baby is eating and gaining weight, you are fine!
For the first month or so you will have to express after every feed and during the times when baby is bottle fed. This is because with a new milk supply it will dry up almost overnight if you don’t have that constant 3/4hour schedule to encourage its production. Milk is like your brain – if you don’t use it you lose it! It may be worthwhile to rent an electric breast pump from a pharmaceutical hire place. It will make the process much faster for you.
And some words of big sisterly advice about things which may be said by others on this space:
People who have been lucky enough to fully breastfeed their kids can sometimes get a little self righteous and judgemental on those of us who cannot. My first son was born just as my dad was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer and due to stress and schedules I often had to leave him with a bottle and a sitter. Of course my milk was gone by the time he was 5 months. My second baby was born two years later and everything was storybook perfect . I fed her until 14months. It made me feel ridiculously vindicated for what I stupidly thought of as my first “failure”.
You do what you know is right for YOUR family and don’t let other people’s expectations influence your decisions.
GOOD LUCK!!
It is perfectly OK to feed your baby both formula and breast milk. However if you want to continue to breastfeed make sure you try and express some milk so that you do not risk “drying” up.
I say pick a team and stick with it. If you’re going to breastfeed, give it 100%. If you’re going to formula feed, be consistent.
I am currently doing just that. I breastfeed sometimes, and bottle feed with formula, or expressed breast milk at others. You needn’t worry about “drying up” as long as you pump every few hours when you’re giving formula (no less than every 4-5 hours). Sometimes you just need a break, and it’s nice to be able to leave the house without having to worry about breastfeeding in public, toting bottles of breast milk to keep cold, or maybe even leaving baby at home with dad or a sitter.
Yes it is great,
I used to do the same with my daughter.