Giving formula once or twice a day.. Is that a bad thing?

Rebecca - posted on 01/14/2010

In the beginning i had breastfeeding issues so i gave my son a bottle of formula before bed and he slept really well because of it. He is now 5 months old and i breastfeed through the day and give him one bottle before bed and for the last 2-3 months he has been sleeping 8-10 hours a night. I do pump before i go to bed though as i will get to engorged before morning. I get a good sleep, my boy gets a good sleep so we all win. I really dont think that one bottle harms a baby. In the end you have to do what is best for you and your baby.

Terri - posted on 01/14/2010

i gave/give my daughter formula. I have always had a low supply despite doing everything i could to increase it. Any breast milk your baby gets is good. I have found that a lot of breastfeeding moms are very harsh and sometimes mean and judgmental when it comes to people giving there kids formula. . I say do what you feel is best for you and your baby. My baby was losing weight and and losing it fast, and was to the point of dehydration! what was i suppose to do??? I breastfeed and supplemented bottles, and eventually my supply was decent, but not sufficient. But, she is happy, and healthy and thats what counts! good luck to you. PS...bottle or breast she still wakes up every 3-4 hours....

Victoria - posted on 01/14/2010

I give my daughter a few oz of formula a day. She had alot of issues gaining weight, no matter what we did so she gets one bottle. I give it to her at night to give me a break and more sleep. There's nothing wrong with it. You have to do what works for you and your family.

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2010

I still EBF my 8 month old daughter even though I am back at work. I pump everyday to give her bottles at daycare, and nurse on demand during evenings, nights, and weekends. I know a lot of people are totally opposed to co-sleeping, but we did it a lot when I first returned to work. I would doze a little while she nursed and then put her in her bassinet when she finished. Now, she only nurses once, maybe twice during any average night.

Naomi - posted on 01/10/2010

is the "problem" that he doesn't sleep as much as you want him to at night?
bm is easily digestable and some kids need to eat more often than others. You don't need to feed formula to get him on a schedule. Can you pump so that you keep your supply up and you can still give him a bottle?
as the other ladies say, breast is best
but it does take work and might not feel as convenient at the moment, but in the long run, it's definitely worth it
GL

Sarah - posted on 01/10/2010

I'm a total advocate of breastfeeding, but my 6 week old daughter has had about 6-8 bottles of formula in her life. I had a LOT of pain when I first started breastfeeding, so much that I would cry... so in the beginning some nights when it was really bad I wanted to leave my doctor perscribed medicine on my nipples for more than a couple hours without washing it off to feed, to heal myself a little... so I would give her a small bottle. I felt guilty about it but I did the best I could. She didn't really like it anyway. And I wasn't worried about lowering my supply because I had an overabundant supply which also caused some problems for me. But we exclusively breastfeed now. So breast is best but do what works for you and your baby.

Minnie - posted on 01/10/2010

"Just One Bottle Won’t Hurt”---or Will It?"

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/b...

Nicki - posted on 01/10/2010

My first baby had a bottle of formula a day from a few weeks old, and I think it was okay. I still had enough milk to carry on nursing him to 9 months old. Maybe some mothers' supply decreases too much, but mine only seemed to go down by the amount he was getting from the bottle.

Amy - posted on 01/10/2010

it depends on if you want him to have breastmilk or formula once you're back to work. supplementing with any formula will decrease you milk production. so if you want the breastmilk for him for when you're at ork, probably best to just nurse. if you are planning on formula feeding once back to work - then i guess it's a way to get him used to it. people tend to give you a hard time on here for formulua feeding, butmy friend had to go to work too and if she wasn't alert she could lose a limb or her life - not best for baby to be without a momma. you always have to look at the big picture. you have to do whats best for all of you. if your asking simply if its bad for milk supply, yes but depending on your other reasons, perhaps not.

Brenda - posted on 01/10/2010

Cut out the formula or you will eventually be unable to keep up your supply. While the idea of a schedule is attractive, it can also decrease supply. Feeding on demand is the only way to meet needs of the baby. The longer sleep period on formula is because formula is not digested as well as breastmilk because of the other stuff in it. Breastfed babies digest breastmilk in thrity minutes, meaning that in the early days they are frequently hungry. This frequent waking is also a biological mechanism so that babies do not enter too deep of sleep, one of the theories being researched behind SIDS, which is the most likely reason breastfeeding reduces SIDS by such a significant amount. The first three months is crucial to the milk supply and your breastfeeding relationship. See Kellymom.com for some great information to help you.

Johnny - posted on 01/09/2010

Using formula can impact on your milk supply. Every time your baby receives formula he is not taking milk from the breast, causing your breasts to respond by making less milk. This can become a vicious cycle that slowly erodes your milk supply. If you would like to continue breastfeeding, I would advise avoiding the supplementing if at all possible. Could you try pumping and bottle feeding instead. That would likely do much less damage to your supply.

Jennifer - posted on 01/09/2010

Only use breast milk. It is the best thing for your baby. It shouldn't be about sleep, it should be about your child's well being. You are on their schedule, not vice versa. You can work and still breastfeed.

Teresa - posted on 01/09/2010

I would stick w/ the breastfeeding only. He's only 7 weeks old and while it is possible to have a child that young on a schedule (I did it w/ newborn twins)... every child is different.



Of course, you're the mom, so it's your call. I don't think the formula will harm him (under most circumstances), but breastmilk is SO much better... and free. ;)