Who is breast feeding and formula feeding?

Shannintipton - posted on 09/21/2011

Hi Colette. Thank you for the response but this thread is a little old so I am going to close it. Thanks for the input though. :)

Colette - posted on 09/21/2011

I am doing both for my daughter who is now 3 months old. We have done it from the first week being I couldn't keep up with her demands. She does get somewhat frustrated at the breast b/c it doesn't comes out as fast as the bottle, but she has doubled her birth weight already, and is 24 inches long, so I'm glad that she is healthy, which is our main goal.

Natalie - posted on 02/07/2010

Today formula is so advanced, it provides almost everything breast milk can. Of course breast milk is still the best choice for the baby BUT there's nothing wrong with formula feeding and breast feeding. I had problems breastfeeding my 2 children, i nursed them for 2 weeks and then started pumping and giving it to them in a bottle. And in between formula. That was until i dried out and then they only got formula from then on.

I'm a bottle fed baby and i have no health issues, no allergies or anything like it. Neither do my kids. They're hardly ever even have a cold.

So, do what you think is right for your family!

Susan - posted on 02/07/2010

I don't think you should feel bad if you can't breast feed anymore, I hate it when people did that to me. My daughter never would latch so I pumped exclusivly for as long as I could, three months, until my supply wasn't keeping up with her demand and we switched to formula. If you can you can, if you can't you can't. It's not something I ever stressed about and I don't think you should either. Yes, we all know breastfeeding is best and blah, blah, blah...but if you can't, you can't. DON'T FEEL BAD!!!! It's okay.

Robbi - posted on 02/07/2010

Never go back and forth between formula feeding and breast milk feeding. Such constant dietary changes can cause digestive problems. Always mix the formula with the breast milk, slowly adding more formula as you need to.

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2008

As to the breast milk vs formula feeding I just want to say, yes, breast is best but what is really important is what is BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY. When my daughter was 3.5 months old I switched her night feeding to a bottle of formula, I pumped instead allowing me to build up a reserve supply. (My milk supply has not decreased.) Your body will adjust based on the feeding/pumpings that occur.

Erica - posted on 12/26/2008

I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding in the beginning. I pumped the milk and fed the baby from a bottle for the first 2.5 months. In the second month, my production wasn't enough for her; so, I supplemented with formula. Then, without warning, I stopped producing milk at 5.5 months. So, now she's completely formula-fed. The pediatrician told me that as long as she is growing it's o.k to do formula feeding and breast feeding.

Gina - posted on 12/26/2008

well ive given my baby breast and formula since he was 6 weeks old it used 2 b only 1 a day but as he got older its more like bottles ov breast a day and there is nothin rong with him

Chantelle - posted on 12/23/2008

thanks again, ive stopped expressing cause of the over supply syndrome i only hand express a little to get my breast a bit comfy, he is getting te hind milk cause his poops are the right colour, even though he battles with the over supply we work hard together at feeds and yeah he emptys my breast alright but within an hour my breasts are full and heavy again, like i said i do not want to give up breast feeding i just want him to have a bottle of formula at night i was told it might help decrease my breast milk so i wont suffer with the over supply, and if he sleeps longer it would be great, however my daughter was on formula by 2 months and it never helped her sleep longer, but she had no choice she had to go on formula due to complications

Barbara - posted on 12/23/2008

I would talk to a lactation specialist. I don't know who you would call in Australia, but I bet if you dialed up any midwife in the area she could point you in the right direction. Be wary of what the doc tells you to do in regards to breast feeding, as they have a nasty habit of saying you shouldn't exclusively breast feed, although it has been proven again and again to be the best for your baby.

Kirsten - posted on 12/23/2008

If you are trying to get your little one to sleep longer at night (and aren't we all!) a bottle of formula may or may not be the answer. Not all formula-fed babies sleep better or longer. If you suffer from oversupply, he might not be getting all the fatty hind-milk at the end of the feeding. This could cause him to be hungrier if he's only getting the watery foremilk at the beginning of the feeding. Make sure that he completely empties one breast before switching sides. If you want more sleep, you could try pumping for a few minutes (5) after several feedings during the day (getting more hindmilk) and switch off breast and bottle feedings through the night with your husband. I really love the book "The Nursing Mother's Companion." It is full of great ideas for all sorts of breastfeeding problems. You might check it out. Good luck and congrats on your choice to breastfeed.

Stacey - posted on 12/23/2008

im my mind i breast fed both my children, and i am a student midwife i think that breast is best , i dotn see why you would want to give formula milk , if the reason is so someone else can feed your baby for that last feed or so u can ahve some time off, then i woudl express, breast is best and this is proven, formula milk in studies has been shown to cause allergies , obesity in later life etc, breast feeding isnt forever, and belive me you will miss the closeness once your baby is on solids and no longer needing your milk x

Angela - posted on 12/23/2008

i fed my midd;e child one bottle per day at night and wat told by the maternal childhealth nurse CARICARE was the most like brest milk and my daughter went from one to the other easily

Chantelle - posted on 12/23/2008

Hi britney I thought night time would be good so maybe he can sleep for a little longer, and my breast usualy hurt most at nights with the oversupply problem, the only other query I have is which is the best formula here in australia as in south africa i used lactogen, which can be found here as well

Brittany - posted on 12/22/2008

hi my son is now one and i was breast feeding and bottle feeding. i breast fed him till he was two months old and i decided to supplement with bottles because i felt he wasnt gettin enogh from breastfeeding alone. once i started suplementing though my milk supply slowed down and eventually by 6 months he was on bottle full time. he is a happy healthy toddler now. oh and what is ur reason for wanting to give ur baby a bottle at night?

and i dont regret my decision for a sec hope i was helpfull :)

Lindy - posted on 12/22/2008

Good luck! Maybe pumping isn't the answer for you if you suffer from oversupply. I'm sure many mom's would love to have that problem instead of the other! I would just have somebody else give the baby the bottle at night just to make sure until he's a little older! Then maybe you can get a few extra minutes of sleep too!

Chantelle - posted on 12/22/2008

wow thanks for the response guys very good advice from all of you, I definatly want to breastfeed for at least six months cause I know that its so good for them and I want junior to have a good start in life. I only breast fed for just under 2 months with my daughter as she could not keep my milk down so the Doc suggested I give her formula as she was loosing weight, only thing is I could not wean her onto it and she started suffering with constipation at the sudden change. Now breastfeeding is a huge job for us cause I suffer from oversupply syndrome and he chokes alot and he has colic, he is also a big baby 4.6 kg at birth and came 3 weeks early, so he is very hungry and feeds every hour to 2 hours during the day and 2-3 at night, ( he is now 2 months on wednesday and weighs over 6 kg) so I thought I would like to get him use to formula without giving up breast by giving him one bottle before bed so we both can have a good night rest maybe. Otherwise thanks so much for your response guys very helpful and Merry christmas to all.

Lindy - posted on 12/22/2008

Why do you want to have the baby on formula? Are you hoping to stop breastfeeding? If you start doing formula everyday and you are the one giving the bottle, depending on your child you might not be able to breast feed much longer. I had a friend who gave her baby a bottle of formula everyday because she was afraid her baby wouldn't take a bottle if something happened to her and she couldn't nurse and it ended up her baby refused the breast after about a month. At first it's best if you want to continue breast feeding and need to give the baby a bottle to have someone else do it. That way they don't associate you with the bottle. I breast fed for a year so the weaning process was different for me. If you want to keep your supply up you will still have to pump even after you give the baby a bottle. It's a supply and demand thing. Good luck!

User - posted on 12/22/2008

I have a 3 month old. I breastfeed her for every feeding except for her last feeding of the day, and the early one in the morning (her daddy gives her a bottle for those). I pump before I go to bed and her dad mixes 1/2 breast milk with 1/2 formula for both of the bottle feedings. She has done fine on them. I have a girl friend who has breast feed exclusively and didn't mix any formula into her son's diet. He's 9months old. She has been pumping at work for 6 months now and her milk is slowly decreasing. He will not take formula because she never gave it to him and they are having a hard time keeping weight on him. He's the reason why we've been giving our daughter formula for over month now. Just in case something happens to my supply or I get sick or something.

Tandi - posted on 12/22/2008

i am feeding my daughter my expressed breast milk because she will not breast feed and i have tried everything. doctors and experts say that breastmilk is best for the baby, i would have to say i dont think it is a good idea to give your baby formula, but i dont know your situation. i would do almost anything, including pumping every 2-3 hours 24 hours a day, which is what i do, to give my daughter breast milk and no formula. i have done research and found out that formula causes allergies, and obesity later in life. Breastmilk pretects against ear infections, lung infections, childhood obesity and diabetes, there are many other benifits to breast milk. The immunities it provides protection against sickness for you little one for example. Breast milk is a living organism that you are feeding your baby to fight off infection and give the best nutrients that change from feeding to feeding depending on what your baby needs. formula is dead, unchanging, it is always the same taste and there are no immunilogical beneifits to formula. So i would say no it is not a good idea, but if you are finding it too hard to breast feed and you are wanting to give formula for the sake of your own sanity than that is ok, it is better for your baby to have a sane mommy, than a physically and mentally exhausted mommy

Natalie - posted on 02/07/2010

Today formula is so advanced, it provides almost everything breast milk can. Of course breast milk is still the best choice for the baby BUT there's nothing wrong with formula feeding and breast feeding. I had problems breastfeeding my 2 children, i nursed them for 2 weeks and then started pumping and giving it to them in a bottle. And in between formula. That was until i dried out and then they only got formula from then on.

I'm a bottle fed baby and i have no health issues, no allergies or anything like it. Neither do my kids. They're hardly ever even have a cold.

So, do what you think is right for your family!

Robbi - posted on 02/07/2010

Never go back and forth between formula feeding and breast milk feeding. Such constant dietary changes can cause digestive problems. Always mix the formula with the breast milk, slowly adding more formula as you need to.

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2008

As to the breast milk vs formula feeding I just want to say, yes, breast is best but what is really important is what is BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY. When my daughter was 3.5 months old I switched her night feeding to a bottle of formula, I pumped instead allowing me to build up a reserve supply. (My milk supply has not decreased.) Your body will adjust based on the feeding/pumpings that occur.

Erica - posted on 12/26/2008

I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding in the beginning. I pumped the milk and fed the baby from a bottle for the first 2.5 months. In the second month, my production wasn't enough for her; so, I supplemented with formula. Then, without warning, I stopped producing milk at 5.5 months. So, now she's completely formula-fed. The pediatrician told me that as long as she is growing it's o.k to do formula feeding and breast feeding.

Brittany - posted on 12/22/2008

hi my son is now one and i was breast feeding and bottle feeding. i breast fed him till he was two months old and i decided to supplement with bottles because i felt he wasnt gettin enogh from breastfeeding alone. once i started suplementing though my milk supply slowed down and eventually by 6 months he was on bottle full time. he is a happy healthy toddler now. oh and what is ur reason for wanting to give ur baby a bottle at night?

and i dont regret my decision for a sec hope i was helpfull :)