my baby is one week old is it ok to formula feed her in the day and breast-feed her at night???

Holly - posted on 10/26/2012

Pump!

Stefanie - posted on 10/26/2012

Do what feels right to you. A happy healthy mommy=a happy healthy baby. As long as your milk is in your body will adjust to what you do. It will take a few days though for your body to stop producing during the day. Just be aware you may be uncomfortable until it gets all figured out.

Sandra - posted on 10/25/2012

Listen, Jessica, do not feel badly for not breast feeding as much or introducing your baby to formula. You will hear everyone tell you breast is best and to suck it up and even though it is best, somtimes they need more than what you can give them! I felt horrible and even cried over giving my baby formula a few times during the day which only made my milk harder to come in because when your stressed out about anything it will be harder for your milk to come in. My baby girl is 10 weeks old and I breastfeed her at night and a couple times during the day but she does enjoy formula because it seems to fill her up in a way that my milk doesnt. Your baby might be a little fussy at first but it will not harm her! Do not be down on yourself! Trust your gut momma, your doing great!

Emilie - posted on 03/13/2010

I have heard to wait until 6 weeks to introduce them to anything else. Pumping would also be an option if you want to try that when you go back to work. If you want to pump still wait until she is 6 weeks so that she won't get nipple confussion.

Christina - posted on 03/13/2010

I have four children all breastfed. Toward the end of nursing I began formula and nursed before bedtime whenever that was, nap or nightime. My children all did wonderful with it. My last little girl just was not crazy about nursing at all which set me into crying fits and guilt. My mother reminded me she was not the first formula fed baby in the world and they do just fine. So I nursed whenever she would even it was 5 minutes here and there and she was on formula. she is 2 now and super healthy, happy and so smart. Relax, I promise you regardless of breastfeeding or formula your baby will be just fine... Good luck

Teresa - posted on 03/13/2010

i did exactly what you're doing and the doctor said it was just fine. my mother and mother in law also suggested i do it that way to give myself a break if i was out and about.

Anita - posted on 03/09/2010

If you want your breast milk to come in strong you should breast feed through-out the day. Drinking water before each feeding is recommended. (Check with any Le Leche Leage members or Breast- Feeding clinics, if in doubt.) Don't just take personal opinions from us here alone. But you will find out that your breasts may get engorged or overfilled with milk, making it uncomfortable for you if you don't feed every 3-4 hours, per baby's demand. You be the one who decides, though. You must be at peace with your decision. What is the reason you don't want to in the daytime? Are you going back to work? Some breast-feeders express milk and store extra ahead of time for times when they will be away for the father or baby-sitter to feed with a NUK nipple. (Which is most like the mother's nipple inside the baby's mouth.) These are suggestions which you may want to explore as alternatives.

Sarah - posted on 03/09/2010

I'm a little different in that I had a premature son at 28 weeks who had issues latching on to breastfeeding. I did my best to pump and supply him with breast milk but was advised it was okay to supplement with formula as well so he got both for the first 52 days. Hope this helps!

Iysha - posted on 03/09/2010

Also, about nipple confusion... It is usually apparent after 4-6 months of age. Before hand, it is easier to switch back and forth. So if you are going to introduce a bottle at any point, do it before 6 months for an easier transition from breast to bottle.

Iysha - posted on 03/09/2010

It is absolutely fine to do both! I did both, well kind of, bottle feeding was easier for me and my baby. My daughter had a hard time eating and bottle was easier. So she was mostly bottle fed and was completely bottle fed after one month. I absolutely love bottle feeding and don't miss breastfeeding at all. Do what works for you. You don't have to feel guilty at all. Breast feeding is a lifestyle choice and isn't for everyone. Being in a class room or at work makes it hard to breast feed only so doing both will definitely help. I started working and there was no way I could work and have time for pumping. So formula feeding was appropriate for my lifestyle and personality. I am the type of person that likes to know exactly what is going on and I like that with bottle feeding, I know how much milk my daughter is drinking. I also like that if I am gone for whatever reason, my daughter won't be crying bloody murder because she's hungry and won't take a bottle. Anyone can feed her! So, like I said before, it is a lifestyle choice and you need to just do what is best for your lifestyle.

Alicia - posted on 03/09/2010

hi jessica,
remember that breastfeeding is a supply demand set up so everytime you breastfeed your baby it is ordering in milk for the next feed. having said that the fact that you are still breastfeeding over night is GREAT because that is when you hormone levels (ocytocin and prolactin) are at their highest and therefore will help stimulate and hopefully maintain your milk supply!. If you want to keep breast feeding i would suggest if you can to try and pump during the times your not feeding then give this to your bubby while you not able to feed her (pumping takes a bit of effort and you may need to comp with formula until your milk supply is properly established ..which on a normal bf baby takes about 6 weeks but will take slightly longer if your expressing). On the days you are home and can bf through the day i would recommend you do so as bub is best at increasing your supply plus if your then and bub is there then it is easiest to just breast feed! hope this helps :)

Candice - posted on 03/09/2010

Hi Jessica I do the opposite of what you want to do and b/f during the day and by the afternoon I have barely any milk and will bottle feed. My daughter does however get a little confused and wont take the bottle in the afternoons at times so i have to attempt to b/f her until she realises she isnt gettin enough and then will take a bottle(it does take awhile to get her to take it tho).. I think whatever you feel comfortable with is best.

And that is so true what Allison said if you do not exclusively b/f every 3-4 hours you become more fertile. I have a 11week old and a 13month old(my 13month old slept through the night hence breastfeeding was not a good form of birth control) haha. I wouldnt change the age gap for the world but was a shock when we first found out...!

Allison - posted on 03/09/2010

I don't have too much advice about bottle feeding, and I certainly know that all experiences are different, but mine are totally the opposite of the previous post by Sharon :) I gave my baby a bottle from when he was just a few days old b/c my milk took a week to come in, and several times later on, and he never did get confused. I spoke to a lactation consultant who said that it's best for Mom to give baby the bottles if she wants breastfeeding to continue :) I know when my little sister was 3 months old my mom bottle fed her a bunch of times and after that she did refuse to breastfeed, but I don't know what else was going on at the time. Also, I think if you breast fed for over a week, that should be plenty of time for milk to come in fully. I don't have direct experience with that, because I breast fed exclusively after my milk was in, but my 3 year old stopped nursing over a month ago and I still have some milk, so I think it takes a while to dry up. We did keep a pretty regular BFing schedule for the first year, but when he was ~2 years old, I would go days without nursing him when on trips, and then have a full supply right away when I got back. So I don't think you have to be too diligent about keeping a perfect schedule, either, at least not later on. My friend who pumped during the day said her daytime supply started to diminish after about 9 months of not nursing during the day, but she still had plenty at night. Also remember that if you are NOT BFing at least every 3 hours (including during the night), you become fertile again, and CAN get pregnant and need other birth control - just a word of warning ;) Good luck!

Sharon - posted on 03/09/2010

As long as your milk is in, you can bf on any schedule as long as it is the same everyday.
You just will not make milk the other times. But, make sure your milk in "all in" or you will lose it all. I would bf as much as possible until just before you go back to school. warning: She may get so she likes one over the other and I would have some one else give her the bottle, not you. that's where the confusion is.

Allison - posted on 03/09/2010

DEFINITELY keep breastfeeding whenever it works for you! You can do whatever combination works for you. Even if she has formula all day, you can certainly breastfeed her at night and it will be great for her and you to bond and relax that way. Even if it's hard now, it becomes a really relaxing activity to sit and do together later, especially when she starts moving around and things get hectic. ANY breastmilk she gets will help her be healthier, and you can use as little or as much formula as you need in between breastfeeding. Being a mommy is all about compromise :) If you cut WAY back on the breastfeeding, your milk supply will adjust to that level; so later, if you decide to breastfeed more it will take a little while for your body to start making more milk again. If you stop breastfeeding all together, in a month or so you won't have any breast milk, so I would suggest to keep it up a least once a day, but as much as you can :) Also, that way if you hate how the formula feeding goes, you can transition back to breastfeeding more. Breast is best! It will save you and her from being sick, constipated, etc. later on, which you will REALLY appreciate, so hang in there!!!

Ashley - posted on 03/06/2010

i brest feed my son for 2 months and i stoped it got so everytime he wanted to eat it hurt so bad i would cry. They say to stick with one for about a month so they dont get confused on the nipple u can pump and just put that in the bottle if u wanted to

Sabrina - posted on 03/06/2010

They usual recommend you to wait at least 3 weeks for your milk to come in good before you start anything else. Normally I would tell you that it's your child and you should do what you want, but I just went through this. My daughter is 5 weeks and I started using formula when she was 2 weeks old at night because it was easier, but in the process it also decreased my milk supply. After the three weeks you can also pump in order for your baby to still get the breast milk, but you have the convience of a bottle. You shouldn't feel bad for formula feeding some because some breast milk is better than none at all. Right now I can only feed my daughter breast milk about four times a day. It's depressing for me, but I know that she is still getting the nutrients from it the few times I do.