Occasional formula OK?

Pam - posted on 06/07/2009

Yes you can. Formula isn't going to hurt her. She might not want it at first, but gradually introduce her to it. Even if you have breast milk available, sometimes give her formula. I was never able to breast feed any of my 4, but I have friends that have done this and everything was fine. Talk to your doctor on your next baby visit and I'm sure they will give you a certain formula to give to your baby.

Mel - posted on 06/07/2009

i was formula feeding to get bri's weight up so i hadnt really thought about freezing it. i guess i was only thinking about getting the pain to go away for me lol. id realised yo couldnt just leave it and not do anything because you end up very sore. and i still wanted to try and keep up my milk supply just in case cause i was worried about her formula causing constipation but then i got lazy and my milk supply was gone

Melissa - posted on 06/07/2009

Quoting Melissa:

yeah agree with melissa you have to pump to keep ur milk supply up. i was pumping breast milk every day for like an hour because i didnt want my supply to disappear completely i just used to throw the milk down the sink

Not here to critisize but if you are going to work hard to pump might as well freeze it then use it even for cereal in the future it would also help prevent cereal from causing constipation. I buy the gerber breast milk storage bags I find with other brands they sometimes leaked as they would thaw.

Erin - posted on 06/07/2009

Supplementing formula occasionally will do no harm whatsoever to your baby =) Whether it be because you're having supply issues, for convenience or you simply need a break and want someone else to feed her, it's an entirely acceptable choice to make. Just be aware, as some of the other posters mentioned, that if it starts to become regular (which is fine too) you will start to lose your milk for that feed. Also, as someone else said, it is possible that your baby will take a liking to the easier bottle teat and start rejecting the breast. I personally didn't have this problem though. I had to start supplement feeding my daughter when she was only a couple of weeks old due to supply issues after a post-natal blood transfusion. She was a brilliant latcher and I had no problems getting her to go between breast and bottle.

Elisa - posted on 06/07/2009

Quoting Amanda:

Occasional formula OK?

i have a 5 week old daughter who i plan to breastfeed for about a year, as i did with my other 2 children. My question is - can i give her the occasional bottle of formula? i understand that expressing is an option but at times when i don't have any stored or at short notice when expressed milk is not available? i am asking because having three kids under 4 it would be a huge help for me to be able to have someone give her a bottle and her dad do some night feeds (fingers crossed!).

I don't see that it's an issue. I have just had my second baby and I breastfeed her, however at around 10pm and thru the night she gets formula.  She also does get a bottle during the day when my milk supply runs out or I need to take care of my other little one. It's also nice when others can help with feeding baby so you can get rest specially weekend nights. Good luck!

Mel - posted on 06/07/2009

yeah agree with melissa you have to pump to keep ur milk supply up. i was pumping breast milk every day for like an hour because i didnt want my supply to disappear completely i just used to throw the milk down the sink

Katrina - posted on 06/07/2009

When my daughter was first born I gave her formula occasionally for the first two or three months until I had enough milk coming in to just give her breast milk. The only problem I had is that after giving her a bottle so many times, she no longer would drink from my breast, I had to give her breast milk in a bottle.

Mel - posted on 06/07/2009

yeah its just fine actually i think its better. helps them to gain that little bit more weight and meet their milestones quicker. mine was solely formula fed but with the next im planning on giving the ocassional bottle of breast milk just because im scared my next will have constipation problems on formula. dont worry alot of moms do both x

Winthiri - posted on 06/07/2009

I have been giving my 3 month old daughter breast milk and at least one bottle of formula a day from about 3 weeks old, it does'nt harm her at all. As u said it lets u do other things if someone else can give the bottle to ur bub, trust me if she doesn't like the formula she will let you know.

Melissa - posted on 06/07/2009

Oh just a bit I forgot your milk may decrease so you may want to pump unless you are replacing that feed with formula long term.

Amanda - posted on 06/07/2009

The bottles that I found that worked the best were the Dr. Brown's bottles. She had alot less gas and colic than other kids her age. With the Dr. Brown's bottles you can choose the nipple that your child needs. The levels go from 1-3 and is based on how they are when they eat. Plus with the formula if your somewhere that you cant breast feed, you have the bottle.

Amanda - posted on 06/07/2009

My daughters was in the NICU when she was born and we fed her both. It doesn't hurt anything.

Melissa - posted on 06/07/2009

I have done this and have had no problems. Finding a niple he liked however was the hard part but no supplementing with formula can not harm your baby. Unless your infant has a sensitivity to the formula but there will always be something to suplement with. I only have 2 and its hard to have time to pump all the time. Just find a formula that works for you. Good luck.