Combined feeding

[Applepie7]

Hi does anyone experience in combined feeding please. I was exclusively breast feeding my new born but then I found although she was taking the breast every 2 hours for 20 to 30 mins she lost 16% of her birth weight the hospital has advised to do combined feeding but Im exhausted giving her the breast, expressing so I can see the output and see how much baby is taking and during the night shes having formula whilst I pump so she can have breast milk during the day. I just trying to figure whats the best way to mange this and if anyone has some of schedule or routine! Thanks

[Seb9]

I used to do mostly breastfeeding, but husband would give one bottle feed in the evening and I would go to bed and get some rest. I found swapping out a couple of bottles a day for breastfeeding worked better for me than topping up with formula after a feed as baby would breastfeed as much as she wanted and we had a lovely time breastfeeding and had the pressure of making sure she was having enough by giving the formula bottle too.

Hope you find something that works for you both x

[Peony85]

I’ve had a similar situation twice and also found it really tough especially at the beginning - but it did get easier.

I think it depends on your ultimate goal - do you want to try to get to exclusive BF or are you happy to add formula for the foreseeable future. It also depends on the baby.

If you want to try to get to exclusive or mostly BF, then the expressing early on is really important to increase supply. I learned this the hard way with my first baby and we ended up exclusively on formula by 5 months. Second time around I managed the expressing after every feed for 3 weeks, which helped, but I found it too exhausting and reduced it after that to a couple times a day. Things that helped me were multiple sets of pump parts to lessen the washing burden and if should have someone who can help do the top up while you express, that helped me a lot too when my husband was able.

Every baby is different though. My first preferred the bottle, the second one much prefers breast and only takes a top up 2 times a day now (he’s 3 months).

It does get easier once they get stronger at sucking, are more efficient with BF sessions, and you find your rhythm.

Good luck, it is tough but it does get easier with time. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[Boo718]

hiya I know exactly what you mean it’s so difficult. We tried top up after feeding and found it really difficult. We had no idea how much she had had and I think everyone got frustrated. So now we do a few bottles as feeds with formula and that’s much easier then a bf in the morning and express at night xxx

[MrsOrangejuice]

I had what I thought was plenty of colostrum but my LG went through that within minutes and then was starving, but her mouth was too small to latch properly. Ended up getting readmitted as she lost so much weight and became lethargic - was on double pumps for days trying to keep up and produced loads and still wasn't enough! So we started formula 'top-ups' alongside pumping. I don't know how many lactation specialists tried to help and no-one could make natural BF work. It was exhausting and I felt I had lost closeness to my baby as I was always away pumping while someone else fed her. *but* after about 8 weeks she was able to BF, and by then she also took expressed bottle and/or formula fine. We had a chart that the lactation specialists gave us as a guide so maybe see if the midwives or hospital can give you one of those? I would do combined feeding again tbh as it meant I did eventually manage to get breaks, other people could feed her and she gained masses of weight. I think it's also a good option as the baby gets the benefit of your breast milk (for their immune system etc) and you and you OH (if you have one) get the bonding, but you have small breaks/some sleep and you know they're getting enough calories x

[Applepie7 in reply to MrsOrangejuice]

Thank you this is the same situation Im in to be honest MW/HV havent really been that helpful or supportive. Would you be able to share the chart you got? I just feel im loosing the bond with baby because im either expressing all hours litterally every 3 hours for 20 mins only to get 50ml expressed milk !

[MrsOrangejuice in reply to Applepie7]

Bless you, yes it was probably the hardest thing I've ever been through (plus I got mastitis twice, and bleeding nipples and it was just all agony, until one day (2mnths later!) it just 'worked'). The midwives were great for me as they said I was doing my best and a fed baby is a happy baby and that's it. The BF support groups and charities were massively unhelpful and just kept pushing me to keep exclusively BF (and no nipple shields - ever!) and had I followed their advice I think my baby and me could both have been extremely unwell. Everyone and every baby is different and it's easy for some, not others. And it's also a deeply personal decision. I don't think I still have the chart but it was the hospital lactation consultant that wrote it for me, and then the MWs used it to measure progress - can you ask your hospital? I think it was also specific to baby's weight and age. I think broadly it was add an extra 25% top up for each feed, but then we ended up doing some feeds whole bottle expressed, some all formula. If it helps, I felt like I'd missed out on the bonding because of the pumping and not actually feeding her at first, and that it would forever be broken somehow, but from about 5/6mnths when she started to interact with me more, it became a joy however and whoever fed her. You will be doing an amazing job and it will all be fine x

[alohalu]

Don’t top up after feedings, is way better to replace some feeds with formula. I did that for a month and then went back to exclusive breastfeeding without any problems.

[Emdog87]

I did combination feeding with mine. If you’re going to be expressing then you do need to invest in a good pump, I had a hand pump at first and it was horrendous, once I bought an electric one I could get a feed out within 20 minutes. I used to try pump every couple of hours during the day to keep my supply up. It is hard work but just do what works for you. I kept up with the expressing with my first up to about 9/10 months but with my 2nd I started to switch to formula when she was around 6 months,

X

[AlmostanAngel]

Sending lots of hugs your way, this was me 2 years ago. It's so hard when they don't gain and everyone is asking why and suggesting this and that. My little one was combifed from 2 days old. He was sick and my milk took ages to come in and like a few others he went through the colostrum I'd expressed in no time. I had to top him up post boob with either expressed or formula (sometimes both)I'd recommend a book called 'mixed up' it's by Lucy Ruddle. It's all about combifeeding in its many forms. It really helped me understand a bit more and work out what I wanted and how to approach combifeeding. She also has a great Instagram page and posts loads of advice.

Plus get your little one checked for a tongue tie not just by the midwife but push to have them seen at the local clinic. Mine had an undiagnosed tongue tie that was cut at 12 weeks, just after that he started feeding better and gaining more. I'm not saying that your little one has one but it can be a reason that they're feeding but not getting enough milk out and not gaining weight.

[Millbanks]

Hi lovely,

We combi fed from day 1 with breastfeeding and formula. The idea was that I'd breastfeed during the day and then my husband could give forumla in the evening for the "last feed of the day" before I'd take over again at night.

It was a bit of a mess to be honest and my LB never seemed full so I often topped up a breast feed with formula. In hindsight this was possibly the issue, although he seemed to find BF tricky and was never satisfied. We ended up switching exclusively to formula at 12 weeks which I felt a bit gutted about - but the upside was that he started sleeping through as he was full and has done ever since (bar a few bumps in the road).

Good luck with whatever you choose - its so personal - don't let anyone tell you your decision isn't ok xx