Switching Between Formula and Breastmilk?

Actually - My milk was sort of struggling throughout the afternoons so I decided to supplement a bottle there, and it was very hard to get the baby to go to the breast with the next feeding because the bottle was easier. However, I have had a friend who kind of tried the same thing because once it was her milk and not the colostrum the baby didn't want it, so she got frustrated and just wanted the baby to eat - anyways, after having the formula, her baby only wanted the breast milk.

You might try mixing the formula with expressed milk. That way your baby gets the best of both worlds.

I would totally breast feed. As long as you yourself eat plenty of healthful foods and drink plenty of water your milk should be the best option. A baby's body has to work harder to digest formula and you have more of a possibility of allergies. Okay- true story time. Back in the eary 1920's my ex-mother-in-law's brother was born at home. He was so tiny that they used a cotton lined cigar box for his bed. They put him up on the warming tray of the wood stove to keep him warm. His mom fed him breast milk with an eye dropper until he was strong enough to suck and nurse. He grew to be 6 foot 2 and as healthy as a horse. Stick with the breast milk as long as baby continues to gain. And congratulations on your new little one.
D. - mom to 9

Please, Please, have your hospital hook you up with a LaLeche Nurse and/or specialist prior to discharge. I would hope that You would go home with prior instruction and support in the hospital that follows up with you at home. As well as have a transitional person that will go in your home with you. I would much rather suggest this, then give you what I have heard information(I was involved in a nursing support group for 2 years)--I think the hands on approach would benefit you more because by reading your thank you note, the doctors have not made you aware that you can nurse and pump simultaneously. You have a very delicate situation, Please utilize all the best resources available to you: LaLeche Nurses/Leaders/Specialist are the best in your case.
God Bless. M. N.

Hi J.! I bet you're completely exhuasted and to have to worry about a premie's food intake on top of everything else that a new baby entails.... whew! You may want to tap into the resources of your local La Leche League... here's the link to find a group in your area: http://www.llli.org//WebUS.html
Meetings are free and if getting out of the house seems inconceivable at this time please just call a leader close to you. They will giveyou info. over the phone or make a house call. La Leche League is the world's leading source for breastfeeding information and support. Doctor's often refer their patients to LLL. I know you will find their support an invaluable tool throughout your breastfeeding relationship with your son. Good Luck,
K.

p.s. I just did a little searching on the LLL website for premies and formula/breastmilk... here are some more links that may help: (these are long, but great reads!!!!!)

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/premimportant.html
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJanFeb05p14.html
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVFebMar03p3.html

Hey, I had the same thing with my little guy! We had a hard time learning how to nurse, too! I had to use a breast shield for the first month or so. Fortunately tho, he got pretty used to the taste of formula quickly and would take it. He has always preferred breast milk, but what baby doesn't? Don't obsess too much about what food he's getting when, as long as he's eating. The best advice I can give you is to stay calm, follow your inner mom instinct and remember you know your baby better than the doctors and although they are smart, they don't know everything and you are with your baby 24 hours a day. Also your baby is your BEST Teacher and will tell you what he needs. Don't worry, you'll be just fine! Congratulations, Momma! And good job!

Hello my name is K. , I have a daughter her name is Serena and she also has had a baby that is a premie ,But the good news ,when baby is hungry he will nurse either he will prefer to be nursing because of the closeness to you , But he will gladley except both and will strive My daughter does both and is still doing it four month later and he has had his check up and is gaining wonderful in height and weight, the important thing to do is make sure you get a nipple for the bottle that is close as you can get it to your own nipple ,because the one thing she did have a little problem with was nipple confusion , and baby would get alittle fussie ,pluse she also got this gaurd that went over her nipple that looked like a bottle nipple she would put it on and the baby would start to nurse the mile would flow right into it and it stickes to you like it was a part of you , so ask your doctor about a nipple guard I hope I have been some kind of help let me know if you have any problems , my email is ____@____.com have sent you a message on bulltien here is my email if you need any more assistence I will be more than happy to help you keep up the good work and it is highley important that you dont give up on breast feeding , It will help your child to be smarter , pluse with formula babies tend to have problems popping when breast milk is a natural laxative so that is why it is good to do both pluse it is better for you to get the formula that has a Lip somthing cant remeber right off the top of my head it is good for babie and it is close to your breast milk let me know hoe your doing and dont give up on breast feeding so many mothers do take care (K.)

Hello. I have a friend, Summer.. who is a La Leche League Leader. (a breastfeeding advocate)It is VERY possible for a baby to reject formula over breastmilk. I'm very surprised that the doctors would tell you to breast feed and formula feed. Breastmilk is the best food you could give your child. If you are breastfeeding, why in the world would your child need formula?? If I were you, I would olny breastfeed. What's the point in doing both? If you have any questions, go to www.donenaturally.com
There you will find Summer's contact info.
GOOD LUCK!!

S. S.

J.,
My little one didn't want to take the bottle/formula from me... because, well, I had the goods. However, he took it like a charm from anyone else and as he became accustomed to taking it from others he would then take it from me. It was a process.

He was in NICU for a short while where he received formula and whatever I could pump. When we got home he went to nursing only and then at 3 months when I went back to work part time it was easiest to nurse when we were together and suppliment formula when apart. I was less stressed about finding somewhere to pump and he was getting plenty of nutrition. It was a happy comprimise for this Mommy who had never considered she'd WANT to go back to work!

We use Enfamil Lipil with Iron, it's what they gave him in the NICU and all the studies I've seen on it give fabulous results as to it's nutritional resemblance to breastmilk. You'll find what you and he like best though.

Like the other Moms say - trust your instinct, listen to your baby - you'll do great! Congratulations on getting him home! Enjoy every moment!

T.

You might want to call the local LaLeche League. They are a very good source of info for breast-feeding moms in lots of areas, including taking meds while you breatfeed, etc.

I too had a premature baby. The problem I had was that he didn't latch on as he was familiar with the bottle and not my breast. I still gave him breast milk though. After two months of pumping I didn't produce enough milk. This could have been just me. I don't want to see a mother get discouraged and not try to breast feed. Do what you can and try not to feel guilty if it doesn't work out how you dreamed of being. I felt guilty enough for probably me and you both. So you are off the hock. Keep being a great mom to your new born. Things will work out.

Hi J.!
One thing your baby might have trouble with is nipple confusion. I breastfed all three of mine, but with two of them I made the "mistake" of giving them bottles within the first week. After they had the bottle, they didn't want to nurse. It sounds like you don't have a choice, but I can tell you this. If your baby has trouble nursing, remember that breastmilk in a bottle is still breastmilk. That's the important part. The other is, I eventually got both of my two to nurse again, it just took a lot of stubbornness (from all of us!). The first time, I had given up, so I waited 7 weeks before I tried again, and she took it like a champ. With the last one, I tried again right away and just stuck with it until he got it.

Congratulations on your baby coming home! Mothering takes a LOT of persistence-you'll do great!

Hi J. my daughter in law Gen, had a very stressful situation arise & we decided that we would switch off with formula and breast milk. She pumped at work so I would have milk for the baby during the day, then she would breast feed at night. Then in Jan and Feb of this year,we had to go out of State for several weeks and it was to hard to find a place for her to pump on schedule, so the baby received formula with me and she would breast feed at night only. We purchased Parents Choice concentrate. So I would warm up 2-4 oz of water then add 2-4 oz. of the formula, depending on how hungry he was. She would still breast feed when she could. He has since gone to formula completely now and is gaining weight on schedule. He is almost 5 months now and is doing very well.
This litle guy took very well to both breast and formula.
Our lactation nurse did tell us the using the breast milk to add to the formula wasn't a good idea though.
Each baby is different and you should see how your baby reacts, I think he will be just fine.

Best of everything with your precious little guy.
Always
K. aka Nana K to 5 grand kids. 8 yrs - 5 months

I didn't have any problems with my kids choosing one over the other but have had other mom's tell me their kids did. I formula fed and breast fed all 3 of my kids. They did well. I usually bf them first thing in the morning and usually formula fed them twice a day during busy times of my day. Usually one in the daytime and while I was fixing dinner at night. They will go 4-5 hours between meals on formula so if your baby is bf every 3 hours just don't expect them to be hungry in 3 hours from a formula bottle. Eventually when they were getting weaned from bf it made it a lot easier. I got down to just feeding them when they woke up in the morning and before they went to bed. Then was bf just once a day til I totally quit. It was a lot easier than quitting cold turkey all at once like I did the first one. That was painful.

Hi! I am a nanny and mother of a 5 month old. I have not had any problems switching from breastmilk to formula. Although some moms do half breast milk and half formula.(same thing when its time to switch from formula to regular milk at one year old) Also my son would not breastfeed in the beginning so I pumped all his bottles for 6 weeks and then one day he just figured it out. He had no troubles switching throughout the day from nipple to bottle either. Hope this helps!

Breast is best. Period. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests breastfeeding AT A MINIMUM of one year. (Of course, around four to six months, you introduce 'baby foods,' but no formula.) Trust God, he gave us breasts for a reason....use them!

My son (age 12 now) was 6 weeks premature. I was told by his neonatologist when we left the hospital that the BEST thing to do is breastfeed on demand. Whenever baby is hungry, offer the breast. I would say don't use formula UNLESS he isslow growing. He will get EVERYTHING he needs from YOU!! Just drink TONS of water, take your prenatal vitamin, and take a calcium/magnesium suppliment. Don't give up on breastfeeding, as it is the BEST food for him!! My son is a typical 12 yo, and has had no growth issues whatsoever in his entire life. Hope this helps....
~A.~

I had planned to breastfeed exclusively for the first two months I was on home with my little girl on maternity leave. I ended up starting her on formula earlier than I had planned because when I pumped, I wanted to save that for when I went back to work. We wanted my husband to be involved in the feedings in the beginning, so after waiting the first month to avoid nipple confusion, he started giving her a bottle at bedtime. That ended up being formula. She never seemed to care what it was - breast, bottle, breastmilk or formula - as long as she got to eat! LOL. Some babies are pickier than others, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. You'll be surprised how well you get to know your baby and his needs. Congratulations!

I also had two preemies who had to have a mix of extra-calorie formula and breastmilk. We had no problem with either child rejecting one form of milk to the other. They didn't have to be on the formula long, and it gave Dad the opportunity to feed the girls as well. Good luck!