Breastfeeding and Formula - Norcross,GA

I wouldn't introduce formula, period. You are planning on giving her the world's best nutrition until she is 6 months old, so why change to something so inferior - and pay for it! At 6 months old you can add in rice cereal and some fruits. If you can do it, keep up with the breastmilk until at least 12 months, at which time you can introduce her to cow's milk and a larger variety of foods and skip the entire, chemical-laden formula all together.

Did you know there are more than 100 nutrients in breastmilk that science still cannot identify? This quote is from the famous pediatrician, Jack Newman:

"Every correction of a deficiency in formulas is advertised as an advance. Fundamentally they are inexact copies based on outdated and incomplete knowledge of what breastmilk is. Formulas contain no antibodies, no living cells, no enzymes, no hormones. They contain much more aluminum, manganese, cadmium and iron than breastmilk. They contain significantly more protein than breastmilk. The proteins and fats are fundamentally different from those in breastmilk. Formulas do not vary from the beginning of the feed to the end of the feed, or from day 1 to day 7 to day 30, or from woman to woman, or from baby to baby... Your breastmilk is made as required to suit your baby. Formulas are made to suit every baby, and thus no baby. Formulas succeed only at making babies grow well, usually, but there is more to breastfeeding than getting the baby to grow quickly."

If you have come this far, do not pay for something so inferior when you are producing liquid gold. Think about this:
The cost of a container of Similac formula that makes 168 oz is $24.00
The cost of buying 168 oz breastmilk from a registered milk bank is $756.00!

Children on formula have higher rates of allergies, obesity, ear infections and illnesses. Here are some more statistics:

Breastfeeding is good for employers. Since artificially fed infants are sick more often and for longer periods than breastfed babies, working mothers who don't breastfeed miss more work. Corporate breastfeeding programs in the US resulted in a 27% decrease in absenteeism and a 36% decrease in health care costs. Working mothers who are supported in the workplace not only miss work less often to care for sick babies, but they tend to be more loyal employees.

The WIC program in the US spends twice a much per mother for formula as it does for food given to nursing mothers. If each WIC baby nursed for six months, the US government could save $450-$800 million in health and welfare costs.

Artificial feeding costs billions of dollars to governments, health care organizations, and families. In many countries, babies who aren't breastfed run the risk of increased death rates from illness, diluted formula, and unsafe water. Choosing not to breastfeed is often a life or death decision in developing countries.

Boobs are Best! :) You are doing great so stick to it and tell the formula CEOs that someone else can pay for their Ferrari!

Unless you pump (and even then as a pump isn't as efficient as a baby) expect your supply to slow. Keep pumping and freezing to keep up your supply. That may also allow you to continue breastmilk longer... finally when do want to wean I found taking my time to slow down production was better... less pain. Sounds like a good plan!

Like the other responders stated - if you stop nursing or pumping as often as you are now, your supply will diminish. I have a particularly sensitive supply and it will drop within 2 days of infrequent nursing. If you do this suddenly, you will want to avoid becoming engorged since that often results in clogged milk ducts.

Have you considered breastfeeding for longer? It really is only the US that weans children at such a young age - many countries nurse until a child is 2 or 3. Anyhow, if you are supplementing with formula because you are going back to work, have you considered pumping while at work? A good double electric pump with a hands-free bustier is pretty handy dandy. I only suggest these alternatives because I struggled with nursing for the first months of my child's life and have come to have a deep respect and love of breastfeeding - it is time when I can bond with my baby and nourish him with the best food on earth.

you got a good anwer already. I'd introduce formula a little earlier though, as introducing two new things (formula+baby foods) at he same time could be harder on your child to accept/getting used to...I gave formula to my boy at 4mos and started to wean him at 6mos. Ask your ped, tough, it's always best.

It will make your supply drop b/c her demand on you will drop.
Adding formula is not going to guarantee her sleeping longer at night. That will come as she ages and grows. I added in formula with my daugher and saw no change in sleep with her. I did the add in cereal trick too and it didn't work either.
pick up the No cry sleep solution book by Elizabeth Pantley.

As soon as you introduce formula, your supply will go down. It is based on demand, so if she is demanding less, you will make less. Sometimes you will have problems keeping up your milk even to the point that you want it to be at. So say if you want to feed her only at bedtime, it might be hard for your body to make even that much after a little while. Why are wanting to introduce formula? Are you returning to work or just want to be able to have a break once in while and have a backup plan? If you only give a formula bottle every once in a while (like once every few weeks), you will probably be ok. But you need to pump at the missed feeding times. And even then, a pump is not as efficient as a baby. We introduced a bottle at four weeks to be able to leave my son with my mom on occasion. But even on date night, I would take my pump in the car and pump on the way to dinner or before the movie. This helped me keep up my supply. I always had pumped and frozen milk in my freezer because I pumped pretty religiously if I couldn't nurse.

Edit*
I see from your edit that you are hoping to get her to sleep longer- I doubt that formula would help with that. As far as I know there is no evidence that introducing solids or formula will do that. A better choice will be to introduce solids starting with cereal at that age, and if you make dinnertime her solids meal from the start, maybe it will help, but I doubt it. I saw absolutely NO change in sleep habits with the introduction of food or formula (I had to supplement for a few weeks when he was 9 mos). What you really need to do at that age is start sleep training. I understand wanting longer sleeping periods. I didn't do sleep training and so my son didn't sleep through the night until around 15 mos.

There are a few good books that you can get, depending on your beliefs regarding cry it out versus not crying it out. I used The No Cry Sleep Solution, and liked it a lot. She was very nursing friendly in this book. A couple of others I have had recommended are The Sleep Whisperer, and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. You could post a question on here to ask for some recommendations for books and ask people whether the book is geared more towards cry it out (CIO) or not, and make a decision from there. 6 months is a good age to start teaching them to self soothe. You will probably have better luck doing this than giving formula.