Let's Breastfeed

Combination feeding – is it worth it?

What would you say to this question?

For some moms, breastfeeding is simply not something they feel passionate about. They do it… so that their baby benefits from the many wonderful properties breast milk offers, but they don’t love it.

So when a mom in this situation asks about bottle feeding during the day when out and about, naturally I support her. The mom still expresses and offers expressed breast milk in a bottle – this is considered combination feeding or mixed feeding.

Combinataion feeding when using expressed breast milk is a lot easier than using formula but it is more of a hassle than exclusive breastfeeding because you still need to wash and dry the bottles.

Using formula during the day or for more than one feed per 24 hours, may quickly lead to your supply depleting and you becoming dependent of formula – rather than using it as an aid. You also need to be a lot more careful about hygiene and will need to sterilize frequently – something not needed when only using breast milk.

The way I assess a situation is as follows:
Why does the mom want to introduce a bottle feed? Is there anything I can do to make breastfeeding so easy – it does not seem like a good option anymore?

How many bottles do we need to introduce to keep mom breastfeeding – as every drop of breast milk will be beneficial to the baby?

How should I protect the milk supply, so that we don’t end up purely formula feeding?

SO if you are considering introducing bottles into your day, ask yourself the three questions above.
If you are in pain and this is what is driving you toward bottles – I can fix your pain.

If you are concerned about your supply and want to offer top ups – I can help you increase your supply and prevent you from going down the slippery road of top ups.

If you feel you need more flexiblity – I can help you manage your supply long term.

Much love,

Geraldine

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