Looking for advice on supplementing with formula

ALeBlanc17

My LO is almost 7 months and has been EBF to date. I had a long break from work over the holidays, during which I exclusively nursed (no pumping - it was glorious!). But now that I'm back at work, I'm having trouble pumping enough to keep up with what LO needs while I'm away. My freezer supply is pretty low, so while I'm trying to boost supply, I think I'm going to have to start supplementing with formula. Any tips or advice for introducing formula? Mix formula with BM? Give bottles of formula only and stick to nursing when I'm around? Brands of formula you would recommend? Any and all advice is welcome! Thanks in advance.

augustusgoose

Do not mix the BM with formula, if you do that the expiration of that bottle you made will be the one hour that you can use a bottle made with formula. I would suggest give the BM that you will be giving first then make a bottle of formula to give.

I would just start by giving generic formula and take it from there. If there is a problem, such as gas pain or spit up, then buy the formula that covers that problem.

If you hope to keep BF then I would recommend feeding ANYTIME you can. Keep giving your body the signal to produce milk to keep the supply up.

If you are going to keep pumping, say at work, I would recommend doing it at the same time and then pumping until you are empty and then 5 minuets after to signal to produce more milk for more output.

Check out the pumping thread here, I think that there is a FF board somewhere, or maybe it's a pumping??? Might be worth checking out.

Lastly it will be fine and the transition and figuring out what works for you will work out easier then you thought. Also you might want to check out the "new here" thread and introduce yourself if you plan to keep posting.

Good luck!

sisaw

Thanks for posting this @ALeBlanc17‌ I am in the same boat. Thanks for the tips @augustusgoose‌

I plan on making some lactation smoothies. Lots of recipes online. There was one on the working mom check in this week. Good luck.

clwheel

I was low when I was sick a couple months ago and I did some power pumping sessions at night - not the most fun - that seemed to work. 20 minutes pumping, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, 10 on, so an hour.

Savvy122

augustusgoose said:

Do not mix the BM with formula, if you do that the expiration of that bottle you made will be the one hour that you can use a bottle made with formula. I would suggest give the BM that you will be giving first then make a bottle of formula to give. I would just start by giving generic formula and take it from there. If there is a problem, such as gas pain or spit up, then buy the formula that covers that problem. If you hope to keep BF then I would recommend feeding ANYTIME you can. Keep giving your body the signal to produce milk to keep the supply up. If you are going to keep pumping, say at work, I would recommend doing it at the same time and then pumping until you are empty and then 5 minuets after to signal to produce more milk for more output. Check out the pumping thread here, I think that there is a FF board somewhere, or maybe it's a pumping??? Might be worth checking out. Lastly it will be fine and the transition and figuring out what works for you will work out easier then you thought. Also you might want to check out the "new here" thread and introduce yourself if you plan to keep posting. Good luck!

Is this also true if the bottle is refrigerated?  When we started supplementing with C, I would prepare his bottles in the evenings, adding 1-2 oz of formula to 3-4 oz of breastmilk... and then would send to daycare the next day.  He refused straight formula at first because of the different taste, so this was the only way I could get him to drink it.

ALeBlanc17

Thank you for the suggestions @augustusgoose @sisaw @clwheel - super helpful to find support when you're feeling stressed and anxious about something. Hoping for a smooth transition!

augustusgoose

It is recommended that once a formula bottle has been used for feeding that it is discarded within 1 hr. The thought is that the bacteria that is introduced to the environment could make the baby sick. If you make a formula bottle and it has not been used it is good for 24 hours refrigerated.

Breast milk is good for 24 hours even if used and refrigerated, and a week if unused and stored in the back of the refrigerator. The thought behind that is that the antibodies and WBCs in the BM can keep bacteria levels down and make the prolonged storage safe for baby.

So if you mix BM and formula, there is nothing wrong with that, but if baby doesn't drink it all then you could potentially be wasting BM.

Honestly I don't think a lot of people don't follow these guildlines and it is fine. Most healthy, non immunocompromised baby's can handle it.

JmeJoLee83

Crazy timing since I had to supplement for first time today. LO is also 7 months and after having a great 2 weeks off of pumping my supply has dropped. I am not producing enough milk to keep up while I am at work. I would like to continue to nurse on weekends and before bed if possible.

I mixed a small amount of breast milk with the formula but kept it refrigerated. LO has been doing ok, I have had so much anxiety about him having tummy troubles, etc. I don't know why but I cried at work over this. Damn it, hormones!

Question; can you pump too much to the point where your breasts don't respond?

katekat8721

Everything @augustusgoose‌ said. She is wise.

kanga2754

When I was breastfeeding I wasn't making enough for my sweet pea. I had to supplement. I would pump as much as I could and then mix it with formula. I worked great. Now we only use formula. I no longer make breast milk. My little jan had done great.

nspengler13

From day one I have supplement my little man with formula. It was the smartest move I made. He take both formula and breast milk just fine. He cant tell the difference now. I don't mix them. He has one breast bottle then a formula bottle and I keep that pattern going.

isabelsmomma

Too bad your not in my area, otherwise I would give you my extra breast milk. I'm a sahm and pump more than I need and my freezer is stocked. I read that you can supplement with goats milk due to the ability to digest it better than cows milk. Look into it. Also, read labels carefully because a lot of formula is full of sugar and not so quality ingredients. Organic is better, no soy and try to avoid DHA added because its sourced differently and not so good unless its from fish and of course has no mercury.. Well, I'm sure you'll research that.