Question For Those Who Supplement

Mrs. Erin

I?ve been back to work for almost 2 months now, and just as I suspected LO is starting to eat more then I can pump in a day.  I?m probably going to have to start supplementing in the next week or so, and I have a couple of questions?.

 

Do you mix bottles half and half with BM and formula or do you give them some full BM bottles and some full formula bottles?  The reason I ask is because at daycare they have to follow the ?rules? for formula, so would it be beneficial to send formula bottles to daycare and use BM ones at home?

 

How did you start supplementing?  Did you mix a little more formula in the BM bottles each time until LO got used to it, or did you just try giving them a formula bottle and see if they took it?  My DD is very easy going, and I think would just take the formula bottle no problem.

 

Thanks!!

mrgn

I don't pump BM, so I either give her the breast or I give her a bottle of formula. She took the formula no problem right away. She's not sensitive/gassy or anything like that. It has worked out pretty well for us.

buttrflychic05

when DD goes to daycare we have to supplement... we send 3 BM bottles and 1 formula bottle.  we do not mix bc formula can break down the good stuff in BM. 

GiniMcGlothin

buttrflychic05:

when DD goes to daycare we have to supplement... we send 3 BM bottles and 1 formula bottle.  we do not mix bc formula can break down the good stuff in BM. 

I've never heard this. 

I EPed for four months and am now feeding from the freezer, mixing BM and formula.  But I make smaller bottles when I do this because if she doesn't finish I toss out less BM.  My pedi suggested mixing before all formula (if possible, obviously not possible if you don't pump) to help in the transition.

majors31

we do a BM bottle first and then supplement with formula.

the BM makes it easier for her to digest the formula.

i know that we are not wasting BM if she does not finish the bottle.

we just started doing it that way.  she didn't have an issue with it.

DH stays home with DD, so it isn't much of an issue to have to prepare more bottles.  i can imagine, it would be difficult to do that with daycare.

 

majors31

GiniMcGlothin:

buttrflychic05:

when DD goes to daycare we have to supplement... we send 3 BM bottles and 1 formula bottle.  we do not mix bc formula can break down the good stuff in BM. 

I've never heard this. 

I EPed for four months and am now feeding from the freezer, mixing BM and formula.  But I make smaller bottles when I do this because if she doesn't finish I toss out less BM.  My pedi suggested mixing before all formula (if possible, obviously not possible if you don't pump) to help in the transition.

this is from babycenter

"Some mothers mix powdered formula with their breast milk in order to increase the calories their baby gets during a feeding. Please do not do this! Not only does it change the composition of the breast milk, but the micronutrients in the formula will become so much more concentrated that it can be very hard on your baby's immature kidneys. Always follow the exact directions on the can of powdered or concentrated formula, and never mix formula with anything but distilled water."  link

the article says it's fine to mix if you mix the powdered formula with distilled water to make the liquid formula, but you risk wasting it.

 

QueSrah

majors31:

GiniMcGlothin:

buttrflychic05:

when DD goes to daycare we have to supplement... we send 3 BM bottles and 1 formula bottle.  we do not mix bc formula can break down the good stuff in BM. 

I've never heard this. 

I EPed for four months and am now feeding from the freezer, mixing BM and formula.  But I make smaller bottles when I do this because if she doesn't finish I toss out less BM.  My pedi suggested mixing before all formula (if possible, obviously not possible if you don't pump) to help in the transition.

this is from babycenter

"Some mothers mix powdered formula with their breast milk in order to increase the calories their baby gets during a feeding. Please do not do this! Not only does it change the composition of the breast milk, but the micronutrients in the formula will become so much more concentrated that it can be very hard on your baby's immature kidneys. Always follow the exact directions on the can of powdered or concentrated formula, and never mix formula with anything but distilled water."  link

the article says it's fine to mix if you mix the powdered formula with distilled water to make the liquid formula, but you risk wasting it.

 

That doesn't mean you can't take 2 oz. formula you've mixed up with water and combine it with 4 oz. of BM.  It's just saying not to use BM instead of water to mix up the formula. 

We generally give DD a full bottle of formula in the evening and send all the BM to daycare.  I never thought to mix them together until recently when I occasionally have a few oz. "extra" beyond what I send to daycare.  We started giving formula in the evening hoping it would hold her longer until her nighttime feeding than BM, though it doesn't seem to work that way.  I don't think it really matters what DD gets when at this point.