BF or Formula? Can you do both?

rwri10

We wanted to do formula since it seems it would be more convenient.... but now I am thinking about BF... But I'm not sure! I don't want to be the only one to be up all hours of the night feeding the baby and the pumps kind of scare me. Which are you doing?  And can you do both??

nillian10

You don't have to be the only one up feeding the baby. Your SO/DH can help you. And he can do this by changing the diaper (typically in the beginning they need to be changed every feeding), burping, keeping you company, getting the baby from the bassinet/cradle for you.

I will be BF'ing again. At the breast & by the bottle.

You can certainly do both (formula and breast milk). Each feeding should be one or the other..not both of them mixed. And I would recommend feeding at the breast until your supply is in, and then introducing the bottle. He/she might take the bottle better with your milk in it.

GL and you can do, especially if you're thinking of it!

KendraJoette

I will at least attempt to breast feed, but you can do both, the big issue with doing both is getting your milk supply established and keeping it up. To get your milk established you will probably need to BF during the night, once it is well established, you can probably have someone else formula feed the baby at night, the pumps really arent a big deal. With my first, she wouldnt latch, so I pumpped and fed the breast milk, which was kinda a pain because it takes a lot of time, but the pump isnt anything to be scared of, and is really handy if you do choose to BF. There are lots of bennefits to breast feeding and I would encourage you to give it a try.  The one thing with doing both is that you will find you will get uncomfortable if you usually BF and skip a few feeds with out pumping, and for some people it can really affect supply.

alicia023

I BF DD and I let DH give her a bottle of formula also. We done both and then ended up having to go straight to formula. I wasn't sure at first either if I wanted to BF and was scared and nervous but I'm glad I did do it and will be BF this LO too.  

cwyland

There is nothing more convenient about formula feeding.  It's expensive, there are constant recalls for safety issues, and your baby's poop will start to stink.  Despite what the formula companies say, it is nowhere near as healthy for your child as breast milk and can cause all sorts of problems.  It should really be reserved for people that need it because they are unable to breastfeed for one reason or another.

 That said, get yourself a breast pump.  If you want to split between breastfeeding and bottle feeding, feed your child your own milk in a bottle.  You can pump a supply and let your DH get up to feed the baby.  It's really easy to do and the stuff is free and great for your child.

 I suggest you contact your local La Leche League or a lactation councilor.  WIC provides free breastfeeding classes and information.  They only take about an hour to attend and you will leave with all sorts of freebies and a lot of good advice. 

mltaylor23

With DD I had to start pumping from day 3. So she got bottles of BM and I nursed her. We were blessed and she never had nipple confusion issues, so DH could give her a bottle if I needed extra rest. I pumped and BF-ed exclusively for the first 6 months and then started to wean down so DD got 3 formula bottles at daycare and then nursed at home.

I think you can do it a number of ways. Just read and research. You want to make sure you establish your supply which takes about 6ish weeks, but really it's up to you and what works best for you and your baby.

mabma80

I BF until they are 6 months old, that also includes pumping so DH can help with feedings. Then I switch them to formula 'til they're one and go on to whole milk.

alianne87

cwyland:

There is nothing more convenient about formula feeding.  It's expensive, there are constant recalls for safety issues, and your baby's poop will start to stink.  Despite what the formula companies say, it is nowhere near as healthy for your child as breast milk and can cause all sorts of problems.  It should really be reserved for people that need it because they are unable to breastfeed for one reason or another.

 That said, get yourself a breast pump.  If you want to split between breastfeeding and bottle feeding, feed your child your own milk in a bottle.  You can pump a supply and let your DH get up to feed the baby.  It's really easy to do and the stuff is free and great for your child.

 I suggest you contact your local La Leche League or a lactation councilor.  WIC provides free breastfeeding classes and information.  They only take about an hour to attend and you will leave with all sorts of freebies and a lot of good advice. 

This, and also, BFing provides your baby with antibodies that she wouldn't get from formula, which can keep her from getting sick and/or help her recover faster if she does catch a bug. Our bodies make milk for a reason, and I strongly urge you to BF if you can, whether via breast or bottle feeding your own milk. Good luck! 

 

 

MeggieLou2

A close friend of mine just had her baby about 3.5 weeks ago.  Within the first week of BF'ing she had started pumping and introduced a bottle.  Now, weeks later the pediatricians are telling her that her LO isn't gaining enough weight and that they believe that her body isn't producing enough milk.  I was told in the BF'ing classes that I've taken to EBF for the first several weeks at least.  I believe she's having difficulty because she introduced a bottle way to early.  But what do I know?  I'm not a doctor...but I do know I'll be EBF for several months before letting my lil nugget hit the bottle.  Good luck to you!

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

nillian10:

You don't have to be the only one up feeding the baby. Your SO/DH can help you. And he can do this by changing the diaper (typically in the beginning they need to be changed every feeding), burping, keeping you company, getting the baby from the bassinet/cradle for you.

I will be BF'ing again. At the breast & by the bottle.

You can certainly do both (formula and breast milk). Each feeding should be one or the other..not both of them mixed. And I would recommend feeding at the breast until your supply is in, and then introducing the bottle. He/she might take the bottle better with your milk in it.

GL and you can do, especially if you're thinking of it!

This is all very good advice. I BF'ed DD and that is exactly what my husband would do to help.

Good luck! 

Ivana_Stolichnaya

I think you need to do some more research or talk with a LC.  In the beginning you will want to breastfeed as much as possible to get your supply going.  If you start supplementing then your supply is going to dwindle.

I breast fed for 11 months and then switched to formula, breastfeeding IMO is more convenient than formula and it's free.  Formula is really expensive and a baby tends to blow through it in no time at all.

 

Once again, do some more research on the matter and make the decision on what works best for you.

futuremrsmcnichols

You can do whatever works for you and your situation. I had issues with BF with #1, she screamed and cried every time we put her to breast. I can't even count how much time the LC spent with me in the hospital and we had no success We tried everything, including a nipple shield and giving her a bottle, and burping her, putting formula on my nipples, and then trying to 'trick' her once she burped and give her breast instead of bottle. DD was only content with a bottle. That being said, my milk supply didn't come in until pp day 3 or 4 so she was FF for those first days. Once my milk came in I pumped until I went back to work and then we re-introduced formula because my supply went way down.  You can always give it a try. Do what works best for you and your situation. Also, the formula that we fed her had no impact on the smell or consistency of her poop. You couldnt tell the difference between a formula poo and a Breastmilk poo. I found it very nice that DH was able to share some of the feeding and up at night responsibility. I had a long delivery, I think I was up for 36 hours straight and got very little sleep while in the hospital, so by the time we got home, I was exhausted and it was nice to share the responsibility. Yeah, you could have DH get up with you at night if you BF, but then that leaves 2 extra tired parents in the end. It wont hurt to at least give it a try. Your milk supply will only be around for a short amount of time. Formula will always be readily available. Plus, LO will get all of the good anitbodies from you. Pumping isnt all that bad if you have a good pump, it was not uncomfortable for me at all. If you don't want to go out and spend alot of money on a pump, then you can always rent one for a short period of time and try it out. Your hospital should have info on where to rent them.

Linds1224

BF'ing was a terrible experience for me and I hated every second of it. So I pumped and topped up with formula for the first 4 -6 weeks (6 with my son and 4 with my daughter) just to get the antibodies into them. I will likely do the same with this baby when the time comes. I always gave them whatever milk I had been able to pump (I didn't make a lot of milk) in a bottle and then just made a 2oz(or whatever I thought they neede) bottle of formula and gave them that right after and let them take what they wanted until they were full.

Athena0809

You don't want to do what's best for your child because it is not convenient for you? Do you realize how selfish you sound? Formula brings nothing but problems for your child, their pancreas is not fully developed at birth and formula prevents it from maturing properly, they don't process formula as well because of their immature digestive system, causing GI problems, let alone it puts them at a higher risk for developing diabetes, formula fed babies don't receive all the antibodies breast milk contains so they have more illnesses, allergies etc. their poop stinks, breast milk is easy on their GI it contains natural flora and enzymes necessary to mature their GI system, formula it's expensive, breast milk is always ready, the perfect temperature, should I keep going? ... that said, some women can't breastfeed and it is necessary to use formula. but for those of us able to breastfeed, we do what's best and right for our babies.

 

shortstuff15

Linds1224:

BF'ing was a terrible experience for me and I hated every second of it. So I pumped and topped up with formula for the first 4 -6 weeks (6 with my son and 4 with my daughter) just to get the antibodies into them. I will likely do the same with this baby when the time comes. I always gave them whatever milk I had been able to pump (I didn't make a lot of milk) in a bottle and then just made a 2oz(or whatever I thought they neede) bottle of formula and gave them that right after and let them take what they wanted until they were full.

I also hated every second of breastfeeding.  I did it because it was "better for baby and free" but when my daughter wasn't gaining weight because I had skim milk I switched to formula.  I was night and day difference.  I LOVED bottle feeding and for me it was way more convenient (sp?).  I will start by breastfeeding this one too to get antibodies and such in them, but I'm not anticipating myself lasting past 4 to 6 weeks just because I hate it so much.

Owen&RydersMom

God I hate the almighty breastfeeders!  Yes, we all know that breast milk is the best source of food for LO.  But...sometimes it doesnt work out.  Sometimes it makes mom miserable and unhappy.  Sometimes you dont produce enough.  Sometimes it causes more stress than good.  If you fall into that sometimes catagory, do what works best for your whole family.  Formula wont make your baby less smart or worse off than a BF baby.  If you want to try it, go for it.  If you want to do a combo of BF and FF, go for it.  Do what makes you and LO happy.  I FF DS #1 and BF DS #2 for 4 months.  I plan to BF DS #3, but I will do what works for both of us. 

shortstuff15

Owen&RydersMom:

God I hate the almighty breastfeeders!  Yes, we all know that breast milk is the best source of food for LO.  But...sometimes it doesnt work out.  Sometimes it makes mom miserable and unhappy.  Sometimes you dont produce enough.  Sometimes it causes more stress than good.  If you fall into that sometimes catagory, do what works best for your whole family.  Formula wont make your baby less smart or worse off than a BF baby.  If you want to try it, go for it.  If you want to do a combo of BF and FF, go for it.  Do what makes you and LO happy.  I FF DS #1 and BF DS #2 for 4 months.  I plan to BF DS #3, but I will do what works for both of us. 

Can I like this????

mrslandon

BF is not for everyone, but if you try it you can definitely switch between breastmilk and formula once your supply is established.  I nursed for 15 months, and introduced formula at 7 months when my supply evened out and it became hard to pump anything.  Having done both, breastfeeding is way more convenient.  It's always ready and at the right temperature, you don't have to clean/sterilize bottles and there are no late night trips to the store because you are on your last scoop of formula.  

A friend of mine hated nursing her first and only tried for a couple of days before switching to formula.  She went straight to formula with her second, but said if she has a third she will try BF again because she is sick of waking up all bleary in the middle of the night to get bottles heated and ready while the baby cries.

Regardless of what you decide, I wouldn't necessarily go into the first few weeks thinking you will get more sleep one way or the other.  In my experience, you'll be up a lot anyway. 

cwyland

Owen&RydersMom:

God I hate the almighty breastfeeders!  Yes, we all know that breast milk is the best source of food for LO.  But...sometimes it doesnt work out.  Sometimes it makes mom miserable and unhappy.  Sometimes you dont produce enough.  Sometimes it causes more stress than good.  If you fall into that sometimes catagory, do what works best for your whole family.  Formula wont make your baby less smart or worse off than a BF baby.  If you want to try it, go for it.  If you want to do a combo of BF and FF, go for it.  Do what makes you and LO happy.  I FF DS #1 and BF DS #2 for 4 months.  I plan to BF DS #3, but I will do what works for both of us. 

 

Get off your high horse.  All of us who harped on the benefits of BFing made note that it's a good thing that formula is there for those who medically need it.  And all the claims about the benefits of BFing vs FFing have statistics to back them up.  To me, it's like saying it's perfectly fine to give your kid McDonald's every day because cooking at home is too inconvenient.  Besides, OP asked for advice on the subject.

Linds1224

Both my kids were given formula right from birth .. neither of them has EVER been sick with anything more than a cold and neither of them got their first cold until they were over 1 year old. I have plenty of friends who only breastfed their babies and they are sick a heck of a lot more than my kids. One specifically has two kids who she breastfed for over a year and they have both been hospitalized for pnemonia, ear infections leading to tubes for both of them and constant colds and flu's half the year. So although I agree that breastmilk is wonderful and healthy I disagree that babies who are formula fed are generally sicker than those who were breastfed. 

rwri10- Decide what's best for you and don't let anybody make you feel guilty for it. It's your baby and only your business. You're not a bad mother for formula feeding or doing a bit of both no matter how many people will try to make you feel like you are.

+diana82+

Steph&Harry08:

You don't want to do what's best for your child because it is not convenient for you? Do you realize how selfish you sound? Formula brings nothing but problems for your child, their pancreas is not fully developed at birth and formula prevents it from maturing properly, they don't process formula as well because of their immature digestive system, causing GI problems, let alone it puts them at a higher risk for developing diabetes, formula fed babies don't receive all the antibodies breast milk contains so they have more illnesses, allergies etc. their poop stinks, breast milk is easy on their GI it contains natural flora and enzymes necessary to mature their GI system, formula it's expensive, breast milk is always ready, the perfect temperature, should I keep going? ... that said, some women can't breastfeed and it is necessary to use formula. but for those of us able to breastfeed, we do what's best and right for our babies.

 

OH FFS. 

+diana82+

cwyland:

Owen&RydersMom:

God I hate the almighty breastfeeders!  Yes, we all know that breast milk is the best source of food for LO.  But...sometimes it doesnt work out.  Sometimes it makes mom miserable and unhappy.  Sometimes you dont produce enough.  Sometimes it causes more stress than good.  If you fall into that sometimes catagory, do what works best for your whole family.  Formula wont make your baby less smart or worse off than a BF baby.  If you want to try it, go for it.  If you want to do a combo of BF and FF, go for it.  Do what makes you and LO happy.  I FF DS #1 and BF DS #2 for 4 months.  I plan to BF DS #3, but I will do what works for both of us. 

 

Get off your high horse.  All of us who harped on the benefits of BFing made note that it's a good thing that formula is there for those who medically need it.  And all the claims about the benefits of BFing vs FFing have statistics to back them up.  To me, it's like saying it's perfectly fine to give your kid McDonald's every day because cooking at home is too inconvenient.  Besides, OP asked for advice on the subject.

Get of HER high horse? Are you fvcking delusional?   And FF =/= equal McDonalds. Nice try but not even close.

boxergurl

cwyland:

Owen&RydersMom:

God I hate the almighty breastfeeders!  Yes, we all know that breast milk is the best source of food for LO.  But...sometimes it doesnt work out.  Sometimes it makes mom miserable and unhappy.  Sometimes you dont produce enough.  Sometimes it causes more stress than good.  If you fall into that sometimes catagory, do what works best for your whole family.  Formula wont make your baby less smart or worse off than a BF baby.  If you want to try it, go for it.  If you want to do a combo of BF and FF, go for it.  Do what makes you and LO happy.  I FF DS #1 and BF DS #2 for 4 months.  I plan to BF DS #3, but I will do what works for both of us. 

Get off your high horse.  All of us who harped on the benefits of BFing made note that it's a good thing that formula is there for those who medically need it.  And all the claims about the benefits of BFing vs FFing have statistics to back them up.  To me, it's like saying it's perfectly fine to give your kid McDonald's every day because cooking at home is too inconvenient.  Besides, OP asked for advice on the subject.

 

She asked for advice, not judgement.  There's a big difference there.

water-fairy

I don't agree with "formula is more convenient" , there is nothing more convenient, for me, than having the milk ready and at the right temperature at all times, in all places. DH helped me a lot, he was the one picking up DS from the crib, changing his diaper and handing him to me for the feedings, especially in the first few weeks when I was sore. DH has always been involved and I never felt like I was the only one doing the work. With formula somebody would have had to get up, make the bottle, heat it up, and feed the kid. Yeah, not so convenient, not when compared to whipping out a boob.

cwyland

+diana82+:

Get of HER high horse? Are you fvcking delusional?   And FF =/= equal McDonalds. Nice try but not even close.

 Why yes.  I'm rather sick of the fact that any time someone mentions the benefits of breastfeeding around here they get lynched with a "how dare you" attitude and called an elitist.  

 Sometimes people get pushy, but there was only one BF post on this thread that I think even came close to rude or judgmental.  The rest of us were just giving the advice it appeared OP was looking for.  If you want to dismiss my opinion about it, show me legitimate medical research that backs you up.  Because I can show you a library full that backs up my points.

kellie7

i know my MIL did both because she had to go back to work. so she would BF when she was with the baby, but use formula while she was at work. my mom did FF only for all 5 of her kids as a SAHM...and we're all alive and well and no health issues. she tried to BF at first and hate it. switched to formula for convenience. she could prepare bottles and stick them in the fridge. of course, there were no pumps at the time though. and sure, breast is best...but formulas work just fine too. there are lots of completely normal children who were never breast fed.

 

definitely talk to a lactation couselor. i know my hospital has a big lactation center with all sorts of information and people to help. if you want to BF, they will give you the advice and support you need.

 

a friend of mine told me that if you want to BF, you have to really want to because it can get difficult. that was the first honest advice i received about BF'ing. GL!