Follow up on supplementing post

sara9377

I supplemented a few times when my daughter was really young. I added the formula in with bm and made it mostly bm (as mrs t stated in previous post). My sister did the same thing. When I was at the doctor I ran into the LC who I chatted with. When I told her about mixing the bm and formula she told me NOT to do it as it strips the nutrients from the bm. Has anyone heard this before?? I will start to supplement at some point and just feel like mixing would be the way to go. Yet the LC said to def give them separately. 

Sorry if this is long... I'm just curious if anyone has heard that before? 

sunflwra

I've only asked this to our ped, however I did specifically ask about this when I went back to work because I knew I wasn't pumping enough for what she'd need at daycare.  She said there was no preference to mixing or serving individually. 

KScheibe12

I had to supplement for the first five weeks. My LC told me not to mix them but didn't give a reason why. I've never heard anything about formula stripping nutrients. That sounds crazy to me.

chantico23

According to this article Breastmilk and Formula it is okay to mix formula with breast milk in its liquid state (powder and water mixed, or premade) but not formula in its powdered state.

 

*Edited to make clicky*

ksmit062

That is wild, I haven't heard that before either, but I have yet to supplement.  Though I think it will be here in a few months... I need to read up!

MesmrEwe

O.k. time for some sound logic...  How on earth is it possible for formula or any food for that matter to "strip the nutrients" of breast milk.  If you mix Chocolate milk with white milk, it dilutes, but it doesn't affect the nutrient levels.  If you mix powdered milk with regular milk, the nutrients aren't stripped.  If you mix milk with protein powder, the nutrients aren't stripped, they're enhanced.  The nutrient levels stay the same no matter what.

I'm not a fan of LC's to begin with as most of them that I've ever encountered had no clue on anything relating to EP or supplementing for that matter (all I got out of them was "just quit pumping, and only FF" when DD was small...)...  That said, with both DD and DS when I need/ed to supplement with formula I just mixed the premixed formula right in with the EBM...  Unless someone is coming over to do my dishes, it's all going into one bottle!

chantico23

The article doesn't mention stripping of nutrients, rather of concentrating them.  Here is an expert: 

 

 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.

MrsT2008

chantico23:

The article doesn't mention stripping of nutrients, rather of concentrating them.  Here is an expert: 

 

 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.

this is the only thing I've read NOT to do - you can't use BM as the liquid to mix powdered formula with.

when I supplement, I make the formula first (powder + water) then add BM.

chantico23

Yeah, I think that is fine. The only reason not to do that, according to the article, is that if they don't finish the bottle you have wasted precious breast milk.  But I agree that the notion of stripping nutrients is silly.

MrsT2008

chantico23:

Yeah, I think that is fine. The only reason not to do that, according to the article, is that if they don't finish the bottle you have wasted precious breast milk.  But I agree that the notion of stripping nutrients is silly.

yeah, I read that too (about wasting BM), I took my chances because little miss piggy as never not finished a bottle - I figure one day it will come back to bite me, but for now, I guess it's working out!