adding formula to breast milk?

Re: adding formula to breast milk?

• carmenlarue member

  September 2009

  It's so early for you to supplement. How often are you pumping?

  

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• MrsPreK

  September 2009

  I did 50/50 - no need to warm up, although we use tepid tap water.
  

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• carmenlarue member

  September 2009

  I took Fenugreek to get more milk going which has worked, AND I stopped pumping for 3 weeks because I thought it wasnt enough for her, so I can understand the frustration.

  

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• MrsBatty

  September 2009

  carmenlarue:

  It's so early for you to supplement. How often are you pumping?

  ouch.  um...  I am pumping every 3 to 4 hours.   

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• EmilyBowes

  September 2009

  i was right there with you. pp said not to supplement, but as long as you are not foregoing your usual pumping/feeding session with a formula bottle then you're fine. i think you'll find that your supply will go up a bit more as LO gets older and your body keeps responding to demand, esp if you take fenugreek.

  i mix formula and breastmilk quite often now, though DS gets a couple of bottles a day of just breastmilk too. i mix them in about equal parts and heat it up to the temp that DS prefers, which is about lukewarm. you can add as much formula as you'd like. hopefully your LO will like the taste and won't mind the change.

  i was majorly against formula feeding previously but now that i supplement i feel a lot better--my supply was always iffy and fluctuated a lot day to day (even though i fed/pumped every 2 hours around the clock!) so when i started adding formula and i had to listen less and less to DS' hunger cries i felt so much better. DS is still getting as much breastmilk as i can provide, plus the formula for calories. win win.

  good luck!

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• MrsBatty

  September 2009

  EmilyBowes:

  i was right there with you. pp said not to supplement, but as long as you are not foregoing your usual pumping/feeding session with a formula bottle then you're fine. i think you'll find that your supply will go up a bit more as LO gets older and your body keeps responding to demand, esp if you take fenugreek.

  i mix formula and breastmilk quite often now, though DS gets a couple of bottles a day of just breastmilk too. i mix them in about equal parts and heat it up to the temp that DS prefers, which is about lukewarm. you can add as much formula as you'd like. hopefully your LO will like the taste and won't mind the change.

  i was majorly against formula feeding previously but now that i supplement i feel a lot better--my supply was always iffy and fluctuated a lot day to day (even though i fed/pumped every 2 hours around the clock!) so when i started adding formula and i had to listen less and less to DS' hunger cries i felt so much better. DS is still getting as much breastmilk as i can provide, plus the formula for calories. win win.

  good luck!

   

  Thank you!  I plan to continue pumping just as often to keep my supply up, and only using formula when necessary. I really appreciate your post. 

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• carmenlarue member

  September 2009

  Oh you are pumping often. Some people just dont produce as much as they'd like. I joined a Bf support group to help me get back on board. But even if you don't go that route, I still didn't answer your question. If I pump only 4 oz and K drinks 6 I will add 1 scoop of F and 2oz of water to make her bottle complete.

  1 scoop makes 2oz

  2 scoops makes 4oz and so on. Sorry about the rambling!

  

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