Moms who combine BM and formula....

cfattig · January 2014

I'm at the point where I just can't keep up with my little guy anymore, and I'm going to try combining BM with formula so I don't have to be attached to a pump for four hours a day. I know there have been lots of posts on here about that as moms' supplies are dwindling, but I do have one more question for those of you that already do this: I read on a couple of sites that they don't recommend mixing BM and formula in the same bottle, simply because if your LO doesn't finish the bottle, the breast milk is wasted. I don't think I have to worry about this (my kid eats a ton), but I wanted to ask...when you do bottles, do you do a bottle of BM separate from the formula, or do you just mix it all in one? I'm going to try to start with 50/50 if I can. So if he currently takes 6oz bottles, should I go with 3 oz of each? Thanks in advance!

CoachTay · January 2014

I have been mixing for several months now and I have always mixed the formula in the bottle 1st then add the BM to that same bottle. I've never had an issue. Also, some of her bottles now are all formula. When we were making the transition to all formula we started with 1oz and added an oz after about a week.

kcatboston · January 2014

I tried mixing mine but LO wouldn't drink the mix and I wasted BM. She is quirky though and drinks her formula and BM out of different bottles. We've had a lot of luck with the Similac for Supplementation. It was the only formula she would drink and we didn't have any problems with constipation.

stevenpatrickmorrissey · January 2014

I do remember reading somewhere (maybe KellyMom?) that it's not ideal to shake the BM when combining with formula. Something about breaking the delicate fat chains? Maybe this is common knowledge, I dunno. If I ever mix the two, I make the formula, shake that like crazy, then add the BM and swirl it in. Like I said, I'm not sure where I read that so I can't provide the link.

Murraydog · January 2014

Before my milk dried up, we were mixing them together. Our doc told us to do that. So I'd pump what I could (this was usually from the day before) and then what ever else was needed we'd make up with formula. For example, If I pumped 3oz, we'd just mix that with 2 oz of formula and give him a 5 oz bottle. He takes anywhere between 5-6oz per feeding right now.

squatchiebaby · January 2014

I'm also trying to figure this out. Wasting breastmilk when you're barely able to pump a whole bottle's worth is heartbreaking but dumping money down the sink also sucks!

teach1008 · January 2014

Yep I don't pump enough either on the two days I work. I add whatever formula I need to make 6 oz bottles. If you don't want to potentially waste bm then I would give it first and then make a separate formula bottle.

Aprilbaby49 · January 2014

We mix in the same bottle. I pump into the bottle to store then we make the formula in a separate bottle and mix it into the bm bottle right before a feeding. This way we don't shake the breastmilk and damage the fat chains. We made the bottles mostly breastmilk (6 oz bm and 2 oz formula) then slowly increased the amt of formula as he got accustomed to the taste.