Yes, you can use breast and bottle!
Here, in an excerpt from Babytalk's new "first year" book, we'll tell you how to supplement breastfeeding
By The Editors of Babytalk, Baby Name Tool Data Set
Yes! You can believe the hype: Breastfeeding your baby can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most demanding and emotionally draining experiences of your life. As with most things worth having, it's one of those parenting jobs in which taking the good with the bad rewards you with the best results, because this fairly basic task is rarely simple to perform.
That's probably not what you expected, is it? Today, 70 percent of new moms leave the hospital attempting to breastfeed -- up from 55 percent almost 15 years ago -- because that's what's emphasized by health-care professionals (not to mention the very vocal legions of women who promote nursing from a personal standpoint). All the information out there about breastfeeding screams its superiority: It's healthier, cheaper (both true), and (often, but not always) more convenient.
The usual advice is to wait three to four weeks to introduce a bottle so you can build up your milk supply, but many experts and moms (us included) say you can do it at more like two weeks if breastfeeding seems to be going smoothly. It's helpful to devise a game plan for weaning away some of your baby's breastfeeding sessions: Just like your body didn't learn to make milk overnight, it can't stop it suddenly, either. Quitting breastfeeding cold turkey would be a painful experience -- think how hard and sore and ready to explode your breasts start to feel when your baby nurses just an hour later than his usual feeding time simply because you were out somewhere or he took a longer nap than usual! In addition to the excessive engorgement that would occur, you would be in danger of developing clogged ducts because milk would become backed up inside them, which can be excruciatingly painful. And the clogged ducts can then become infected and result in mastitis.
"We did both breast and bottle. And with each home bottle we made half-and-half from the formula and pumped milk. It gave me the satisfaction that my baby was still getting breast milk and enough to drink." -Sarah, Roswell, GA
That's why the general wisdom is to gradually drop breastfeeding sessions, at the rate of about one a week, so that your body has time to adjust. You'll still feel a bit swollen and sore for the first two or three days at the time you skip a feeding (and you may leak more than usual), but it should be more than bearable. Some women find as little as four or five days is enough for their breasts to get the signal that they've turned off the tap at that point in the day. If you get engorged, express just enough breast milk to relieve the pressure (pumping too much will just make your breast produce more milk again).
The breastfeedings you choose to drop will likely depend on what works best for your family. It may be the middle-of-the-night nursing session when your partner feeds a bottle, and then you breastfeed in the early a.m. while your hubby takes his turn getting some shut-eye. Or it can be midday breastfeedings if you're going back to a 9 to 5 job. Many working mothers continue just the morning and night nursing sessions to maintain a close bond with their babies. As long as you wind down your feeding schedule slowly enough that your body is comfortable, your miraculous breasts can keep up this truly personalized and pleasant routine for as long as you desire. Making It Work
Every baby will react differently when introduced to a bottle. Some will love it from the get-go, others may be harder to convince, but most can soon learn to switch between breast and bottle effortlessly. Here's how to make the concept palatable to your budding gourmet.
From The Babytalk Insider's Guide to Your Baby's First Year: Expert Advice That Tells It Like It Is -- Plus the Secrets That Nobody Else Reveals. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing, New York, NY. All rights reserved.
That's probably not what you expected, is it? Today, 70 percent of new moms leave the hospital attempting to breastfeed -- up from 55 percent almost 15 years ago -- because that's what's emphasized by health-care professionals (not to mention the very vocal legions of women who promote nursing from a personal standpoint). All the information out there about breastfeeding screams its superiority: It's healthier, cheaper (both true), and (often, but not always) more convenient.
"I started off breastfeeding, however, after I went back to work, it was hard to pump enough to keep up with the demand. So I supplemented with formula at daycare and nursed my son morning and night and on weekends. I still felt good knowing he was getting some breast milk." -Beth, St. Louis, MO
But while we at Babytalk really do agree that breast milk is the gold standard in infant nutrition, we also recognize there's no one way to feed a baby. In fact, breastfeeding some of the time and bottle-feeding the rest -- what we call "doing the combo" -- can be an ideal choice for many moms. Exhausted or frustrated by nursing? This route's for you. If you're a working mom and pumping works well, your baby can have expressed breast milk during the day and nursing can continue at home. Alternatively, adding formula bottles to your baby's feeding routine will save or at least limit how often you need to pump at work and schlep equipment back and forth. Supplementing is also a relief for moms who aren't making a lot of milk or are having trouble developing a good latch-on technique. Of course, with formula, you'll be giving up some of the health benefits that are maximized when a baby is exclusively breastfed, but you'll also be giving yourself a break. Getting StartedThe usual advice is to wait three to four weeks to introduce a bottle so you can build up your milk supply, but many experts and moms (us included) say you can do it at more like two weeks if breastfeeding seems to be going smoothly. It's helpful to devise a game plan for weaning away some of your baby's breastfeeding sessions: Just like your body didn't learn to make milk overnight, it can't stop it suddenly, either. Quitting breastfeeding cold turkey would be a painful experience -- think how hard and sore and ready to explode your breasts start to feel when your baby nurses just an hour later than his usual feeding time simply because you were out somewhere or he took a longer nap than usual! In addition to the excessive engorgement that would occur, you would be in danger of developing clogged ducts because milk would become backed up inside them, which can be excruciatingly painful. And the clogged ducts can then become infected and result in mastitis.
"We did both breast and bottle. And with each home bottle we made half-and-half from the formula and pumped milk. It gave me the satisfaction that my baby was still getting breast milk and enough to drink." -Sarah, Roswell, GA
That's why the general wisdom is to gradually drop breastfeeding sessions, at the rate of about one a week, so that your body has time to adjust. You'll still feel a bit swollen and sore for the first two or three days at the time you skip a feeding (and you may leak more than usual), but it should be more than bearable. Some women find as little as four or five days is enough for their breasts to get the signal that they've turned off the tap at that point in the day. If you get engorged, express just enough breast milk to relieve the pressure (pumping too much will just make your breast produce more milk again).
The breastfeedings you choose to drop will likely depend on what works best for your family. It may be the middle-of-the-night nursing session when your partner feeds a bottle, and then you breastfeed in the early a.m. while your hubby takes his turn getting some shut-eye. Or it can be midday breastfeedings if you're going back to a 9 to 5 job. Many working mothers continue just the morning and night nursing sessions to maintain a close bond with their babies. As long as you wind down your feeding schedule slowly enough that your body is comfortable, your miraculous breasts can keep up this truly personalized and pleasant routine for as long as you desire. Making It Work
Every baby will react differently when introduced to a bottle. Some will love it from the get-go, others may be harder to convince, but most can soon learn to switch between breast and bottle effortlessly. Here's how to make the concept palatable to your budding gourmet.
- Let someone else serve up the first few bottles so your baby continues to associate you (and your smell) with breastfeeding. After a while, he'll accept a bottle from you, too
- Give expressed breast milk in the first bottle, if possible, since your baby is familiar with its scent and taste
- Choose the right time. Don't wait until your baby is starving before offering her a bottle for the first time-the surprise may make her more hysterical and less likely to accept it. Instead, aim for an hour or two after her last feeding
- Babies love skin-to-skin contact, so if Dad is doing the feeding, for instance, your baby may take to it better if she can nuzzle his bare chest at the same time
- Stay calm. Your baby can pick up on parental anxiety, so try to stay positive
- Don't force-feed. If she wants to take only a few sips the first time, that's fine
- Get help if you hit a stumbling point. If you find that your baby begins to prefer the bottle to the breast, seek help immediately from an understanding lactation consultant
From The Babytalk Insider's Guide to Your Baby's First Year: Expert Advice That Tells It Like It Is -- Plus the Secrets That Nobody Else Reveals. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing, New York, NY. All rights reserved.
