re: Mixed Feeding Thread

Quoting Easton Has My ♥:“ yeah a researched it, but i'm really not worried about it. I would have to keep him in a bubble if I listened to everything. I just don't sterilize them or heat them up at all.”

The hubby is anal about steralizing, so no choice--if you don't do it, then it seems to be a non-issue. May be one in any case!

Love the idea for this thread. I am also a mixed feeder. Not by choice but by circumstance. We had latching issues in the beginning and now I just can't produce enough milk. I really could have used this thread in the beginning when I felt like a failure. I have shed many tears over it.It wasreally hard for me to accept in the beginning. I breastfed my last 2 exclusively. They wouldn't even take a bottle which has it's own problems. I had no intention to bottle feed this time. I just don't know why it hasn't worked this time. I have tried everything.

As for bottles my LC told me to use a NUK nipple to help with the latching issue. I used it at first but foundthe NUK nurser worked best. It has the wide neck. Now I am afraid to switch to anything else.

What is BPA?

Quoting Hirschykiss:“ Love the idea for this thread. I am also a mixed feeder. Not by choice but by circumstance. We had latching ... [snip!] ... at first but foundthe NUK nurser worked best. It has the wide neck. Now I am afraid to switch to anything else. What is BPA?”

We have similar issues--many tears here, too. You can only do your best!

It's a chemical found in some plastics, including many bottles:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-livbabychemical100907oct09,0,3779473.story

Likely, it's a scare--but I'm of the better safe mentality.

I don't mix (and I hope I won't have to), but I have ended up having to pump exclusively and bottlefeed. I think I have a lot of the same issues you all do, when it comes to bottlefeeding. I just couldn't get my son to latch right, and it was near impossible after I became engorged. After feedings taking forever due to me continually breaking his latch, and some seriously damaged nipples, we are both a lot happier with the bottle!

I would really like to try again and I will probably try to bring him to breast this weekend, but I have a feeling that it's not going to work. He doesn't open his mouth wide anymore for the bottle so I'm thinking he'll have even more problems latching now. Did any of you have this problem when you started with a bottle? Did it change your baby's ability to latch and/or latch correctly?
I could really use some advice about switching between the two (breast and bottle).

I use the Gerber bottles. It seems to make him a lot less gassy, as they have the vented nipples and the bottles are the perfect serving size for my son (he eats 5 oz. at a time usually).

Helllllooooooooo mixed feeders!!! I was an exclusive breastfeeder until a few months ago when my production went on the fritz and then my son went on a nursing strike and it's just been all downhill from there. I had so much milk it was un real, our freezer was full because I had so much extra...then my production went south and our stockpile dwindled. I try as best as I can to breastfeed as often as possible, but he's just not satisfied after nursing so it's pretty much nursing immediately followed by a 2-4 oz bottle of breastmilk or formula. On top of all this, he was diagnosed with a milk allergy so I'm off all milk products which is so hard and frustrating. I know I could just give up and call it quits by switching to formula only after all this struggle, but I'm really trying to hang on for as long as I possibly can...even if I can't provide enough for him and have to give him both breast and bottle at each feeding. have to do what I have to do because my little man wasn't growing and I couldn't let him struggle to gain weight so I'm doing the best I can to provide him as much nourishment as I possibly can, however I can.

Quoting ♥ Mama Jo ♥:“ Helllllooooooooo mixed feeders!!! I was an exclusive breastfeeder until a few months ago when my production ... [snip!] ... him struggle to gain weight so I'm doing the best I can to provide him as much nourishment as I possibly can, however I can.”

I've had to do that from the beginning--breast, then bottle, because of low milk supply. I KNOW how tought it is and how much you want to just give up at times!

Kudos to you for sticking it out, especially with the ban on dairy!!!

Quoting mamacj:“ I don't mix (and I hope I won't have to), but I have ended up having to pump exclusively and bottlefeed. ... [snip!] ... as they have the vented nipples and the bottles are the perfect serving size for my son (he eats 5 oz. at a time usually).”

Have you tried a wide neck bottle?? They are closer to latching on to a breast--they force the babes mouth wider. Caden's been using them almost since the beginning--and now CAN'T use a normal nipple (he tries to take the whole thing in his mouth!!!)

Quoting ♥ Mama Jo ♥:“ Helllllooooooooo mixed feeders!!! I was an exclusive breastfeeder until a few months ago when my production ... [snip!] ... him struggle to gain weight so I'm doing the best I can to provide him as much nourishment as I possibly can, however I can.”

Hey friend... fancy seeing you here!  


***edited b/c I have no clue what fancing is!  

Quoting Easton Has My ♥:“ Hey friend... fancing seeing you here!  ”

   

Quoting My Evil Twin:“ Have you tried a wide neck bottle?? They are closer to latching on to a breast--they force the babes ... [snip!] ... using them almost since the beginning--and now CAN'T use a normal nipple (he tries to take the whole thing in his mouth!!!)”

The bottle itself has a wide neck? What is different about the nipple? I haven't seen any really wide neck bottles...the ones with the biggest necks I have is 2 medela bottles. I don't really like that kind, because even though it said it was slow flow or breast flow, it seems to drown him and it always overflows and wastes a lot of the milk. He does actually take the whole nipple in his mouth no matter what bottle I use, I just thought that was normal for babies, lol. Where do you get the bottles and what brand? I'll have to check it out.

Thanks for this thread!! I do have concerns on mixed feeding and thought I was alone in this struggle!

I am a mixed feeder...to my bitter dismay. Its not so bad i guess. When Devyn was born he had really bad jaundice so i had to supplement for about a week with formula to make sure he ate enough to get rid of the jaundice. I'd give him a 2-4oz bottle after every bf-ing session. I guess I never really got to establish a good milk demand and now I cant get more than 2-4oz of milk when i pump. After realizing he wasnt ready to let go of the bottle, i figured he was still hungry when he'd scream after bf-ing for a half hour or so. I still give him formula, he's 6 weeks old now. I'll let daddy give him a bottle in the morning because he gets tired of bfing all night(he sleeps in bed with us and pretty much just eats snacks all night, lol). Throughout the day depending on his mood, Ill give him between 1-3 bottles of 2-4oz of formula. I pump whenever he eats formula, and i make more at night so I pump before i go to bed. Mostly to prevent midnight leaks! I'll wake up in PUDDLES of milk!!

It was really hard for me to accept that I couldnt exclusively bf. I was so scared, and still am, that he'd wean himself and id lose that bonding time, and of course the proper nourishment for him. I just try to pump as much as possible! Im trying to relactate so that i can hopefully exclusively bf eventually. He seems to be growing just fine and i just follow his hunger cues. I ALWAYS feed him when he wants to until he's totally satisfied. If that means giving him formula too, then so be it!

Quoting mamacj:“ The bottle itself has a wide neck? What is different about the nipple? I haven't seen any really wide ... [snip!] ... I use, I just thought that was normal for babies, lol. Where do you get the bottles and what brand? I'll have to check it out.”

The bottle has a wide neck, but the nipple is wider at the bottem, more like the breast would be.

I'm using MAM right now, which are BPA free and I love--but we've also used DR browns wideneck and Avent (always wideneck!) to much success!!

Try Amazon--they're cheap for bottles.

Quoting shawna lynn:“ Thanks for this thread!! I do have concerns on mixed feeding and thought I was alone in this struggle! ... [snip!] ... cues. I ALWAYS feed him when he wants to until he's totally satisfied. If that means giving him formula too, then so be it!”

Sounds like you are doing it the right way!!

To ease your worries a little:

If he switches between bottle and breast fine now, he probably will continue to--my little man is 6 mos old, gets about one ounce a feeding (I've had serious supply issues from day one,) and still LOVES to BF!!

Good luck with weening off the bottle--I wish I could!

Stayin alive...

I mix feed now too. I BF exclusively for the first 7 months, then when I started my military training, I had a really tough schedule, so it was just easier for us to use formula when he's at the sitters and BF when I'm home. He still LOVES to nurse, so I think I'll stick with it until he's about a year old. (as long as I'm still making milk!) But I'll probably consider weaning him about that time...
Basically, we just follow his hunger cues with both formula and BM. So far, no problems.....