Breastfeeding question...?

Question

i want my baby to have breast milk but i want to feed her through a bottle. whenever i tell people this all i hear is no don't do that. why? it is still breast milk. and can i give breastmilk and folmula?

Answer 1

My question is why?

Answer 2

So many people will tell you what to do and what not to do.  Do what YOU feel is best.  I was given grief over the same thing.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get my daughter to latch on, so I pumped and bottle fed her and she turned out fine.  She didn't grow a third arm or anything!!  It was just what I found best and most convenient for me, my baby and my husband.  

The best thing you can do is learn how to tune others out when they given unwanted advice or criticism.  Once you have a baby, you hear it from all ends.  People mean well, but I don't think they realize how annoying it can be.  

And yes, you can give breastmilk and formula.  Don't be surprised if your baby refuses the the formula though, it's not as sweet.  

Answer 3

You can do it if you feel you want to.

I think it maybe hard to keep up the milk supply without the baby sucking on you.

Also most people that want there baby to have the benefit of breast milk also want them to bond.

You can definetly do both.

Good luck

You are the mum you get to choose.

Answer 4

Yes, you can give both but I would not suggest it cause if the baby has a reaction to the milk you won't be able to tell if its the can milk or brest milk

Answer 5

expressing is very time consuming when you have it right there, but its your choice. if your concerned about feeding in front of people there are plenty of ways around it blankets breastfeeding capes nursing rooms

theres alot of options do what makes you happy and comfortable

Answer 6

why do it the natural way

Answer 7

you can do it but it will be way harder for you.  it's the same milk yes but when you pump it's a lot harder on your nipples.  when the baby does it it's a lot softer and it's more natural feeling but when a machine does it it's pretty rough.  you can do it though but be prepared that it will hurt more and be more challenging.  good luck.

Answer 8

It is your choice to bottle feed breast milk, so much better than formula.  You will miss out on the convenience of breastfeeding, but your baby will still enjoy the benefits of your breast milk.  You can supplement with formula but if you set up a good pumping schedule you should be able to produce more than enough.

Answer 9

I am a "retired" Exclusive pumper (EPer) who did just that, pumped and bottlefed breastmilk. I managed to do it for 9 months which was short of my goal of a year due to supply issues.

There are some very good reasons why EPing is second best to breastfeeding.

One, pumping is a lot of work on top of already caring for a baby. In order for most moms to have enough milk production to meet their baby's needs they need to pump 10-12 times a day, for 15-20 minutes at a time. Sometimes more often or longer during growth spurts.

Two, it does not have the jaw muscle development that breastfeeding has

Three, the hazards of overfeeding that come with formual feeding are there with feeding pumped milk too. You no longer get the advantage of the balance between foremilk and hindmilk.

Four, Some of the "good stuff" in breastmilk can be damaged or outright destroyed in the stirring (milk will separate as it stands and the fat needs to be mixed back in) or refrigerated/frozen.

Five, you get the worst of both worlds...you have the time and inconvenience of pumping AND the invconvenience of having to wash bottles & pump supplies.

Six, the pump isn't as effective as the baby at removing milk from a breast so you may run into supply issues or have more frequent plugged ducts than you would if you nursed.

Now, there are some advantages. For some women they like or need to know what their baby's intake is. You can see that with a bottle of expressed breast milk (EBM).  Over formula feeding, breastmilk keeps longer, and if you have freshed pumped the milk will actually keep at room temp for several hours. Plus, EBM is still better than formula (formula is 4th on the World Health Organization's list of options for feeding infants, EBM is 2nd).

I will say though that most people I knew who had the "I'm just going to pump and bottle feed" mentality didn't last long as pumpers. Just my observation. It was those who had really wanted to nurse but who had complications (like babies in ICU) who ended up being the most dilligent pumpers. What I'd suggest is at least to start out breastfeeding to help get your milk supply started and up. You can always switch to the pump, and you may find that breastfeeding isn't as bad or is easier than you anticipated.

If you are serious about making a go of pumping though, I suggest checking out a EP support board like this one http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppe... where you can pick up tips to make things easier (like how to "hands free" pump for example). You will need a good pump, such as a Medela Pump in Style or a Ameda Purely Yours, or even a hospital grade rental pump. Right  from the start you'll need to pump 10-12 times a day to get your supply up and established. Some will tell you that you can get away with pumping every three hours, but with EPing it is different than pumping to just maintain a supply until you are able to nurse.

I hope you found this information helpful.  

Answer 10

Your body will produce breast milk more effectively if the baby nurses directly.  

Answer 11

Exclusive pumping is a lot of work, it is about three times the work of breastfeeding. If you aren't truly committed it probably won't work out, even if you are there is a chance that even with the best pump, and prescription medication you won't make enough milk.

When a baby can not nurse directly exclusive pumping is an entirely selfless act on moms' part because it is so much work. And for those moms who pump and donate large amounts of milk to charity there are no words for their sacrifice and hard work.

However exclusive pumping denies your baby some of the benefits of breastfeeding. Direct breastfeeding is needed for optimal jaw and tongue development. Bottle fed babies have higher rates of speech problems, and a higher rate of needed orthodontia. Breastfeeding directly also allows your baby to pass microbes (disease causing bacteria, viruses, etc) to you so you can make antibodies IMMEDIATELY regardless of whether or not you are exposed to the microbes directly. Exclusive pumpers also often have to get up at scheduled times throughout the night to pump even if their baby sleeps through.

Exclusive pumping is also probably not as good at signalling the body to produce the right fat to water ratio, etc for your baby. Because you are generally keeping the breastmilk production at an artificially steady level it can't adjust to growth spurts or illness.

Storing breastmilk can reduce the nutrients even when it is done properly. When it is improperly stored or heated then you can have problems.

You can't "do it wrong" if you are capable of looking at diapers, and watching your baby to see if they are healthy, happy and alert. It isn't like you can accidentally starve your child to death if you are paying attention. In rare cases you can underfeed a newborn and they won't cry but even then the diaper count would be wrong so an informed mother wouldn't be capable of missing it. Even a completely ignorant mom is capable of taking her baby for weight checks at 1,2, and 4 weeks which would prevent a failure-to-thrive infant from falling through the cracks.

Your baby has the right to be assured the best source of food possible. For a normal healthy baby that is direct breastfeeding. When that doesn't work out then expressed breastmilk is a fabulous option. However I suggest you talk to some moms who exclusively pump and see just how much work it is and how many of them actually manage to do so for the entire first year with NO formula as recommended by health experts around the world.

It is so much easier to breastfeed directly. It is so much easier for dad to bond with a baby in the manner in which dads are meant to. Putting a bottle in a baby's mouth is not bonding, spending time with the baby, doing things with the baby that's bonding. And the rough and tumble play from dad is actually important to a baby's development. Daddies aren't meant to be mommies, daddies are meant to be daddies.

Set yourself up for success and breastfeed directly. It will be so much less stressful for the whole family and so much more beneficial for everyone.

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Supporting the Human-Milk-Feeding Mother

http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVFe...

Exclusive Pumping - The Best… Expressed!

(aka: everything you wanted to know about exclusive pumping but didn't know who to ask!)

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/Exclusive...

EPers · Exclusive Pumpers

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/epers/

Exclusively Pumping

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppe...

Long-Term Pumping When Direct Breastfeeding Doesn't Work Out

http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/b...

http://www.womenshealthservices.org/whs_...

“Nursing also allows your baby to give germs to you so that your immune system can respond and can synthesize antibodies! This means that if your baby has come in contact with something which you have not, (s)he will pass these germs to you at the next nursing; during that feeding, your body will start to manufacture antibodies for that particular germ. By the time the next feeding arrives, your entire immune system will be working to provide immunities for you and your baby.”

http://chetday.com/breastfeeding.html

“The breast is the only place outside the immune system which can synthesize antibodies! This means that if the baby has come in contact with something the mother has not, he will pass these germs to her at the next nursing; during that feeding, the breast will manufacture and deliver antibodies for that particular germ.”

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

They also get sick less often since the mother’s body acts as a pharmacy for the baby. If the child picks up a virus their body will desire to nurse more often. The virus will pass through the baby’s saliva, onto the mother’s nipple, and into her body where her immune system will begin to develop antibodies for it. The next time the baby nurses, he will receive more than just milk–the milk will also contain the mother’s antibodies, giving the baby a head start in fighting off the illness before he even gets a chance to show symptoms. This often results in a healthy baby who rarely becomes seriously ill. Breastfed babies have much lower instances of colds, flus, and diarrhea than the average formula fed baby.

Answer 12

if you baby is small, stick with pumping breast milk. back and forth breast milk and formula could cause some gassy issues, and a crying baby. wait till baby is around 4 months or so to substitute formula. but giving a bottle is not bad. nipple to mouth is a serious committment, and if you would like your freedom, and like other people to be involved with feeding your baby, then breastmilk in bottle is the way to go. do what makes you feel comfortable, and stop asking those people for advice. its your kid.  

Answer 13

You CAN feed pumped milk in bottles, but it's so much harder to do than regular breastfeeding.  That's why people are saying not to do it.  You have extra work that way dealing with the bottles (cleaning, sterilizing, warming, refrigerating, packing supplies if you go anywhere, etc.)  AND it's much harder for a pump to keep your milk supply up because it simply cannot empty the b*****s as well as a baby can.  When the b*****s don't get fully emptied on a regular basis your body gets the message that it's making too much, so your supply will drop lower and lower.  A hospital pump will help with this some because they work better (yet still not as good as a baby), but then you have the added expense of renting (or buying!) an electric pump.

I don't know your reason for wanting to feed pumped milk in bottles, but if you're doing it because you want to (rather than have to) then I don't advise it at all.  It's just way too much extra work, it costs more, and you have to worry about colic (babies fed from the breast don't get colic).  About giving breastmilk and formula, yes you could, but then doing that could just make your potential supply issues even worse because the baby needs more milk than you are making but he's getting full on formula.  Formula is NOWHERE near as good for babies as breastmilk, which I'm sure you know, so it should be avoided if at all possible.  Good luck to you, and congrats!

Answer 14

Bottlefeeding breastmilk is definitely possible ... and if it's a choice between that and bottlefeeding formula, then breastmilk is best, no matter how it's fed.

But exclusively pumping and bottlefeeding is much harder and more time consuming that just breastfeeding, so unless you have some really pressing reason to do it, it's really best to just nurse at the breast. Also, a few of the benefits of breastfeeding are reduced when you feed by bottle. (For example, nursing strengthens baby's jaw and results in a lower incidence of crooked teeth.)

I would honestly just try to breastfeed.  I know the idea of nursing a baby can seem a little (or a lot...) weird if you've never done it, but you'll probably find that once you start, and get past the early learning difficulties, that it's quite natural and easy.   If you don't like it after a fair try, you can then start pumping and switch to a bottle. The early weeks of breastfeeding will have given  your milk supply a good boost. (Another benefit of nursing is that baby is more effective than a pump at getting your supply going, and keeping it going. Some moms who pump exclusively find that their supply drops after a while.)

Finally, yes, you CAN give both breastmilk and formula, but if possible, it's best to breastfeed (or give breastmilk) exclusively. Even small amounts of formula have some risk attached, and even small amounts of formula can interfere with some of the benefits of breastmilk.

But again, you do what you have to do. If you can't breastfeed exclusively, then breastmilk in a bottle is better than formula in a bottle; and if you can't provide for 100% of baby's needs with breastmilk, then ANY breastmilk is better than NO breastmilk.

Answer 15

ya know what? who the F**K cares what everyone else thinks.  its ur baby and only you know what is best for him/her.  if you want ur baby to have both milk and the breast then i say good for you!!

Answer 16

It's best not to switch back and forth, if you start with breast milk then go to formula, stay with formula.  You can pump your milk, there is nothing wrong with that.  Once the baby gets used to digesting your breast milk(doesn'tt matter if it's in a bottle or natural form)  it's too hard on the baby's digestive system to switch back and forth.  Breastfeeding is ALWAYS best.  Go for it mommy!

Answer 17

Yes you can give breast milk and formula, but some babies might not handle it very well. I would try to stick to one or the other for the most part.

Answer 18

There is nothing wrong with feeding your baby breast milk through a bottle.  That's what breast pumps are for.  And yes, you can give formula in addition to breast milk, though I don't think I would mix the two.   When my son was nursing, there were times where I had to be away for a couple hours, so I would give him formula at the times when I could not be there to nurse him.  I couldn't stand the breast pump, so formula was a good alternative.  I did have to find a formula that he could stomach, since formula is heavier than breast milk.  I think I used Similac powder.  He couldn't handle the pre-made stuff.

Answer 19

You can pump and feed the breastmilk from the bottle.  Unless you have supply issues I don't see why you would want to supplement with formula as well?  Just feed breastmilk from the bottle.

Answer 20

Pump and store the milk into the bags that you can later use in bottles. I did both (when I had to go back to work after having my son) and I will say, though, that the pump is not nearly as comfortable as just letting the baby feed. =)

So you CAN do it, but the mechanical pumps really don't get the same kind of pull and if you don't do it regularly, you will stop lactating.

Yes, you can give both, but the baby will start to prefer one--they taste very different of course.

Lastly, I came to really like the quiet and alone-time while nursing. It was such a treat to have a reason for escape. While pumping at work, I just felt like a dairy cow. ;)

Answer 21

it's basically a last resort for most people.  pumping is hard.  you will have to pump every time the baby eats to maintain your supply and you will need a hospital grade pump ($50-80 a month) at least until your supply is well established.  after that, you will need a double electric ($300).  it's still cheaper than formula, but breastfeeding straight from the tap is free.  if you do produce well for the pump (many moms don't), you will need to pump pretty much every 2 hours for about half an hour around the clock in the beginning.  

for every feeding, you will need to wake up, get sterile pump parts and bottles (unless you want to shell out the $$$ for extra sets), pump, clean and sterilize everything again, store the milk, and give a bottle.  if you can get ahead of the baby, you can have someone else give a bottle that you pumped earlier while you are pumping, or you can listen to your baby scream in hunger while you pump.

the fresher the milk, the better.  breast milk is a living thing.  it's really more like blood with living blood cells.  when you chill or freeze it, the white blood cells start to die.

the act of nursing provides both physical and emotional benefits to the baby.  it helps with oral development and bonding.  the composition of breastmilk is specifically tailored to the baby's needs and it changes both through the day and within a feeding.  the first milk is watery and satisfies thirst.  the hindmilk is fatty and satisfies hunger.  a baby has to work for the fatty stuff because it doesn't come out as quickly or easily.  this is one of the reasons why breastfed babies are less likely to become obese adults.  the ask of nursing teaches good eating habits.  in a bottle, it's all mixed together and it all comes out with the same amount of effort.

while pumped milk is infinitely better than formula, it's not as good as milk from the tap.  moms who exclusively pump usually do it because they've tried everything to get their baby to nurse and they wouldn't.

Answer 22

People will always have opinions on the best way to feed your baby. Remember the best way is what works best for you and her. You can do any combination. You can breastfeed. You can breastfeed and bottle feed. You can either pump breast milk for the bottle or give formula. The trade offs are that pumping will take time but in trade the breast milk you give will be "healthier" then the formula. But that's a relative comparison. Formula is still healthy for babies... just not as good as breast milk. You need to judge what works best for your lifestyle. A couple things to keep in mind.

- If you plan on breastfeeding and bottle feeding breastfeed for the first 4-6 weeks to establish a good pattern. If you introduce the bottle too soon the baby may like the "easier" source and go on a breast strike.

- At the 4-6 week mark introduce one bottle a day. If you wait beyond that or give the bottle too infrequently the baby may in turn reject the bottle. (That's what happened with my daughter.)

A great source for breastfeeding and pumping information is http://www.kellymom.com . I stopped reading any of my breastfeeding books after I found that site.

Good luck! It sounds like you are going to be a great mom and please congratulate yourself for any amount of breast milk you feed your baby!