Mixing Formula and Breastmilk

The amount of breast milk produced in your body is sufficient to meet your baby's needs till she is six months old. But, sometimes the milk production in your body can be low resulting in your baby not getting sufficient nutrition resulting in weight loss. In such cases, your doctor may advise you to consider mixing formula and breastmilk. Also, some working mothers prefer to breast feed when they are at home and supplement with formula feeding when they are away at work. This process of mixing formula and breastmilk is called mixed feeding and is used when mothers cannot pump milk at their work place. In some cases, mothers feel that breast feeding takes up too much of their time as a baby fed exclusively with breast milk needs more feeds than a baby introduced to formula alone or breastmilk supplemented with formula.

If you have decided that mixing formula and breastmilk is the best option for you, it is advisable to give your little one as much breast milk as possible and then supplement her with formula if needed. If your little one is fed with more of formula, her little stomach fills up faster and she has very less space for breast milk. Remember, the lesser you feed your baby with breast milk, the lesser will be your ability to produce breast milk. A good option is to breast feed your baby for atleast 6 to 10 weeks and then get her started on formula. This ensures that your baby has received much of the antibodies required to protect herself against infection. She will also be comfortable with sucking by this time.

Some common Indian formula food brands are Lactogen, Cerelac, NAN and Nestum. They are available in different flavours for different stages of your baby's growth. Formula food is easily available in medical shops in your area.

If you are expressing breast milk, avoid mixing formula and breastmilk in a single feeding bottle because if the baby does not finish the bottle in one go, you will have to throw away the remaining formula. This means that you are forced to lose the precious breast milk that you mixed with the formula. So, you can keep both the breast milk and formula mixed in two separate bottles and feed them to your baby keeping breast milk on priority.

Tips for Mixing Formula and Breastmilk

• Wait till you are able to breast feed your baby very well before including formula as a supplement. This may take about five to six weeks.
• When you give her both breast milk and formula for a single feed, get started with breast milk. You can feed her with formula after a breast feed.