Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding at the Same Time

Wondering if you can supplement your breast milk with formula without causing an issue for your baby? In many cases, you can! Check out the pros and cons of breastfeeding and formula feeding at the same time.

If you are a mom, or a soon-to-be mom, no doubt you have discussed whether or not you are going to breastfeed or formula feed.  Why this is always a question people ask, I will never know.  It is a personal decision.  It can be a tough decision to make for some as well.  Can you do both?  The answer is yes you can both breastfeed and formula feed! Learn more about the pros and cons of breastfeeding and formula feeding at the same time.

Related: Breastfeeding On Demand: Is it Right for Your Baby?

Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding at the Same Time

Breastfeeding is not always an easy task for everyone.  I breastfed my daughter for a total of 2 weeks.  I wanted to do it for longer, but it just was not working out for us.  At the time I was unaware that I didn’t have to exclusively breastfeed, that I could supplement with formula.

During the time that I was breastfeeding, I was the only one who could feed her.  I pumped a little but not much.  While that was great and I felt a special bond, I also felt like I was either pumping (to try and help my supply), feeding, pumping or feeding.  I had just carried her for 9 months and she was still literally attached to me.  I also felt like I was not producing enough and we had latch issues.  It was a lot of work!  After much thought and many tears, I decided that it was ok to switch to formula.

Related: Demand Feeding vs. Scheduled Feedings: Which is Better for Your Baby?

I instantly felt relief!  I’m not sure you will hear many moms say this, but I actually felt more bonded than while breastfeeding.  Switching to formula allowed me a bit of a break and allowed others to experience that closeness that happens when you feed a baby.  Had I been aware, I probably would have breastfed at night and formula fed during the day.

If you and your baby can work it out and make it happen, breastfeeding can be a great experience.  If you decide you want to supplement with formula, do not feel that you are depriving your baby of anything.  You can still breastfeed while at home, or at night, whenever you choose really.  It just means that you also have the ease (in my personal opinion) of letting someone else have the chance to bond and feed her.

Breastmilk is of course the best and most natural thing for your baby, and no matter how hard they try, formula companies will never be able to replicate that.  It is also not for everyone, so if you are feeling like you want to still do it and give your baby the best thing, and bonding time, but do not want to do it all the time, supplement with formula.

Do you have any thoughts on the pros and cons of breastfeeding and formula feeding at the same time? Share your stories with us.  Breastfeeding can be a touchy subject, it helps to hear from other moms who have and are going through similar situations. 

 

 

24 thoughts on “Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding at the Same Time”

  1. I never bottle fed my kids when they were babies. They were both breastfed. They will never take any pacifier and bottles too. It is a pain especially going out in the public. They were healthy babies especially me eldest who was born almost 8 weeks early.

  2. Megan @ C'mon Get Crafty

    I couldn’t keep up my production with either of my boys past the three month mark. I’m still glad we had that bond and they reaped the benefits of breast milk, but I refused to browbeat myself over it not lasting longer.

  3. I think it’s a personal choice. If breastfeeding exclusively is too much for you, do both. If you just want to breastfeed do that. If you only want to do formula, go for it. I think as long as your baby is healthy and you are happy, there should be no problems.

  4. My pedia advised against mix feeding and I followed it religiously, soon as i tried to introduce formula the time i”m about to stop nursing, my baby suddenly didn’t want to nurse anymore>

  5. My daughter was in the NICU – so we had no choice but to do both until she got home – then I breast fed her, bottle fed her breast milk when I was at work and when I had to go out of town sometimes had to rely on formula if I wasn’t around. Like I always say – you do you and I’ll do me :)

  6. What an interesting and informative article. It is super that you can tailor your feeding choices according to the needs of the baby and the mother. Thank you for posting.

  7. Hello! I breast fed all my children. Mya my oldest who is now 10 we only lasted 2 weeks because the recourse (and I was young) I didn’t know what I was doing… With my middle who is now 3, we lasted 6 months. I had no idea she was lip tied and we tried, I ended up supplementing and then my supply plummeted. My third child, my son we made it to a year.. I had tons of support, I went and talked to an LC when I was having issues or questions and stayed away from supplementing and the wealth of knowledge I gained with him was amazing. I strongly recommend a good LC. They are free for use at any WIC office. (There are also some pretty good BF’ing groups on FB) With all that said, I strongly believe in everyone’s own choice! Supplementing can be a slippery slope. My LC never recommended it, until I was ready to wean at 1.but– like I said, I believe whatever works for you and your family is the best choice!

  8. I did mixed feeding, breast feeding didn’t last as long as I wanted…..you do what you have to, to feed your babies.

  9. I did mixed feeding with my two children. I did it because I didn’t have a lot of milk and I was also always out because of work. It worked for us and yes, it was a lot easier.

  10. Great tips!! I wanted to breast feed, but due to our son being born with a cleft palate, he wasn’t able to do it. We had to only use a special bottle and formula and it worked out great!

  11. Everyone has their own opinions on the two options. I personally like formula feeding better. For my oldest, I breastfed for about 3 months. My 2nd son didn’t take anything but regular milk, even after going to the doctors and trying different holding ways and formulas, and I still get all kinds of “oh my gods babies should not have milk!” But it was what worked. I have 5 children and they have all for the most part, been formula fed.

  12. It is definitely a personal choice, you’re tight and it’s so important that women do what is right for themselves. I breastfed my son until he was almost two, and I healed so well after birth and we bonded wonderfully. With my daughter, I had post partum depression and only breastfed until she was six months, but used both breast-milk and formula at three months. And honestly, that was my downfall. When you use formula also, you lower your milk supply because the baby is already full. It is a risk for sure, if you are actually interested in long-term nursing.

  13. i breast fed my first dtgnfor only a few days and then I pumped blood. I was done after that and felt relief. My 2nd daughter I breast fed for 9 months. The difference was I was 11 years older, a nurse and the hospital had much more
    Support than the first. I think everyone should choose what is right for them!

Leave a Reply to Victoria Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *