Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Some of you have read my previous posts regarding exclusively pumping, my bout of mastitis and nipple infections and possibly having to let my milk dry up. Well, im not ready to give up yet. Tonight I was able to pump an ounce out of the infected boob which is ounce more than Ive done the past three days. I introduced formula and DS did well with it. I was thinking of pumping and supplementing with formula (2-3 bottles a day) but I'm not sure how it would work. How often would I pump? Would my body just figure it out?

Message edited 8/19/2010 9:52:25 PM.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

I do..with twins.

I pump about 4/5x a day...sometimes less.

I dont let it get me stressed out like it used to where i almost gave up too.

I can get them to latch on so I do nurse sometimes, with each doing about 10min feedings. That also helps in whether or not I produced enought for a bottle, and they at least get something.

With pumping, I dont get much either.

It takes a day to get a 6oz bottle for each. They get it the next day.

its only one bottle of BM they get but I feel its better than nothing and its the part of me that feels good that I can do that much.

I def supplement with formula.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

I am still pumping for my girls. They were born in Ocotber and I had to start to supplement in December. I still pumped the same amount of time every 2-3 hours. At the moment it takes about 3 pumping sessions for me to give them one feeding of 6-7oz each. I want them to still get Bm still I still do it. These days I am going every 3-4 hours. If I am out I can go longer.

FM me if you need any advice.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Posted by beautyq115

I am still pumping for my girls. They were born in Ocotber and I had to start to supplement in December. I still pumped the same amount of time every 2-3 hours. At the moment it takes about 3 pumping sessions for me to give them one feeding of 6-7oz each. I want them to still get Bm still I still do it. These days I am going every 3-4 hours. If I am out I can go longer.

FM me if you need any advice.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

For a number of reasons, I've never produced enough so I've BF and supplemented almost from the beginning. I pumped every 2-3 hours for the first 2 months. Basically, DS gets half breastmilk and half formula at each feeding at this point (we don't mix them since I don't want him to lose the taste of regular breastmilk so that he continues to nurse). So I would BF and then give a bottle. Or if I'm at work, I pump when he's eating. He gets fed a bottle of breastmilk and then a bottle of formula. We never give him just one or the other (I don't pump enough milk and instead of just giving it all in one feeding, I prefer that he get BM throughout the day).

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Posted by diggity10

Posted by beautyq115

I am still pumping for my girls. They were born in Ocotber and I had to start to supplement in December. I still pumped the same amount of time every 2-3 hours. At the moment it takes about 3 pumping sessions for me to give them one feeding of 6-7oz each. I want them to still get Bm still I still do it. These days I am going every 3-4 hours. If I am out I can go longer.

FM me if you need any advice.

Thank you! Right now I get 3-5 oz on one side so I guess I will just have to figure it out as far as how many times Ill need to pump. How long do you pump each session?

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Posted by beautyq115

Posted by diggity10

Posted by beautyq115

I am still pumping for my girls. They were born in Ocotber and I had to start to supplement in December. I still pumped the same amount of time every 2-3 hours. At the moment it takes about 3 pumping sessions for me to give them one feeding of 6-7oz each. I want them to still get Bm still I still do it. These days I am going every 3-4 hours. If I am out I can go longer.

FM me if you need any advice.

Thank you! Right now I get 3-5 oz on one side so I guess I will just have to figure it out as far as how many times Ill need to pump. How long do you pump each session?

No about 15-20 minutes. I remember when they were very little sometimes it was a 45 minute ordeal. The nurse in the NICU told me to pump until you do not see milk for 2 minutes I guess incase you get another let down. Do I always do that...no but I try to. I also pump infront of the computer it really helps to pass the time.

Good Luck! Really if you have any questions please feel free to ask me.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

anyone else do this?

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

I did this with my son and it worked out perfectly! I pumped 4x a day and supplemented with formula 2x a day.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

I pump 4 times a day. In the am I get around5-6 ounces. the rest of the day is only 2-3 ounces. So I have to supplement for the rest of the feedings. I figure as long as she is getting at least some BM a day its better than nothing...right? So she gets about 10-15 ounces of BM a day and 9-14 ounces of formula a day (averages 24 ounces a day).

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??

I pump every 3 hours except overnight. I pump only once in the middle of the night.
I actually produce a lot of milk, maybe because it is not my first child and I've done this before? Who knows, but I can pump enough for both babies to solely have breastmilk... but that is for now. Once they start eating more I wont have enough and I don't plan on pumping any more than I already do. They get about 3/4 of their food as breastmilk and any extra is frozen. I supplement with Neosure since they were born 3 weeks early, but am switching to regular formula soon. I usually give them the formula overnight because they can go longer between formula feedings, and freeze my surplus breastmilk.

Re: Pumping and supplementing with formula??