ratio of breastmilk and formula

Hello, I am starting back to work, and my 4-month old son will be
changing to bottles. I am unable to keep up with his milk demand by
pumping, and so I'm left with Alimentum, that he has been drinking
since he was born as a supplement, and about 20 6-oz portions of frozen
breastmilk stocked up in the freezer (I pump once before going to bed
at night). My question is this - should I feed all of the milk to DS
first until I run out, and then switch to formula, or should I feed a
combination of formula and breastmilk bottles to him for a longer
period of time (say two milk bottles and two formula bottles per work
day)? The biggest question of all - does it really matter one way or
the other, as long as he's getting the breastmilk at some point? Many
thanks.

I'd do all milk until you run out, and if you have to give formula, give it
only when there's no other option. I would try to pump at least twice within
a work day if possible. Depending on your job, you may be able to do
hands-free pumping while you work. I'd also try pumping after feeds at home,
because this will help as well. You do have a good electric double pump,
right?

You may be surprised at how much you can pump. I EPed until my daughter
started cows milk at age 1, and while there were times when I wasn't sure if
we'd make it, my supply really did meet her demand.

--
Donna DeVore Metler
Orff Music Specialist/Kindermusik
Mother to Angel Brian Anthony 1/1/2002, 22 weeks, severe PE/HELLP
And Allison Joy, 11/25/04 (35 weeks, PIH, Pre-term labor)

Thanks, Donna. I bought a Lactina, but even with a hospital-grade
pump, I've never been able to pump more than an ounce or two at a time
(30 minutes pumping). Luckily he's much more efficient than the pump.
I've had milk supply issues with both of my boys (and have worked
extensively with LCs for both of them) so I doubt I'll be able to keep
up, but every little bit helps.

Donna Metler wrote:
I'd do all milk until you run out, and if you have to give formula, give it
only when there's no other option. I would try to pump at least twice within
a work day if possible. Depending on your job, you may be able to do
hands-free pumping while you work. I'd also try pumping after feeds at home,
because this will help as well. You do have a good electric double pump,
right?

You may be surprised at how much you can pump. I EPed until my daughter
started cows milk at age 1, and while there were times when I wasn't sure if
we'd make it, my supply really did meet her demand.

--
Donna DeVore Metler
Orff Music Specialist/Kindermusik
Mother to Angel Brian Anthony 1/1/2002, 22 weeks, severe PE/HELLP
And Allison Joy, 11/25/04 (35 weeks, PIH, Pre-term labor)

writes:
: Hello, I am starting back to work, and my 4-month old son will be
: changing to bottles. I am unable to keep up with his milk demand by
: pumping, and so I'm left with Alimentum, that he has been drinking
: since he was born as a supplement, and about 20 6-oz portions of frozen
: breastmilk stocked up in the freezer (I pump once before going to bed
: at night). My question is this - should I feed all of the milk to DS
: first until I run out, and then switch to formula, or should I feed a
: combination of formula and breastmilk bottles to him for a longer
: period of time (say two milk bottles and two formula bottles per work
: day)? The biggest question of all - does it really matter one way or
: the other, as long as he's getting the breastmilk at some point? Many
: thanks.

Have you tried any dietery methods for increasing your output, such
as oatmeak or fenugreek?

Larry

Check the tubes and the connections on the lactina! Even a small leak can
cause a lot of problems. I've had to repeatedly cut the ends of my tubing
and move the connector back because after awhile, it gets loose. I've also
completely replaced one set of tubing because a cat bit it and it had little
tiny pinholes. I love my lactina, and purchasing my own is the only reason
I've been able to justify continuing to pump this long (currently, Alli gets
about 4-6 oz of EBM a day at 20 months-not much, but I still feel pretty
good about going this long), but there are definite places where the design
is prone to failure.

--
Donna DeVore Metler
Orff Music Specialist/Kindermusik
Mother to Angel Brian Anthony 1/1/2002, 22 weeks, severe PE/HELLP
And Allison Joy, 11/25/04 (35 weeks, PIH, Pre-term labor)
wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks, Donna. I bought a Lactina, but even with a hospital-grade
pump, I've never been able to pump more than an ounce or two at a time
(30 minutes pumping). Luckily he's much more efficient than the pump.
I've had milk supply issues with both of my boys (and have worked
extensively with LCs for both of them) so I doubt I'll be able to keep
up, but every little bit helps.

Donna Metler wrote:
I'd do all milk until you run out, and if you have to give formula, give
it
only when there's no other option. I would try to pump at least twice
within
a work day if possible. Depending on your job, you may be able to do
hands-free pumping while you work. I'd also try pumping after feeds at
home,
because this will help as well. You do have a good electric double pump,
right?

You may be surprised at how much you can pump. I EPed until my daughter
started cows milk at age 1, and while there were times when I wasn't
sure if
we'd make it, my supply really did meet her demand.

--
Donna DeVore Metler
Orff Music Specialist/Kindermusik
Mother to Angel Brian Anthony 1/1/2002, 22 weeks, severe PE/HELLP
And Allison Joy, 11/25/04 (35 weeks, PIH, Pre-term labor)

wrote:
writes:
: Hello, I am starting back to work, and my 4-month old son will be
: changing to bottles. I am unable to keep up with his milk demand by
: pumping, and so I'm left with Alimentum, that he has been drinking
: since he was born as a supplement, and about 20 6-oz portions of frozen
: breastmilk stocked up in the freezer (I pump once before going to bed
: at night). My question is this - should I feed all of the milk to DS
: first until I run out, and then switch to formula, or should I feed a
: combination of formula and breastmilk bottles to him for a longer
: period of time (say two milk bottles and two formula bottles per work
: day)? The biggest question of all - does it really matter one way or
: the other, as long as he's getting the breastmilk at some point? Many
: thanks.

Have you tried any dietery methods for increasing your output, such
as oatmeak or fenugreek?

Larry

i know it's not on the usual recommended list, but eating a bowl of
oatmeal makes me incredibly full (my breasts that is!). so it might work
for the OP as well. worth a try.

--
elizabeth (in australia)
mum to DS1 "cheese" (almost 4 yrs) & DS2 "chalk" (10 mths)


"Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children" - Classified Ad

"If you're ever in doubt, throw a pepper in the air. If it fails to come
down, you have gone mad, so don't trust in anything." - Gregory Maguire,
"Mirror Mirror"

"arachne" wrote in message

i know it's not on the usual recommended list, but eating a bowl of
oatmeal makes me incredibly full (my breasts that is!). so it might work
for the OP as well. worth a try.

Works for me too although not so much when I had pump resistance.


--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

Donna Metler wrote:

Check the tubes and the connections on the lactina! Even a small leak can
cause a lot of problems.

The white membranes and the piston gasket are other small parts that can
make a big difference, as can flange size.

Lara

) writes:
Hello, I am starting back to work, and my 4-month old son will be
changing to bottles. I am unable to keep up with his milk demand by
pumping, and so I'm left with Alimentum, that he has been drinking
since he was born as a supplement, and about 20 6-oz portions of frozen
breastmilk stocked up in the freezer (I pump once before going to bed
at night). My question is this - should I feed all of the milk to DS
first until I run out, and then switch to formula, or should I feed a
combination of formula and breastmilk bottles to him for a longer
period of time (say two milk bottles and two formula bottles per work
day)? The biggest question of all - does it really matter one way or
the other, as long as he's getting the breastmilk at some point? Many
thanks.

I agree with the poster that suggested using all breastmilk until
you run out, then formula if necessary. One reason is the older
baby will have a more mature digestive system. Another reason is
that even a small amount of formula can lead to diarrhea. Another
reason is that you may find a way to pump more milk. Another
reason is that the older baby may eat other foods besides formula
or breastmilk. You might consider using something else as
a supplement, e.g. goat's milk, which should not be baby's whole
diet because it's deficient in folic acid, but works very well
as a supplement for some babies.

There are various tricks to get more milk by pumping.
Usually the morning is a better time to pump since the
breasts are usually more full at that time.
Some people nurse the baby on one breast while
pumping the other breast; the baby's stimulation
helps more milk flow. One trick is to use only one
breast all night, then in the morning, nurse the baby
again on the same (relatively empty) breast and
at the same time pump the full breast. The next night
you do the same switching the two breasts. This method
has a danger of plugged ducts due to not nursing on
one of the breasts for a long time.

wrote:
Hello, I am starting back to work, and my 4-month old son will be
changing to bottles. I am unable to keep up with his milk demand by
pumping, and so I'm left with Alimentum, that he has been drinking
since he was born as a supplement, and about 20 6-oz portions of frozen
breastmilk stocked up in the freezer (I pump once before going to bed
at night). My question is this - should I feed all of the milk to DS
first until I run out, and then switch to formula, or should I feed a
combination of formula and breastmilk bottles to him for a longer
period of time (say two milk bottles and two formula bottles per work
day)? The biggest question of all - does it really matter one way or
the other, as long as he's getting the breastmilk at some point? Many
thanks.

And the other thing - if I understand correctly, right now you are
pumping in addition to feeding him. Once you go back to work, if you
can pump at all during work, you may be able to pump more because it is
instead of a feeding, not an addition, iykwim.

I'd also rather go through the freezer stash first - eventually you
will be adding solids, so won't need as much to pump, and you have less
chance of forgetting to rotate it and letting the ebm sit in the
freezer too long.

And after all, the horse might learn to sing... (or is that
reference too obscure?)

Irene