Mixing???

I thought this was a big no-no...
Mixing formula and breast milk...

The quickness of the situation...

A lady on a local board for mostly SAHMs is going for surgery on Thursday.
She has a 10ish week old daughter. Exclusively bf. Baby is going to the
inlaws for 3 days while she recovers from surgery.

Anyways. Long story short, she was given 1 week notice for this surgery.
She did not pump and store much milk. She doesn't have the time to store up
enough EBM for while she's recovering. She had considered sending formula
with the baby to the inlaws for these 3 days. Someone suggested mixing
formula and breast milk. I always thought that mixing is a big, huge no-no.
The person suggested mixing something like 25% formula and 75% EBM. Is this
alright??

I know formula is horrible to out of nowhere introduce to an infant, but
would it be worse/better to mix formula and breast milk?

I ask because if I were in this situation, I would HATE to get bad info when
asking for some good advice.

I think as long as the formula is made up with the correct concentrations
THEN mixed with the BM it would be fine, but I certainly would not use the
BM instead of water then adding the powder.



--
Pip

My girls :
DD1 Jasmine - 5 weeks early - 21 March 02 -
Still as small as a peanut but as smart as a whip!

DD2 Abby - 8 weeks early - 3 Feb 05 -
I am very polite and say "Ank Ooooooo" whenever I'm given something.

"Yes you can drive me insane just by talking to me!"


--

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:zSgth.179805$hn.17916@edtnps82...
I thought this was a big no-no...
Mixing formula and breast milk...

The quickness of the situation...

A lady on a local board for mostly SAHMs is going for surgery on Thursday.
She has a 10ish week old daughter. Exclusively bf. Baby is going to the
inlaws for 3 days while she recovers from surgery.

Anyways. Long story short, she was given 1 week notice for this surgery.
She did not pump and store much milk. She doesn't have the time to store
up enough EBM for while she's recovering. She had considered sending
formula with the baby to the inlaws for these 3 days. Someone suggested
mixing formula and breast milk. I always thought that mixing is a big,
huge no-no. The person suggested mixing something like 25% formula and 75%
EBM. Is this alright??

I know formula is horrible to out of nowhere introduce to an infant, but
would it be worse/better to mix formula and breast milk?

I ask because if I were in this situation, I would HATE to get bad info
when asking for some good advice.

xkatx wrote:
I thought this was a big no-no...
Mixing formula and breast milk...

When my son was a baby, and was getting formula supplementation of what
I could pump while I was at work, I mentioned to my husband that we
weren't supposed to mix the two. "So what happens if I give him a
bottle of breastmilk and then a bottle of formula right afterwards?" my
husband pointed out. "Will they mix in his stomach and thereby cause
some kind of Formula Monster to emerge?"

The main reason mixing formula and breastmilk seems to have been
considered a big no-no is because the people giving the advice consider
formula a big no-no. This was very much the attitude LLL used to have
in their FAQs - they talked about how it Shouldn't Be Done, but when you
really looked at the nitty-gritty of the reasons they were giving, it
came down entirely to an attitude of "B-b-but... but... Formula Is
Bad!", without any additional reasons given as to why, in cases where
formula did have to be given, it shouldn't be mixed with breastmilk.

However, I've just checked the latest from them and they do now come out
with one practical reason - it leads to more wastage of breastmilk.
Unfinished bottles of breastmilk can be kept for a while due to the
antibodies in them slowing down the souring process, but there's
presumably less leeway with a bottle that's mostly formula. However, in
this situation I wouldn't have thought this would lead to more than a
few ounces being wasted at most. I can't see any major reasons for not
mixing the two if the in-laws want to do things that way (although, as
Pip says, the formula should be made up *first* before any breastmilk is
added).

Does your friend know about the practicalities - information on
storing/defrosting milk, length of time breastmilk will last in the
fridge or at room temperature, the way it separates out naturally if
left to sit (a pitfall for the unwary)? There's useful information on
LLL's site. Has the baby had bottles before and is she going to take them?


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell

xkatx wrote:
I thought this was a big no-no...
Mixing formula and breast milk...

The quickness of the situation...

A lady on a local board for mostly SAHMs is going for surgery on Thursday.
She has a 10ish week old daughter. Exclusively bf. Baby is going to the
inlaws for 3 days while she recovers from surgery.

Anyways. Long story short, she was given 1 week notice for this surgery.
She did not pump and store much milk. She doesn't have the time to store up
enough EBM for while she's recovering. She had considered sending formula
with the baby to the inlaws for these 3 days. Someone suggested mixing
formula and breast milk. I always thought that mixing is a big, huge no-no.
The person suggested mixing something like 25% formula and 75% EBM. Is this
alright??

I know formula is horrible to out of nowhere introduce to an infant, but
would it be worse/better to mix formula and breast milk?

I ask because if I were in this situation, I would HATE to get bad info when
asking for some good advice.

Mixing is standard advice for someone who wants to introduce
supplementing to a previously EBF baby. As long as the formula is
pre-mixed, then mixed with BM it's fine. BM should not be used in place
of water, and the storage should follow formula guidelines rather than
BM guidelines (which can be kept longer and re-heated).

Has this baby taken a bottle before? If not, he/she may not now, so
they should have on hand syringes and be prepared to syringe/finger
feed if necessary (we started at 6 weeks, and DD refused a bottle til
she started daycare at 12 weeks, and even then took another week before
she was taking more than an ounce at a time). They may find this baby
takes very minimal amounts for those three days - baby won't starve
itself, but may not eat his/her usual amount til mom is back.

"Sarah Vaughan" wrote in message
...
xkatx wrote:
I thought this was a big no-no...
Mixing formula and breast milk...

When my son was a baby, and was getting formula supplementation of what I
could pump while I was at work, I mentioned to my husband that we weren't
supposed to mix the two. "So what happens if I give him a bottle of
breastmilk and then a bottle of formula right afterwards?" my husband
pointed out. "Will they mix in his stomach and thereby cause some kind of
Formula Monster to emerge?"

The main reason mixing formula and breastmilk seems to have been
considered a big no-no is because the people giving the advice consider
formula a big no-no. This was very much the attitude LLL used to have in
their FAQs - they talked about how it Shouldn't Be Done, but when you
really looked at the nitty-gritty of the reasons they were giving, it came
down entirely to an attitude of "B-b-but... but... Formula Is Bad!",
without any additional reasons given as to why, in cases where formula did
have to be given, it shouldn't be mixed with breastmilk.

However, I've just checked the latest from them and they do now come out
with one practical reason - it leads to more wastage of breastmilk.
Unfinished bottles of breastmilk can be kept for a while due to the
antibodies in them slowing down the souring process, but there's
presumably less leeway with a bottle that's mostly formula. However, in
this situation I wouldn't have thought this would lead to more than a few
ounces being wasted at most. I can't see any major reasons for not mixing
the two if the in-laws want to do things that way (although, as Pip says,
the formula should be made up *first* before any breastmilk is added).

Does your friend know about the practicalities - information on
storing/defrosting milk, length of time breastmilk will last in the fridge
or at room temperature, the way it separates out naturally if left to sit
(a pitfall for the unwary)? There's useful information on LLL's site.
Has the baby had bottles before and is she going to take them?

As far as I know, from what she has said, the baby has been exclusively
breast fed. No bottles of anything (either formula or breast milk)
I didn't mention anything about milk storage, and neither did anyone else,
really. I'm not sure if this is her first baby or not.
I did give a link to the local LLL's site - I thought just in case she
wanted to contact someone who really would know their stuff, she would be
able to without having to hunt around for phone numbers or emails.
So, basically, the big no-no for mixing EBM and formula is no your DH's
"Formula Monster" it's more wasting the EBM, which is, for the most part and
for a lot of people, something that isn't always quite as easy to get as
water?

I really like the Formula Monster, though lol

xkatx wrote:

So, basically, the big no-no for mixing EBM and formula is no your DH's
"Formula Monster" it's more wasting the EBM, which is, for the most part and
for a lot of people, something that isn't always quite as easy to get as
water?

from someone who hates pumping, every dang ounce is precious and I
*hate* when I have to toss some (which happens often enough, because DD
never seems to go through the thawed EBM I give her on Monday, but of
course if I give less, that will be the day she's ravenously hungry and
needs more).

I don't quite cry having to throw it out, but there's a dull ache in
the pit of my stomach when I do.

So no, EBM is not quite so easy to get as water, even in our current
state of drought!

"cjra" wrote in message
from someone who hates pumping, every dang ounce is precious and I
*hate* when I have to toss some (which happens often enough, because DD
never seems to go through the thawed EBM I give her on Monday, but of
course if I give less, that will be the day she's ravenously hungry and
needs more).

I don't quite cry having to throw it out, but there's a dull ache in
the pit of my stomach when I do.

So no, EBM is not quite so easy to get as water, even in our current
state of drought!


I will never forget when Abby was around 2 weeks old and still in the NICU.
I was rushing to express before I raced to the hospital to see her. Well I
finished then got Jasmine ready and dropped her off at her Nan's yadda yadda
yadda. When I got home several hours later I saw the breast pump still
sitting there where I left is still full of milk. I nearly cried as I had
pumped 250ml and had been so proud. I cried as I poured the BM away. The
next day I mentioned to a NICU nurse what I had done and she said that I
should have just put it in the fridge when I found it, because BM can last
several hours at room temperature after being expressed. That made me cry
once again LOL.


--
Pip

My girls :
DD1 Jasmine - 5 weeks early - 21 March 02 -
Still as small as a peanut but as smart as a whip!

DD2 Abby - 8 weeks early - 3 Feb 05 -
I am very polite and say "Ank Ooooooo" whenever I'm given something.

"Yes you can drive me insane just by talking to me!"


--

xkatx wrote:
A lady on a local board for mostly SAHMs is going for surgery on Thursday.
She has a 10ish week old daughter. Exclusively bf. Baby is going to the
inlaws for 3 days while she recovers from surgery.

Has she looked into other options? I know a woman who had to have
surgery when her baby was very young. They worked with the
anesthesiologist, her doctor and baby's doctor to make choices that
would be OK for the baby. She nursed the baby before surgry and had a
bottle prepared in case things took too long. It worked out that her
husband was able to latch the baby on in the recovery room, so she
didn't miss any feedings.

If it can be worked out so the baby doesn't have the wrong drug
exposure, it may be easier for mom and baby to have the inlaws care for
the baby where the mom is. With help, nursing may be easier than
pumping.

--Betsy

On Jan 22, 11:16 pm, "xkatx" wrote:

Anyways. Long story short, she was given 1 week notice for this surgery.
She did not pump and store much milk. She doesn't have the time to store up
enough EBM for while she's recovering. She had considered sending formula
with the baby to the inlaws for these 3 days. Someone suggested mixing
formula and breast milk. I always thought that mixing is a big, huge no-no.
The person suggested mixing something like 25% formula and 75% EBM. Is this
alright??

I guess I just don't get why you'd bother? Why not just feed
breastmilk until it's gone, and then feed formula?

Besides, mixing in the proportions you mention won't really stretch the
EBM very far...

Cathy Weeks

well the infant has to eat, so it's going to need some formula, I'd start
out by keeping the formula feeds and the ebm feeds separate and only mix
them if baby won't take them, and if that has to be done, only mix one feed
at a time, and only put as much ebm in as is needed to get the baby to drink
it, hopefully reserving some ebm for an exclusive ebm feed.

however, what are her plans for keeping up her supply? pumping is often more
uncomfortable than breastfeeding, is she really going to want to pump whilst
recovering from an operation? If she doesn't pump, she will get engorged and
will leak etc. possibly get mastitis. Are the inlaws close enough to bring
the baby a couple of times a day for a feed? if she's worried about feeding
post surgery (depends on where any incisions are), feeding sidelying is
often a lot more comfortable. I'm not sure I'd even want to be away from a
10 wk old baby for 3 days, even if it was major surgery, and if baby can
come and visit, it should be possible to manage a feed side lying, after
all, c-section mums have to do it and that's pretty major surgery.

Anne