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No advice about combo feeding but many people do it so I know it can be done. Do what's best for you. Both times it ended up being ff for us, one due to bf not working out the second time due to health issues for me. My only advice is don't make any rash decisions in the middle of the night. But do what works for you.

I haven't combo fed but it's something I think about with my next. For me, the pressure and stress coupled with post partum blues and pain was too much for me and I ended up quitting fairly early with both sons. I totally don't regret it because it was what was best for me both times. But I do wonder about combo feeding to ease my stress. Just want to say do what feels right to you!

I combo fed LO starting at 2 months old because I knew I couldn't pump at work. She got formula during the day and I breastfed in the mornings and evenings, as well as overnight wake ups. We did this until she self weaned at 13 mos, it was great for us!

@Keybee: it's definitely not a all or nothing! With my first we supplemented pretty regularly from day one. I went back to work around 7 weeks and could never pump enough to meet her demands. I firmly believe supplementing allowed me to breastfeed her as long as we did. I dropped formula after one and i introduced cows milk. Then we nursed mornings and bedtime till she was 25m.

With my second, I was a more confident mom and had no hesitation to give formula in the hospital until my milk came in. Plenty of nurses tried to dissuade us and when they would not listen to our previous experiences, DH in not so many words told them to shut the F up. After the first few days we have been able to EBF. But I suspect a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was unemployed the first few months then only PT. by the time I went back to work FT she was probably over 6m.

Anyway, every baby and mom relationship is different. There is no one size fits all feeding solution. Do what's best for you and baby.

@Keybee: It was a bit of a process, but yes, supply wasn't an issue. I EBF for the first 6 weeks, then gradually added bottles of formula during the day (replacing about 1 feed per week). By week 12, I was doing one nursing feed in the morning, and all the feeds after about 6pm on through the night. Around 8 months we replaced the after-daycare feed with a bottle but kept morning / bedtime nursing, as well as overnights. I was really careful to make sure that I always fed or pumped in the morning and at least once in the evening every day to keep my supply up. For us, it felt like the best of both worlds. If she was ever more hungry than I could satiate her (teething weeks = so much nighttime nursing!!) I just added an extra bottle. I loved knowing that she was getting all the good stuff in breast milk without the stress of making sure I was producing enough to meet her needs.

I EBF till 6+ mo then supplemented b/c I couldn't pump enough. I def think that if you're conscious of your supply vs demand in addition to supplementing, it will be fun! I think supply plummets when you are pumping a missed feeding due to supplementing, etc.

@Keybee: this is what we do too. All 3 - nursing, pumping, and formula. He is four weeks and up to 9 pounds 14 ounces so it's working and it's a lot less stressful than ebf 12 times a day (he's always hungry).

My 4 month gets the occasional bottle of formula, we do what's easiest. I'm currently staying home, and working as a nanny part time, and taking my daughter with me. Since she's with me all day, it's easiest to just nurse her. When my husband has her for a couple hours, or we go out for a date night, she has formula. I choose not to stress about it, but it did take me a while to get to that point. For what it's worth, I was worried about her not getting enough early on, and self conscious about feeding her in public. Those worries subsided and things got easier. I got much more in tubs with how much and how often she needs to eat, and my supply regulated itself perfectly. Do what feels right to you, and gives you the least amount of stress.

@Keybee: it takes roughly twelve weeks for supply to be fully established and because bf'ing is all about supply and demand, the more baby feeds and removes milk from the breast then the more milk the body makes. Combo / mixed feeding is a great option for lots of families but you do need to be aware that it can result in lower supply simply because baby isn't feeding at the breast to stimulate milk production.

I still remember my amazing midwife telling me that both baby and I were learning how to breastfeed and that I needed to give it time to get better and easier. Give yourselves a chance to get into the groove and just know that you're doing a wonderful job!

I had an increase in supply at 6 weeks and then again by 12 weeks but I just had low supply and never made more than 24 ounces in a day (and that was pumping 30 mins each time 6 times a day!) We started adding a bottle of formula every day at 3 weeks and we still gave BM until 9.5 months when I weaned to formula bc the pumping schedule was not feasible and he was biting terribly. I liked that I could nurse for comfort and pleasure and not worry about hunger. I didn't care about being 100% EBF. I basically made milk until I stopped pumping - I never randomly dried out, but that's different for everyone. I loved combo feeding and will do it again for our next one. My son had no issues with breast or bottle, formula or BM or mixed, and moved to whole milk with no problem. Anyone could feed him but I could still be his comfort.

In the early days we nursed then topped off with pumped breastmilk or formula, I pumped whenever possible to keep my boob stimulated, and then had my husband formula feed at bedtime. I would do long 30-40 minute pumps during that feeding and first thing in the morning - DH would give a pumped bottle of BM in the morning while I pumped then. I nursed and topped off the rest of the day and did whatever seemed more convenient at night.

@Mrs.KMM: that's about what I did for my first lo! And second, technically, though I pumped for eight weeks and there was a lot of pumping and dumping because we had thrush and he was on formula anyway.

We started combo-feeding around 2 months when lo wasn't gaining weight/I was having supply issues, and combo-fed until lo was 1. Then we stopped formula but have continued to bf; lo is now 20 months and we still nurse! LO loooooves nursing, we're going to have trouble weaning, lol. It was such a hard road for awhile, but adding formula was so important for keeping lo healthy and thriving, and it helped reduce my stress so, so much. It really is NOT all or nothing!

We combo fed from 5 days old to 12 months. I continued to breastfeed until LO was 19 months old. So it can be done! I had to supplement because of low supply and everything I did, I did with the goal of protecting the breast milk I did have. I didn't fully replace a feeding with formula until she was 7 or 8 months and eating solids. So just keep in mind, the more you supplement and the less you nurse, your milk may very well dwindle. Having said that, do what works best for you! You'll find a rhythm.