Formula and breast feeding??

Question

So I’m a single parent and my baby is 2 weeks old, I am soooo exhausted during the nights getting up to change his diaper and to cradle him and stay up with him when he’s awake and especially breast feeding him while I’m half asleep I fall asleep with him on my breast sooo much, would I be a bad mom to give him formula at night and just breast feed during the day just to give myself a little break at night? Breast feeding takes a long time and is so exhausting. Idk what do you guys think? Should I do both ? Or just try to stick it out and only breast feed?

Answer

I think both require a lot of effort, even if you were to bottle feed you’re baby would still need to be held while doing so. With my first I bottle feed (finally had to give up on my breastfeeding efforts with him)  and with my second I breastfeed, I think the bottle feeding was more effort. I think ultimately you need to do what is best for you. Make sure that you are getting rest throughout the day when your baby does, you need to take care of yourself in order to take care of baby. Good luck!

Answer

Hi hun, totally completely up to you - not a bad mum at all.
But.
Once you get breastfeeding established, I find it waaaay more convenient and faster than bottle feeding. My boy is ten weeks old now and I'm gradually weaning him from breast to bottle one feed at a time. The middle of the night feeds will be the last ones I drop. It a soooo much quicker to whack him down n the boob then straight back in to bed, and often we do it lying down. To make a bottle you're gunna have to be making it fresh, going downstairs, boiling water, measuring. Even if you use ready to drink you still have to make the bottle up, and they then need burping more which takes time and can wake them back up.
I really think BFing is simpler. It takes time to get there, but it's worth it. This stage won't last forever.
Loads of people do combination feeding, with no problems. You may hear than combo feeding can affect their stomach bacteria balance. It will change what their poos look like, and they will poo more often.
No judgement from me at all, just I genuinely think BFing will be more convenient in the long run at night, even if you introduce formula at other points down the line for a number of reasons

Answer

It could help to bottle feed at night. It did help my baby sleep more. However, my baby started to prefer the bottle because it was faster than breast. (I used size 0 nipple) She has mostly weaned from the breast now and is mostly formula fed. I was hoping to exclusively breast feed.

Answer

If try to stick it out a little longer, id find prepping bottles much more exhausting at 2am, especially if bub only has a really small amount and then you’ve got to chuck it out.. your baby will get more efficient with feeding and eventually it won’t take as long.
If you can have someone come around for a couple of hours in the early morning/late evening to give you a few hours solid sleep I’d encourage them to give a bottle while you rest. 
I can only imagine what an amazing job you’re doing by yourself! Well done!!!

Answer

To be honest bottle feeding is more work, boil or warm the water, prepare milk bottle, waiting for it to hit right temp, n still feed after some babies take their time with a bottle still, my son was the slowest drinker bottle sometime could take 20 mins

Answer

Nope. Formula is ok. My one child who was breastfed is actually the one who us sick a lot and has asthma the other I formula fed straight from birth. Not saying at all that's the cause but just saying your baby will be more than fine

Answer

If you had someone to help you in the middle of the night having the baby take a bottle may be easier. If it’s just you every time baby is hungry you would have to get up make a bottle, feed baby, put back to sleep and rinse out the bottle at least before going back to sleep. As opposed to with breastfeeding you pick them up and cuddle them to eat and then you both lay back down.

Formula and breast feeding??

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