Supplementing with Formula Feeding
How does supplementing with formula affect breastfeeding? What does your doctor really think of formula-feeding? What new moms and dads say might surprise you.
When moms are thinking about using formula for babies in combination with breast milk, hearing from other parents is a great way to feel confident in that decision. Read what new moms say about how formula for their babies worked for them.
“Supplementing breast milk with formula helped me breastfeed longer.”
Many women choose to supplement breast milk with specially formulated formula for babies for a number of reasons. When her baby was 6 weeks old, Elyse B. of Plantation, Florida, returned to work. She says she pumped at work three different times. “Nobody told me how difficult pumping would be,” she says. “I felt like I couldn’t keep up. Every bit I pumped, Abby gobbled down. I had plans of stocking my freezer with milk but it wasn’t happening.” She began to introduce some formula, which her daughter accepted without fuss. “I now had an opportunity to work on my freezer stash and to relax a little bit. I didn’t feel like I had to choose between breastfeeding and formula-feeding; it was more like I was given another option to ensure Abby was getting the nourishment she needs. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted.”
“I feel good about formula for my baby’s healthy development.”
A Portland, Oregon, first-time mom who supplements with formula for babies says of her daughter, "She takes formula well, hardly spits up, and her bowel movements are regular (good consistency and frequency). At this point her diet is about 80 percent formula, and she seems very happy and is developing well."
