Is combination feeding bad for baby

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Mixed Feeding: The Pros And Cons Of Mixed Feeding

Have you heard about mixed feeding and wondering what it is?

Are you breastfeeding and thinking mixed feeding might help your baby feel full?

When babies are fed a combination of breastmilk and formula, this is known as mixed feeding.

Mixed feeding: The pros and cons of mixed feeding

There are various reasons why babies are mixed fed.

For example, a baby might not be getting enough milk from his mother alone.

Or a mother could be returning to work and unable to express breastmilk in the workplace.

This article focuses on combining breastmilk and formula. But it’s important to know formula isn’t the only option available.

If a baby isn’t getting enough milk from his mother, donor milk is another option that parents might consider.

We know how important breastfeeding is for the health of mothers and babies.

You can read more in Benefits Of Breastfeeding – What Are They Exactly?.

Leading health organisations from around the world recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months.

Then parents can introduce solid foods while breastfeeding continues for at least one year.

Exclusive breastfeeding means the baby has only breastmilk. No other liquids or solids are given, not even water.

There are certain situations, however, where you might have to weigh up the risks against the benefits of mixed feeding.

If you’re in a situation where mixed feeding might be necessary, consider these 4 pros and 4 cons:

4 Pros

#1: Mixed feeding helps babies to be fed enough

It’s important a baby is drinking enough milk to thrive. If a baby isn’t getting enough from his mother alone, supplementing can help.

If you’re concerned your baby isn’t getting enough milk, speak to your baby’s health care professionals about your baby’s needs.

It is important to use reliable signs (as opposed to unreliable signs) to tell whether or not your baby is getting enough with breastmilk alone.

Find out more about reliable signs and unreliable signs.

Also, if your milk supply is low, there are ways that can help to increase it.

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant is best placed to be able to help you with this.

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#2: Mixed feeding lets your partner share the feeding

Some couples view feeding as something a partner can share. It might help partners to bond with their babies and also help to share the load between the parents.

Of course, there are many ways for a partner to take care of a baby that doesn’t involve feeding.

Find out more in 8 Ways New Dads Can Bond Without A Bottle.

#3: Mixed feeding gives breastfeeding mothers a break

When a baby is mixed fed, the breastfeeding mother doesn’t need to be involved.

This can mean, as a breastfeeding mother, you can be doing something else, such as sleeping or doing some exercise.

Bear in mind, this is also possible even if you prefer not to give formula; you might be able to access donor milk for your baby.

#4: Mixed feeding might mean breastfeeding continues longer

Feeding a baby doesn’t have to be only formula or only breastmilk.

It is beneficial for a baby to be fed even a small amount of breastmilk.

Instead of fully formula fed, babies who have mixed feeds will continue to breastfeed for longer.

4 Cons

#1: Mixed feeding is more work

Mixed feeding might seem to make the feeding journey easier.

But in reality, mixed feeding can create more work for parents.

When a baby is exclusively breastfed, there’s no need to buy formula, make it up, or sterilise bottles.

These tasks can be very time consuming, especially when you’re already juggling so much else.

#2: Mixed feeding might lower supply

Breastmilk supply works on a ‘supply equals demand’ basis.

Babies who are fed formula might have less demand for breastmilk.

Less demand will mean your breasts make less milk. Over time this can affect your milk supply.

Obviously, giving formula less often reduces the impact on breastmilk supply and vice versa.

Expressing breastmilk when your baby has formula can help to reduce the impact on your supply. The milk you express can be saved to give to your baby later in place of formula.

#3: Mixed feeding can increase the risk of inflammatory breast conditions

Breastfeeding regularly, as your baby demands it, reduces the chances you’ll end up with sore or infected breasts.

Inflammatory breast conditions such as engorgement, blocked ducts or mastitis can be very painful and might interfere with successful breastfeeding.

Skipping breastfeeds and giving formula instead means the milk (which is usually removed) stays in your breasts.

This increases the risk of inflammatory breast conditions.

#4: Mixed feeding can increase risk of breast refusal

Feeding a baby by combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding increases the risk of a baby developing a preference for the bottle.

Mixed fed babies can become fussier with breastfeeds, or even refuse to breastfeed.

Reduce this risk by using a paced bottle feeding method.

Alternatively, you can try a different way to feed your baby formula, such as using a cup or breastfeeding supplementer, depending on your preference and circumstances.

Recommended Reading:

• Mixing Breastmilk And Formula – Is It OK?
• 9 Things To Know Before You Give Up Breastfeeding

what is important to know and how to organize a regimen

Published: November 22, 2022, 04:03 PM

In mixed feeding, the baby is fed both breast milk and formula at the same time. These foods are easy to combine and provide your baby with essential nutrients. Hansa D. Bhargava, MD, and Emily S. Radlowski, MD, explain how to combine different types of food and how to organize a feeding schedule.

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What is mixed feeding?

What is mixed feeding? Mixed (combined) feeding is feeding a baby breast milk and formula at the same time, explains author of scientific publications Emily S. Radlowski. This combination is completely safe and has its advantages.

Although WHO recommends that infants be breastfed until at least 6 months of age, many families choose combination feeding. For example, due to low or insufficient breast milk, convenience, or simply personal choice. In some cases, for medical reasons, a doctor may recommend breastfeeding and formula feeding.

Bachelor of Nursing Donna Murray writes that doctors advise mixed feeding in such cases:

• less than six wet diapers in 24 hours;
• restlessness and signs of hunger immediately after breastfeeding;
• slow weight gain after first few days;
• weight loss of more than 10% in the first days of life.

Combined feeding can give breast milk and formula either separately or in the same bottle. However, you must carefully follow the mixing instructions before combining formula with breast milk. Pay attention to the composition of the mixture: it can be fortified with vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy growth. This is a definite plus of artificial nutrition, since the baby gets everything he needs, but there should not be too much nutrients.

Mixing milk and formula allows the baby to quickly get used to the new taste and get as many calories as he needs. Since it takes more time for the baby's body to digest the mixture, this allows you to increase the intervals between feedings.

What are the disadvantages of mixed feeding? Mixed feeding has the following disadvantages:

1. Incorrect mixing can lead to excessive concentration of nutrients, and this is dangerous for the baby.
2. The baby may stop breastfeeding because the nipple is easier to suck on and easier to "get" food from.
3. Mix must be purchased and prepared in advance. In addition, it is necessary to pre-sterilize the bottle, check the temperature of the mixture.
4. Reduced milk production. This can be both a plus (if you need to wean the baby from the breast), and a minus (if you plan to continue breastfeeding).

Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky advises introducing complementary foods and switching to mixed feeding after 6 months, when the child becomes more active and spends more energy. At this age, the baby needs more nutrients than breast milk can provide.

Diet rules for mixed feeding

How to switch to mixed feeding? To do this, follow the advice of the UK National Health Service:

1. Always offer the breast first. If the child is not full, offer a bottle.
2. Add 2 tsp. formula into a breast milk bottle to avoid a sudden change in taste.
3. Bottle feed when your baby is relaxed and happy, not very hungry.
4. Give the bottle in the same position as breastfeeding.

How to organize mixed feeding? Consult your pediatrician for the right mixture. Add it gradually to reduce stress on the mother's body and on the baby. Start by swapping one breastfeed for cereal, or add some formula to your breastmilk bottle. Remember that solid foods contain more calories than liquid foods, so you will need less formula than milk.

Steven Jerome Parker, MD, notes that doctors used to advise feeding the baby on a strict schedule. Today it is recommended to feed the baby on demand: he should eat as often and as much as is required for saturation. This is due to the fact that each body has its own characteristics, and the needs of infants may differ.

How to combine formula and breast milk? There are general guidelines, but no hard and fast rules, about how much a baby should eat at each feed, says Hansa D. Bhargava, MD. On average, a one-month-old baby needs 10 ml of the mixture after breastfeeding. This serving can be mixed with breast milk in a bottle. Babies under 6 months of age will need about 30 ml of formula as a supplement to their breast milk.

Breast milk and formula provide the baby with everything it needs to grow and develop. When mixed feeding, you can combine milk with porridge in one bottle or give the mixture after breastfeeding. Focus on your baby's appetite and watch his reaction to new ingredients.

Attention! The material is for informational purposes only. You should not resort to the methods of treatment described in it without first consulting a doctor.

Sources:

1. Emily C. Radlowski, Mei Wang, Marcia H. Monaco, Sarah S. Comstock, Sharon M. Donovan. Combination-Feeding Causes Differences // PubMed. - 2021. - 27 March. — Mode of access: https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065485/
2. Hansa D. Bhargava. Baby Feeding Schedule // WebMD. — 2020. — 21 August. – Access mode: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-feeding-schedule

Reviewer – doctor of the highest category Mikhailenko Lyudmila Anatolyevna

Original article: https://www.nur.kz/health/motherhood/1840700-smesannoe-vskarmlivanie-pravila-kak-organizovat/

How to feed your baby? About mixed and artificial feeding

This article is designed to help mothers understand the intricacies of artificial feeding.

Mixed feeding

For various reasons (mother and child diseases, hypolactia, early work, etc.), some mothers use mixed feeding.

When breastfeeding in combination with formula, it is important to keep feeding on demand, and weight gain must be constantly monitored. It is important that supplementary feeding is introduced only after breastfeeding. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the following recommendations of specialists: the breast must be offered to the child at every feeding, because. alternating breastfeeding and formula feeding will lead to the extinction of lactation. With a small amount of milk, the child is applied to both breasts during feeding, and if there is little supplementary feeding, it is offered from a spoon, and not from a bottle. Bottles should be chosen with a dense elastic nipple and a small hole.

In cases where there are problems with the composition of breast milk, special breast milk fortifiers can be used under medical supervision.

Artificial feeding

Tatyana N., mother of two:

– From the first days we bought expensive mixtures with probiotics for our son, and changed them according to age. After a year, up to 20 months, fermented milk mixtures were given at night.

It is necessary to observe the mode and quantity of the mixture, because many children are prone to constipation, and mixtures contribute to this. It is also important to choose the right nipple in the bottle: beveled or round, the hole in the nipple also matters. If the mixture is thick, with probiotics, a size 2 or 3 hole will do. If normal, then the second size will do. But you can’t pick it up by eye the first time, you have to buy different mixtures and try.

When formula feeding, it is recommended to feed at intervals of three or three and a half hours, ideally with a six hour break at night. After the introduction of complementary foods, the child can be transferred to five meals a day. There are two ways to calculate the volume of food. In the first option, to calculate the amount of food in the first week of life, you can multiply the day of the child's life by 70 or 80 ml - depending on weight: for children with a birth weight of up to 3200 kg or more, respectively (for example, on the fifth day of life, a baby , who was born with a weight of 3100 grams, should eat 5 * 70 ml = 350 ml of food). In the second option, up to two months, a child should eat per day a volume of food that is equal to a fifth of body weight, from two to four months - a sixth, up to six months - a seventh, and up to a year - up to an eighth of body weight, excluding water, juice, etc. (i.e. a three-month-old baby weighing about five kilograms should eat about 800-1000 ml of food). Of course, these are only indicative figures, everything is individual.

In the nutrition of children, it is mandatory to use adapted infant formulas (infant formula). They are close to women's milk in all components - protein, fat, carbohydrate, amino acid, vitamin and mineral.

Types of milk formulas:

• formulas based on cow and goat milk,
• “initial” or “starter” formulas, “follow-up” formulas, formulas for children from 0 to 12 months (indicated by numbers),
• dry and liquid (liquid, such as PreNAN, used for medicinal purposes - author's note) infant formula,
• fresh and sour milk,
• with and without additional components.

When bottle-feeding, the mother needs to provide the baby with tactile contact, so it is better to feed, holding him in her arms “skin to skin”.

It is believed that goat milk mixtures cannot cause allergies, but unfortunately this is a myth. But they are easily absorbed and digested, have a pleasant taste and are rich in nutrients. Therefore, in case of intolerance to individual components of cow's milk or an allergy to it, goat's milk mixtures are used.

1. "Starter" or "starter" formulas ("1") are intended for babies in their first 6 months of life. The composition is as close as possible to women's milk.
2. "Following" mixtures ("2") - for feeding children in the second half of life. Contain a higher amount of protein, less like breast milk.
3. "Follow-up" formulas ("3") - for feeding young children.
4. "0 to 12 months" formulas can be used throughout the first year of a child's life.

The composition of the mixtures

The mixtures are close in composition to human milk due to:

• a decrease in the content and changes in the composition of the protein, which reduces the negative effect on metabolism and reduces the burden on the kidneys and digestive system,
• the introduction of taurine, which is necessary for normal development of the retina and brain, absorption of fats. It is indispensable for children in the first few months of life, because. not formed in the body;
• the use of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lactose in combination with dextrinmaltose,
• reducing the content of mineral salts and introducing iodine, selenium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, the content of which in cow's milk is lower than in women's milk.

Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that have a positive effect on health by affecting bacteria in the human intestine. Prebiotics include some carbohydrates.

Nucleotides, pro- and prebiotics are often added to adapted milk formulas. Nucleotides influence the formation of children's immunity. The introduction of pre- and probiotics ensures the normal intestinal microflora.

Adapted fermented milk products are also used in infant nutrition. They are prepared using special colonies of bacteria. Such mixtures contain protective substances, lactic acid, lower lactose levels, and milk protein is partially split, which somewhat reduces allergenicity. They improve the composition of the intestinal microflora, strengthen local immunity, and are able to regulate intestinal motility in case of constipation and diarrhea.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that have a positive effect on human health.

Adapted fermented milk formulas can be used from the first weeks of life as an addition to the main fresh mixtures. They are recommended at the risk of nutrition-related diseases, with reduced appetite, dysbacteriosis, frequent respiratory infections and during an epidemic of colds. Powdered fermented milk mixtures with low acidity are sometimes used even as a staple food.

Elena F., young mother:

– She was in the hospital for eight days because of breast problems, plus she waited a couple of days after antibiotics. It was then difficult for my daughter to take the breast, so at first she expressed milk into a bottle, but she also gave the breast. As a result, it turned out to establish breastfeeding, I almost do not feed anymore. When I was only on the mixture (ate "Bellakt Optimum"), the chair was tight. When they switched to milk, and the mixture as a supplement, everything returned to normal.

At high risk of developing atopic dermatitis - if both parents and siblings suffer from allergic diseases - mixtures based on partially hydrolyzed cow's or goat's milk protein are preferred.

How to choose the right mixture?

Infants who require formula and formula feeding should receive only adapted formula milks for proper development. When choosing a milk formula, it is necessary to take into account the age of the child, the work of the gastrointestinal tract, the risk of allergies, diseases, the nature and possible side effects of taking medications, the financial level of the family, the individual tolerance of this particular mixture and the tastes of the child.

From the first weeks of a child's life, preference should be given to fresh formulas, then, if necessary, to combine fresh and fermented milk formulas.

Important: an excess of fermented milk mixtures in the diet of a child of the first year of life can cause persistent regurgitation and metabolic disorders. From the age of six months, “follow-up” mixtures are recommended. In the first and second half of life, mixtures "from 0 to 12 months" can also be used. For children aged approximately 10 months to 3 years, formulas with the number "3" are recommended.

Formulas for children with low lactase activity, with breast milk oligosaccharides: Nutrilon-low lactose, Similac.

Mixtures for children with regurgitation and vomiting, constipation, colic: Nutrilon antireflux, Bellakt KM2, Bellakt AR, Frisovoy.

Formulas for children with diarrhea and severe intolerance to cow's milk, hydrolysates: Nutri-Soy, Pepti-Junior, Frisosoy, Frisopep, Alfare Amino.

Immunity strengthening and intestinal microflora improving mixtures: NAN with bifidobacteria, Semper Bifidus.

Formulas for premature and small babies: Nenatal, Bellakt PRE, Frisopre.

Fermented milk mixtures: NAN fermented milk, Nestogen fermented milk, Bellakt KM.

Goat milk mixtures: Nanny 1.2, Kabrita 1.2, MD mil SP Goat, Mamako Premium.

Important : if you use mixtures with bifidobacteria, strictly control the temperature - it should not exceed 45 degrees. An opened pack of any mixture should be stored in accordance with the requirements indicated on the box. Any mixture is prepared for one feeding and is not stored.

An example of a bottle with a convex anatomical nipple.

Tips from moms on choosing bottles and nipples:

• Most people prefer plastic bottles of famous brands (cheap and bought in random places can contain harmful impurities!),
• the volume should be appropriate for age: 150 ml to start, and after a year 300 ml is also possible,
• the neck is preferably wide, so it is more convenient to pour the mixture,
• the shape of the bottle should not be complicated - in this case, even with a brush it is difficult to wash it well,
• for babies who hold the bottle themselves, it’s good to take a bottle narrowed in the middle or with removable handles and with an anti-slip coating,
• it is advisable to check (read reviews) if the bottle does not leak when you turn it over,
• most mothers advise taking “anti-colic » bottles,
• the nipple, most likely, will have to be selected individually, but it is recommended to take an anatomical convex one, the grip of which is as close as possible to the shape of the female nipple. The majority of respondents are in favor of silicone orthodontic nipples, but some, on the contrary, prefer softer round latex ones;
• the hole in the nipple for water must be “one”, and for the mixture “two” or “three”;
• any nipples are used for no more than two or three months, latex ones last less. It is necessary to strictly observe the service life of the bottle itself;
• Please read the care instructions carefully before using the bottle for the first time. Ideally, after each use, the bottle is sterilized, and before preparing the mixture, it is washed with boiled water;
• all mums are advised to keep two or three bottles in stock.

The material used data from teaching aids "Feeding healthy children in the first year of life" ( Zhernosek V.F., Dyubkova T.P. ).

Afterword from the leading column

Dear Bobruisk women, feed your babies with love and tenderness, and nature will do the rest.

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