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Breast To Bottle
Many breastfeeding mothers use an occasional bottle of expressed, frozen breastmilk or formula because they need to be away from the baby. In unusual cases, a pediatrician may recommend a combination of breastfeeding and formula if the mother is returning to work, or if she is ill or exhausted. It is commonly - though often wrongly - thought that supplemental bottles are given because the mother does not have enough milk. In fact, the vast majority of mothers produce more than enough milk to meet their babies' needs, even for twins. When there appears to be a problem of supply-and-demand, your pediatrician may encourage you to see a lactation consultant.
If supplement bottles are given for the sake of convenience, experts advise waiting until your baby is three or four weeks old. This allows time for your milk supply to become well-established, and for you and your baby to get used to breastfeeding. Don't be surprised if your baby doesn't immediately take to a bottle. To obtain the benefits of human milk, it is best if you express your breastmilk and store it for bottle feeding as needed. Expressing breastmilk also helps maintain your milk supply. Formula can also be fed while you continue breastfeeding as often as possible. Just be sure to discard any leftover breastmilk or formula your baby does not drink. Germs and enzymes from your baby's mouth can enter the bottle and spoil the milk. If you do use formula, be sure to use the type recommended by your pediatrician.
Excerpted from "Guide to Your Child's Nutrition" Villard, 1999
(©)2002 American Academy of Pediatrics
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