Mixed breastfeeding: advantages and disadvantages - Élhée

Mixed breastfeeding: advantages and disadvantages

 

You're wondering whether mixed breastfeeding might be the best way to feed your newborn, but you're still not sure?

Let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of this method.

 

CONTENTS 

 

 

 

 

Mixed breastfeeding: definition 

Mixed feeding refers to the alternation of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. Parents who practise mixed breastfeeding decide, either out of obligation due to a busy schedule, or out of a desire to share the task of feeding, to feed their baby both breast milk and meals in a bottle made up of powdered milk or breast milk expressed using a breast pump.

 

What are the advantages of mixed breastfeeding?

More freedom 

Mixed breastfeeding offers greater freedom. The mother is not obliged to be present at all her child's meals, and can leave this task to her partner. Beforehand, she can express her milk to build up a reserve, so that she can leave without any worries.

 

Some women, aware that they need time to themselves, can feel less guilty: their child still benefits from breast milk. Mixed breastfeeding makes it possible to combine breast and bottle feeding, and makes the weaning period, which can be difficult, easier to anticipate.

 

A unique relationship with your child 

Breastfeeding is a way of strengthening the bond with your child. For some women, there's no way around it! But reality catches up with many mothers, who unfortunately can't always achieve their dream of breastfeeding. Mixed breastfeeding is the ideal compromise, combining all the advantages of breastfeeding with those of bottle-feeding 😉

 

What are the disadvantages of mixed breastfeeding? 

Strictly speaking, there are no disadvantages to mixed breastfeeding. It all depends on individual choices! For women wishing to breastfeed exclusively, or those who prefer bottle-feeding from birth, this is not a viable alternative.

 

Finding the right rhythm 

In the first few weeks, it can be confusing for women to find the right rhythm. 

 

These are all questions that often worry young parents, especially when it's their first baby or first time breastfeeding.

 

 

Wait until lactation has started before giving bottles 

To do this properly, you should avoid giving bottles for the first few weeks, until lactation is well established. If you start feeding too early, you run the risk of undermining your desire to introduce mixed breastfeeding, also known as partial breastfeeding.

 

The risk of confusion between breast and teat 

Mixed breastfeeding sometimes raises a few concerns, one in particular being the confusion between breast and teat.

 

  • Won't baby turn away from his mother's breast or refuse the bottle?
  • Won't mealtime turn into a tug-of-war and a nervous breakdown?

 

This vast subject, which fortunately offers a number of solutions, is the subject of another blog article which you can find HERE.

 

The breast pump: for mothers who want to feed their baby breast milk without breastfeeding 

Breast pumping is the art of expressing milk using a special device, which can be rented from a chemist, in order to give it to the baby instead of powdered milk. In this way, the mother can continue to feed her child without having to be present and have someone else give the bottle.

 

Is mixed breastfeeding tiring? 

Some women wonder whether breast-feeding is tiring at all. Others, on the other hand, are reluctant to bottle-feed, finding that the preparation and clean-up time at night deprives them of sleep for longer! To preserve your sleep capital as much as possible, it's essential to equip yourself with a time-saving bottle-feeder: 

  • easy to disassemble,
  • dishwasher-safe,
  • and well accepted by your child.

 

Generally speaking, exclusive breastfeeding is no more tiring than bottle-feeding. However, night-time awakenings may be more frequent with exclusive breastfeeding, as breast milk is more rapidly absorbed and digested than industrial milk.

 

Did you know? 💡

 

A breastfeeding mother will have a deeper, more restorative sleep than a mother who bottle-feeds her child. Nature being well done, the body, under the influence of the hormone prolactin, receives the signal to enter the slow wave sleep phase more quickly. This is the phase in which physical recovery takes place.

 

 

Does mixed breastfeeding make it possible to breastfeed on demand? 

Breastfeeding on demand means putting baby to the breast whenever he or she feels the need or desire. Most of the time, it's a very quick operation! The textile industry itself has adapted by designing lingerie specifically for breastfeeding situations, making it easier and quicker to put the baby to the breast.

 

In the case of mixed breastfeeding, your baby will have to wait, depending on when you prefer to give him a bottle, for the time it takes to prepare the milk, warm it up and settle down to give it to him. So it's not really possible to talk aboutbreastfeeding on demand in these conditions.

 

These few minutes of waiting can be stressful if baby is crying, and it's important not to rush or risk falling over with your child in your arms.

 

In fact, this is the only way it can express itself during its first months of life! The survival instinct drives him to howl as soon as he's hungry. When their parents are exhausted, it can quickly become tempting to breastfeed instead, in order to respond more quickly to their requests. The speed with which meals are processed is one of the great advantages of breastfeeding on demand!

 

How do you organize your mixed breastfeeding? 

If you opt for mixed breastfeeding, you'll need to alternate between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. Try to be regular and consistent every day.

 

Example: 

  • breastfeeding on waking and in the morning,
  • a bottle at lunchtime,
  • an afternoon feed before naptime,
  • a bottle at snack time,
  • a feed before going to bed at night
  • if necessary, one or two bottles at night.

 

This way, your child will get used to the established routine and be less likely to feel anxious. Keeping to the same rhythm is also good for your body, which will produce milk regularly at the desired times.

Mixed breastfeeding requires a certain rigor and solid organization, at the risk of making your lactation anarchic and upsetting the most sensitive babies.

 

 In a nutshell 

  • Mixed breastfeeding is an interesting alternative for women wishing to combine breastfeeding and bottle-feeding...
  • No more tiring than exclusive breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, mixed feeding does require a certain amount of rigor.
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