Combi feeding

I have found using my Hakka on the boob I’m not feeding on has been great for me, I do it about 3 or 4 feeds a day and it is enough for a bottle or two, hope this helps xx

@Chloe I’ll give that a go, as even if I do switch to a bottle of formula a day. I’ll still want to be mainly breastfeeding/ giving breast milk x

Same as above, I use my hakka in the morning before my other one is awake to be able to do one bottle x but you are doing amazing. It is very difficult the second time round with another baby. I’m definitely finding this leap harder than going from 0 to 1!xx

@Jess I agree, it’s definitely been harder going from 1-2 than it was 0-1. I found the newborn stage with 1 pretty easy, but he also didn’t feed half as much as this one 😂 xx

I was in the exact same boat last week and decided to start combi feeding and it was the best thing I did. Partly also due little one not putting weight on too but mainly because it was taking its toll and I felt it was unfair on my toddler. I would suggest doing what you feel is best for you. Other people can help feed but the main positive I've found is she is so much more settled after formula so it's not just the feeding time that is reduced, I can also put her down and spend time with my toddler xx

I could’ve written this myself, I feel you! My newborn does exactly the same in the morning and I feel so guilty for my toddler! I already combi feed with formula but mostly in the evening for my partner to help out but have been considering introducing more formula feeds in the daytime or even moving to exclusively formula fed (which my daughter was after 4 weeks old) I feel very torn but am just currently going to take it day by day to see what is going to be the right choice! Don’t feel guilty about introducing formula, as even the smallest amount of breast milk can be beneficial! You have to do what is right for you x

@Cassie thank you, what formula do you use? That is a whole other mind field 😂xx

Don’t feel guilty you’re doing great. I’m trying to build up a milk supply and also have a toddler so know what it’s like trying to get stuff done. Have you tried expressing before baby feeds? I latch my little one to bring the milk in then I use the Mandela manual pump to express 1-2 ounces which takes about 30 seconds. But I find that’s the best time to express for me to get milk quickly. If some days you don’t want to express then don’t, there’s no pressure 🥰 just go with the flow. Feeding both kids and keeping the house running is a full time job in itself. Even if you can only manage to carve out 10-15 minutes to play with your toddler they will appreciate it 😊 x

We use cow and gate as this is what I used with my first after I stopped breastfeeding. Had no issues with it so far, we started with the ready made bottles to try a couple before investing in a full tub 😁 x

You have to do what you have to do to look after yourself so that you can look after your children. If you get totally burnt out you won't be able to be present enough for either of them. If that means combi feeding then let that take some of the pressure off you. You said yourself it would only be 1 or 2 feeds a day so your little one will mainly still be getting breast milk anyway but you will just be able to regain a little bit of time for your toddler... & sanity for yourself! Best of luck with whatever you decide x

This is what I was like at about the 10 day mark. The amount of hours I spent breastfeeding was absurd and with a toddler, it just wasn’t feasible. I kept getting pangs of anxiety about my Husband going back to work and thinking about how I would cope with the two. My eldest would get home from nursery about 5:30pm and go to bed at 7:30pm and between those hours I barely even got to give him a hug as I was glued to my spot on the sofa with the baby breastfeeding. We moved to combi feeding and to be honest, it’s about two weeks later and she’s mainly formula fed. I’ve tried to sort of keep up with pumping and putting her on the boob every now and again (mainly at night when I’m just too tired to make a bottle or If out & about) but my supply is definitely dipping and if I carry on like this, I think my supply will basically be gone in a week or two . It’s such a shame but I just had to do what was best for my family x

Literally same here, definitely going to be an interesting few months 😅xx