Does supplementing with formula reverse the benefits of breastfeeding?
Show your support
As far as I’m aware there’s no evidence that giving formula reverses any benefits of breastfeeding. We ended up combi feeding as I was unwell postpartum, and carried on so my husband could give a bedtime bottle, and as baby took both the breast and bottle just fine (I think I would have stopped the bottle if it had affected my BF journey with her). It’s the only time I get a break and get a solid few hours sleep - she has a bottle of formula around 9.30pm and sleeps until approx 2.30am, I then BF through the night & daytime. We really like lansinoh bottles (have tried others and didn’t get on well). You need to decide what’s best for you and your family, I was upset at the idea of giving baby formula at first but now think it’s the best thing we did as I have peace of mind anyone can feed her if for whatever reason I couldn’t be there to breast feed, and don’t worry about her not getting BF benefits as it still feels like she’s attached to the boob basically all day 😂
Sorry for such a long reply. Recommend giving this a read - https://www.nct.org.uk/information/baby-toddler/feeding-your-baby-or-toddler/mixed-feeding-combining-breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding#:~:text=each%20formula%20feed.-,What%20effect%20will%20combining%20breastfeeding%20and%20formula%20feeding%20have?,Kotowski%20et%20al%2C%202020).
I hear what you’re saying about gut flora. Formula definitely does change the gut make up, but I don’t think there’s any conclusive evidence about what the long term effects (if any) are. I also don’t think there is solid evidence that babies sleep longer or better on formula. If I were you (my husband has floated giving formula or moving to exclusive pumping by around 9 months, so we’ve had lengthy conversations along these lines), I’d ask your husband to do some research and present it to you. I found that mine was just saying what he thought made sense, but he’d never done any research. Fundamentally, if you’re happy to exclusively breastfeed and you’re able to, I’d just see how it goes before introducing formula. As the info from the nct says, you doing really want to combi feed until your supply has regulated, anyway.
According to studies, the full benefits of breastfeeding only applies to those who EBF, due to microbiome, antibodies and nutritional input. If you supplement with formula that DOES affect their microbiome and, in return, does not offer the full benefits of breastfeeding. You would get benefits, but the main change is less maternal antibodies and a different gut microbiome than EBF. I would suggest expressing expressing milk and having him give it to her in a bottle instead. Also, as others have mentioned, supplementing with formula WILL affect your supply and formula does not make baby sleep longer.
formula does make them feel fuller for longer but doesn’t stop them waking less at night, also it would mess with your supply if you gave formula. would you not want to express milk? this way you’re not giving formula and your husband can also feed baby