Can you establish supply if you only feed every 6 hours?

[Becky30]

I want to combination feed my third baby by breastfeeding every OTHER feeding.  That would mean feeding every 6 hours instead of every 3 in general.

Do you think this will impair the milk from being established?  I guess I feel overly-confident since I've never had problems with milk supply in the past.  And since it's supposed to be supply and demand (your breasts only makes as much as the baby demands), wouldn't it make sense to only demand as much as you want your breasts to supply?

What do you all think???

[tiredbuthappy]

i'm not positive, but i worry about the affect that may have on the baby. people supplement all the time, but i thought it was generally finishing a bf'ing session with a little formula, or the occasional bottle. the reason i question every other feeding is because breastfed babies take much less than formula fed babies. i wonder if that would mess with the baby's system. she would need much more formula (up to 2 ounces) than if taking breast milk. This may get her used to taking larger than necessary feeds of breast milk. i may be wrong, and i hope others give their opinions as well. basically, my daughter had breast milk only for about 7 1/2 months. As soon as I introduced 2 bottles of formula a day, her intake of ounces daily drastically increased. This included her ounces of breast milk. i also wonder about this every 6 hour theory, as growth spurts are very likely to throw that off. and anyone who has fed an infant breast milk knows that in the first few months you can dream of feeding every 3 hours, but in reality the baby often needs to be fed more frequently.

in theory, your body can adjust to different schedules. however, they say that your supply isn't established until about 12 weeks post partum. after 12 weeks it's supplu and demand. prior to that you are primarily hormone driven. nursing is what keeps those hormones going. until that point, in order to get a supply truly established, you are supposed to nurse on demand (or pump at that times a baby would normally nurse).

[ma2isiah]

I think that it could work when the baby is over 3 months. But in the beginning in order to establish a supply you will need to either pump or feed every 2-3 hours. I think we talked before about Raynauds. Are you thinking that less stimulation will lead to less pain? I think that is a good thought....but if you intend to sustain a breastfeeding relationship you will need to be careful in the first 3 months. I had two friends that their Raynauds was SO much better with their second baby and one had a third with no symptoms. When are you due? I would plan to have lots of help as far as lactation support and make your plan up as you go along as far as supplementing and pumping and do what works for you and this baby. Also feel free to message me anytime and I will try to help. I work as a nurse in L&D and have had a lot of education in lactation and have friends who work as lactation consultants. Are you planning to try taking Nifedipine (procardia)?

[loismwallace]

I think ANY breastmilk is better than NONE....And I have heard this from many Dr.s and LCs.....You do what you feel you need to do. If you only bf every 6hrs, that's how much milk you will produce. Don't get discouraged. It CAN be done.

[Becky30]

Thanks for the thoughts!  Wow, I didn't realize the supply and demand thing didn't take effect until 12 WEEKS?  UGH.  And I have wondered about that same thing with how much the baby takes in.  I know formula fed babies can often go 3-4 hours, while BF babies go 2-3 hrs.  While I don't hyper-schedule my baby's feedings, I do try to maintain a 3 hour routine which cycles all day long.  That way they can make it longer at night because they're getting most of their needed calories, wake and sleep time during the day.

Yes, I believe I have Reynaud's and I will be trying the Procardia.  If it doesn't help the pain, I just simply won't continue.  

Trying to combo feed is a change of mind from not wanting to breastfeed at all.  I decided I would regret it if I didn't at least TRY.  But I truly have had nothing but horrible experiences with breastfeeding--that's why I wanted to do every other feeding--to just give myself a break.  The bottle is so much easier for me (not pumping, but formula).

I am having my c-section in 5 days (Tuesday, 10/7)!  There will be several LC and nurses at the hospital and I'm there for 5 days.  But ma2isiah, I will certainly be in touch if I am still frustrated!

Thanks for the encouragement, loismwallace!

[meiram]

I have two friends whose babies were formula fed while they were at work and breastfed when they got home.  In both cases, their bodies adapted to that schedule.  One pumped once at work and the other didn't pump at all.  However, both of them breastfed exclusively for the first 12 weeks while they were on maternity leave.  

[AndiJ78]

I agree with the comments relating to the 12 week time frame. You need to have that supply well-established before tinkering with it so dramatically. At the very least do your best to nurse exclusively for the first 4 weeks before adding the supplemental bottles. You may be able to tweak the supply a bit after that.