Yes, it is perfectly fine and safe to give a newborn both breastmilk and formula, commonly known as mixed or combination feeding. While exclusive breastfeeding is ideal, supplementing allows for flexibility, helps with low milk supply, or provides relief for parents, with babies still receiving valuable nutrients.
It can take several weeks for you and your baby to feel happy and confident with breastfeeding. Once you've both got the hang of it, it's usually possible to offer your baby bottles of expressed milk or formula alongside breastfeeding. This is sometimes called mixed or combination feeding.
Yes, it's possible to do breastfeeding during the day and formula at night but you would still need to pump at night to maintain your supply. Even once your milk stabilizes, you will likely still need to do at least one middle of the night pump in order to maintain a supply.
If your mixed feeding involves exchanging some breastfeeds for baby formula, then your baby will not receive as many benefits as they normally would if they were exclusively breastfed. As such, their immune system may not be as well protected from certain infections1.
Combo feeding helps babies gain weight and get important nutrients needed to develop and thrive. If a breastfed baby isn't getting enough milk from the mother, supplementing with infant formula can help.
But if feeding your baby only breast milk is not an option for you, combination feeding lets you keep giving your baby the important nutrients in your breast milk. The more breast milk your baby gets, the greater the health benefits. You will also continue to get benefits from breastfeeding.
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
Changing from breastmilk to formula side effects like gas, upset stomach, and even constipation is possible if you make the change quickly. Wait three to four weeks before supplementing or switching from breastfeeding to formula. Wean your baby off breast milk gradually to allow their bodies and yours to adjust.
Alia Bhatt recently spoke about her postpartum journey, sharing how breastfeeding her daughter Raha naturally helped her lose weight. But what drew attention was the pace of her recovery, sparking online conversations.
The decision to breastfeed during the day but give infant formula at night is a common choice for many moms. This decision to combo feed— any sort of mix of breast milk and baby formula- allows for both formula feeding and breastfeeding interchangeably. Combo feeding with a night bottle is a great solution.
Rule #2: The Breast Milk Storage Guidelines.
The 4-4-4 Rule. Or the 6-6-6 rule. Basically, breast milk is good at room temperature for 4 or 6 hours, in the refrigerator for 4 or 6 days, and in the freezer for 4 or 6 or 12 months. Different professional organizations have varying recommendations.
The 5-3-3 rule is a loose guideline for structuring a baby's sleep schedule: 5 hours of wake time before the first nap, 3 hours of wake time before the second nap, and 3 hours before bedtime.
The "formula 24-hour rule" means prepared baby formula can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but once a baby starts feeding from a bottle, any leftover formula must be used or discarded within 1 hour to prevent bacteria growth. This rule protects infants from harmful germs, so always discard any unused portion after the time limit, even if refrigerated, and toss any formula left at room temperature for over 2 hours.
Yes, using formula for night feeds while breastfeeding during the day can be a solid strategy for many families. To make it work, aim to pump once during the night initially to maintain milk supply, especially if you plan to breastfeed during the day long-term.
Standard formula has 20cal/oz, breastmilk averages 18-22cal/oz depending on mom. You can start with the same oz of formula as breastmilk. Some babies do drink a bit less formula than they would breastmilk, because formula is a bit thicker and takes longer to digest.
Possible advantages of mixed feeding are:
Other caregivers can also feed the baby. Even if it is completely natural, some women do not like breastfeeding in public – a bottle also opens up new possibilities here. Work may be incompatible with family life. Recovery for sore nipples.
Bollywood actor and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan gave birth to Aradhya in 2011. She breastfed her little one for a long time. "Enjoy your motherhood years, no matter how consuming it might be. Always remember that having a child is a blessing.
Speaking about her experience, Alia said: “After giving birth to Raha, I actually put on quite a bit of weight. I was breastfeeding, and it burns a lot of calories, and I was also eating clean. So I lost a lot of the weight quite quickly.”
Alia Bhatt was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and anxiety; she has been vocal about her mental health.
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
Possible disadvantages of mixed feeding are:
The baby absorbs fewer valuable nutrients from breast milk. Possible digestion problems. Additional costs due to purchasing formula, bottles, and teats. It may take a while for the switch between breast and bottle to work.
Infant poop frequency
Babies can poop as frequently as every feeding or as infrequently as every two to three days. Neither of these situations should cause you alarm. Breastfed infants tend to poop more frequently than formula-fed infants.
Common Breast Milk Storage Mistakes to Avoid
At around 6 weeks, many moms introduce the pump and follow the Magic 8 method — pumping 8 times in 24 hours to help build and maintain milk supply.
Freshly expressed or pumped milk can be stored: At room temperature (77°F or colder) for up to 4 hours. In the refrigerator for up to 4 days. In the freezer for about 6 months is best; up to 12 months is acceptable.