We talk about mixed breastfeeding when the baby is fed both breast and bottle. This rhythm is not always easy to set up and maintain over the long term. Here are all the keys to successful mixed breastfeeding and keeping the pleasure of breastfeeding your baby for as long as you want.

While healthcare professionals recommend breastfeeding for up to 6 months, there is no rule for initiating mixed breastfeeding.

However, for the baby to successfully switch from the breast to the bottle and vice versa, without difficulty, it must be sure that he has excellent suction, in other words that he has a good head and that he places his tongue correctly. The positioning of the latter is indeed very different for latching on and for drinking from the pacifier. By inserting the bottle (or pacifier) ​​too early, baby risks sulking the breast later, not knowing how to position his tongue correctly to extract the milk. He may also estimate that the flow rate from the bottle is much more interesting than that from the breast!

In addition, if you want to continue breastfeeding your child for some time to come, it is absolutely necessary to wait until the lactation is in place. Before this time, the introduction of feeding bottles would risk greatly reducing your milk production, and would force you to wean your baby permanently, that is to say, to completely stop breastfeeding.

These are the reasons why it is advisable to wait at least the last 6 weeks of your baby to start mixed breastfeeding.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to introduce bottles, switching to mixed breastfeeding should be done as gradually and peacefully as possible. This step is indeed a big change in the habits of baby, who does not like to be disturbed in his habits.

By alternating gently between the breast and the bottle, the adaptation will be smooth and baby will learn to position his tongue, depending on whether it is a pacifier or your nipple that is presented to him.

The idea is therefore to gradually replace the less important feedings of the day, with bottles: you will eliminate a feed every two to three days for example. This gradual weaning method will be beneficial both for you, avoiding any risk of engorgement or mastitis, and for your child for whom the detachment will be smooth.

The ideal is to eliminate as a priority the feedings which correspond to the moment when the lactation is least important – the breasts are less full. You can start by removing the afternoon feed (s). Then when your breasts are less tight – after 2 to 3 days, or even 5 to 6 days depending on the woman – you can replace another breastfeed with a bottle.

However, if you want to continue breastfeeding, note that the fewer feedings, the less milk production is stimulated. So be sure to keep 2 to 3 feeds per day.

To respect the baby’s rhythm and maintain your lactation, it is important to keep the rituals well with a feed in the morning and one in the evening, those times when milk production is the most important. This will also allow you to avoid the risk of congestion. If your baby still needs to wake up at night and asks for a feed, if possible, don’t deprive her of it.

In order for your baby to accept both the bottle and continue to suck at the breast, great care must be taken in choosing a bottle nipple.

Preferably opt for physiological teats: their elongated shape, and their thin and flexible texture at the base will allow a smooth transition: by taking the bottle, your child will find certain sensations he has with the breast and will thus be able to maintain excellent suction.

In addition, be sure to use a pacifier with the appropriate flow rate: baby should find approximately the same flow rate between the breast and the bottle. So do not use a fast-flow nipple because if the milk flows faster with the bottle, your child may be frustrated when feeding and reject the breast.

To keep things running smoothly, here are some more tips:

• Prepare the bottle with your child, explain to him what you are doing with a soft and reassuring voice, whatever his age.
• If necessary, heat the pacifier under lukewarm water so that it regains the sensation of the heat of your skin.
• Make yourself comfortable and calmly offer the bottle to your child: do as with your nipple, wait for him to catch the pacifier himself with his mouth.
• Let your baby drink at her own pace, just like you do when you breastfeed. He can take breaks and stop drinking whenever he wants, even if there is still milk in the bottle. Above all, do not force it. A child knows particularly well how to listen to his signals of hunger and satiety! Make sure he keeps this very good habit.

Insufficient milk production

To produce enough milk to continue breastfeeding your baby, you need to stimulate your lactation by getting enough breastfeeding. In principle, it is recommended to keep 3 feedings per 24 hours: in the morning, in the evening and another at night or during the day.

If your baby is sleeping through the night and you can’t offer to feed your baby during the day – because you are working, for example – consider expressing your milk at or near the usual feeding time. . You can store your milk, either in the refrigerator or in the freezer and thus make a small stock of breast milk to offer it to the bottle during your absence.

To restart your milk production, take advantage of the weekends to breastfeed your baby whenever he is used to drinking milk: during these two days, do not use bottles. This intense stimulation will restart your lactation regularly and allow you to continue breastfeeding for as long as you want.

Engorgement and unexpected surges of milk

To avoid the risk of engorgement, be sure to suppress a feed by a feed, every 2-3 days or even every 5-6 days depending on the tension you feel in your chest.

In case your breasts are sore or swollen, do not hesitate to empty them a little under the hot water of the shower by squeezing them. or by dipping your nipple in a glass of hot but not hot water, of course.

If you are in full breast milk, and a bottle was planned and not a feed, you will need to express a little milk – not too much at the risk of maintaining the same level of lactation – to relieve the tension and avoid any unpleasant or even painful sensation. By doing this, your milk supply will regulate itself and gradually adapt to the new rhythm of the feedings.

Finally, to avoid any leakage of milk, especially the first few days, plan breastfeeding pads, either fabric (therefore washable) or disposable.