Methods for breastfeeding: mixed and deferred

Breastfeeding is a process that each mother must learn to take at her own pace, responding to her needs and those of her baby. Although the National Health Organization promotes exclusive breastfeeding as the best way to feed the baby during its first 6 months, there are eventualities that do not allow mothers to do so even if they want to.

This is an aspect that you should keep in mind so as not to get frustrated when defining the way your baby will feed, since this should be decided by you, without feeling pressured or committed to doing something you cannot handle.

That is why today we bring you two methods so that you can try to see if they work for you, both have been tried by numerous women, allowing them to carry out their activities without neglecting their most precious treasure: their son.

mixed breastfeeding

You may have heard of this type of breastfeeding before, being one of the most popular ways to do it these days. Its main characteristic is that both breast milk and formula are used, alternating them to nourish the baby together.

In general, many mothers with milk production problems and mastitis may decide to do this type of complementary feeding. However, there are also cases of women who are not prepared for exclusive breastfeeding, so they think that the baby is not nourished enough or that she does not have time to spend all the time breastfeeding.

The reasons can be as numerous as the women, making it clear that each case is unique and different from each other.

This process can be carried out in two ways: breastfeeding and finishing with the formula or alternating a breastfeed with another with formula.

Aspects to take into account with the mixed system

This method of feeding can be much more comfortable for you, since it allows you to share the task of feeding your baby with your partner or another member of your family or a babysitter. However, you must be especially careful with some relevant points so that nothing gets out of your control.

To begin with, take care that the breast feedings are at regular times, since otherwise the milk production will go down until it disappears completely. Therefore, if you want to continue mixed breastfeeding for a while, you should take care to stimulate the breast and feed your child regularly.

On the other hand, it is also necessary to use slow-suction bottles, this encourages the baby to continue accepting the breast, since if his feeding is done much faster with the bottle, he will tend to prefer it.

This point is also important during the delayed breastfeeding method, as it is always necessary to let the child adapt to the breast and the bottle at the same time.

Pros and cons of the mixed method

As we have said before, one of the main advantages is that you can use the help of other people to feed your baby. This favors that you rest for longer and you can relax.

Likewise, weaning is faster and easier, since he is already used to eating both ways and will not have to suffer from losing breast feeding.

On the other hand, among the cons we can find that the bottles must always be prepared before feeding, so it is usually a bit cumbersome. It’s not that it takes a lot of effort, but it can make you lose a little time each time.

deferred lactation

This method of breastfeeding refers to giving your baby your milk to drink without having him latched on to the breast. In this way, you must express the milk that is needed for the baby’s intake and give it to him through a bottle.

Many women choose this method when they have to go back to work or want to involve their partners in feeding the infant. Despite this, there are other mothers who do not have a choice, since their babies were born prematurely or are of low weight and the total amount of food they eat each time must be controlled.

In this case, they must follow some special recommendations such as knowing how to express milk, having a suitable extractor, properly maintaining the storage and conservation of milk, among other aspects.

However, this system is easy to follow and allows you to maintain lactation without much effort, helping you to continue with your life as normal as possible.

breast pumps

Successful deferred breastfeeding requires more than just manual expression. That is why it is necessary to have a breast pump that meets your needs.

If you are one of those who rarely expresses milk or goes on a trip with your baby on different occasions, it is best to have a manual breast pump that you can take from one place to another without problems.

However, if your intention is to do continuous extractions to create your own milk bank and you want to be much more efficient in terms of the time invested for it, we recommend you get an electric pump.

Both devices will help you meet your goal of feeding your baby without problems, requiring you to investigate how to perform a safe expression, as well as the process of storing and preserving breast milk.

a personal decision

Many institutions encourage mothers to carry out exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of the baby’s life, which is not bad. However, this decision is very personal and will depend on your needs and lifestyle, if you work inside or outside the home, if you suffer from any illness, etc.

Feel free to handle the matter as you see fit for your and your baby’s well-being, as this is the very thing you should be most concerned about.