All or Nothing : Breastfeeding and bottle feeding

Maybe you are going back to work or school full time and will not be able to pump every 3 hours to maintain 100% breastmilk for feedings. Or maybe you simply do not wish to be tied down to breastfeeding exclusively. Whatever the reason, you have an option and you can make breastfeeding work.

In my opinion it is better for a baby to get 25-50% breastmilk for a year than 100% for 2 weeks and quit. My motto is "As much as you can for as long as you can". Of course, I want every baby to receive breastmilk for at LEAST a year but my wishes are not practical for every individual situation.

Follow these simple guidelines to make it work for you.

• Be Consistent: day to night - divide your day into two halfs or shifts. Whatever you do during the day, do it at night. Whether pumping or nursing being consistent is CRITICAL. Click here for a sample routine.
• Supplement: since you will not be pumping every 2-3 hours to make enough milk to meet your babies demands you will need to supplement. The preferable supplement is human milk from a human milk bank. If this is not an option for you then you must supplement with formula or goats milk. Please refer to your pediatrician for a recommendation in this area. Being a lactation consultant I will not make formula recommendations.

That is it. Find a plan that works for you, stick with it and you will find success.

Supplies to make pumping easier

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