Mixed infant feeding 3 months. How to properly organize feeding a baby with mixed feeding

10.09.2019

Mixed infant feeding is a reasonable alternative when breast milk is scarce. It allows you to maintain lactation and provide the baby with at least partially natural nutrition. If you feed the baby correctly, mixed feeding will only benefit him. Many women eventually manage to completely transfer the baby to breast milk.

Mixed feeding is a method of feeding in which the infant receives formula at the same time as breast milk. The amount of additional food should not exceed 50% of the daily portion of the infant's food. If infant formula makes up the majority of the diet, feeding is considered artificial.

Properly organized mixed feeding of a newborn helps to maintain breastfeeding and increase milk production. Baby food cannot completely replace breast milk. It contains many valuable substances that are not found in artificial analogues. Natural food is ideal for the development of the baby and protects it from disease. Of no small importance is the psychological contact between mother and child, which is established during breastfeeding. The process of sucking breast milk soothes the newborn, gives him a feeling of safety and comfort.

You need to start eating with breast milk. The infant should be allowed to empty both breasts and only then offered infant formula. Allowing your baby to suck all the milk out of the breast can significantly increase milk production. Before breastfeeding, the baby can only be offered some therapeutic mixtures prescribed by a pediatrician.
You should not offer your baby food in a bottle with a teat. Satisfying his need for sucking, the baby may lose interest in breast milk. If you have a large hole in the nipple of the bottle, it will be much easier to suck than the breast. In this case, the baby may completely refuse to suck breast milk. It is best to feed the baby with a spoonful of infant formula. This method is the most inconvenient for babies. Therefore, he will tend to suck more at the breast.
To maintain lactation and increase the amount of milk produced, it is imperative to breastfeed the baby at night. During this period, the greatest amount of the hormone prolactin is produced, which is responsible for lactation.
Only infant formula can be given in one of the feedings. Such a scheme is convenient for women who need to be absent for several hours daily.
Breastfeeding is recommended on demand. You can offer breast milk when the baby is upset, cannot sleep, or is not feeling well. The more the newborn suckles at the breast, the more milk the mammary glands will produce.
If you follow all the recommendations carefully, the amount of milk will gradually increase. Reduce the volume of infant formula as needed. Thus, it is possible to transfer the child to full breastfeeding.

How to calculate the amount of infant formula you need

The amount of additional food is calculated depending on the child's body weight deficit. If a newborn at 3 weeks weighs 3100 g (birth weight 3000 g) and has all the signs of malnutrition, he needs additional nutrition. The body weight deficit is 3400 g - 3100 g = 300 g. To calculate the required daily food volume, 3100 g is needed: 5 = 620 ml. With seven meals a day, the baby should eat about 90 ml of milk for one feeding.

Control weighing allows you to determine the amount of milk that the baby sucks from the mother during one feeding. If its amount fluctuates between 60-70 ml, it is necessary to prepare a one-time portion of baby food 40-30 ml.

If one feeding is completely replaced with infant formula, the serving size should be increased to 90 ml.

The pediatrician will help you calculate the optimal amount of infant formula. He will take into account the individual characteristics of the child, his state of health and the maturity of the digestive system.

What mixtures can be used for supplementary feeding?

With mixed feeding, the doctor will tell you how to choose the right formula. If the baby is completely healthy and has no disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system, you can give him Nutrilon, Humana, Nan, Hipp.

When a baby suffers from constipation, regurgitation and colic, it is better to include in his diet fermented milk infant formula Nan, Nutrilon, Nutrilak or Agusha. They contain lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, which help restore a healthy balance of microflora in the baby's intestines.

If the baby has an intolerance to cow's milk, you can feed it with an infant formula based on goat milk (Cabrita, Nanny) or soy (Nan-soy, Frisosoy, Enfamil-soy, Similak isomil). In most cases, these products are well tolerated by children.

For babies with protein intolerance, foods are made with split proteins. These formulas do not cause a negative reaction in the child, but they have an unpleasant taste and low nutritional value. They can only be used as directed by a doctor.

If the infant is mixed feeding, there is no need to strive to feed him the entire prepared portion of the infant formula at any cost. If he refuses to eat, the feeding should be stopped.

For the next meal, you do not need to prepare an increased portion of the formula, trying to replace the volume that the baby refused during the previous feed. Always prepare your doctor's recommended dose of baby food.

After the baby has eaten the proposed mixture, you can offer him the breast again. If the baby is not full, he will suckle with pleasure.

Infant formula is absorbed longer than breast milk. The number of feedings with mixed feeding will be 1 less than with breastfeeding.

To prevent the baby from weaning from the breast, you can use a special device for feeding newborns. It is a container for baby food with a tube attached to it. The tube is attached to the mother's nipple. The child captures it along with the nipple and receives additional nutrition in the most favorable conditions for him.

Babies who are on mixed feeding need to introduce the first complementary foods 2-3 weeks earlier than those who are on the breast diet.

There is no need to be upset about the fact that you have to feed your child with infant formula. Critical periods occur in all breastfeeding women. With the growth of the baby, his needs for food also increase. The mammary glands need time to provide the baby's increased appetite. For some women, adaptation takes a little longer.

We need to think about how to properly organize mixed feeding and quickly restore lactation. You need to drink more fluids, eat well, get enough rest, get enough sleep and regularly be in the fresh air.

It's no secret that breast milk is the ideal food for a newborn. But there are situations when the baby has to be bottle fed. How can this be done correctly?

When there is a need for mixed feeding

Young mothers learn about the benefits of breastfeeding babies even before they take their first child in their arms. Surely they were told about this by their grandmothers, and mother, and the doctor in the antenatal clinic, and friends who already have children. Many young women, giving birth, are tuned exclusively to breastfeeding. After all, it is this type of food that is best suited for their child. Mother's milk is always at the right temperature and is ideal for a baby in its composition. But sometimes reality makes its own adjustments. And you have to feed the baby with a mixture.

Mixed feeding is called such a feeding system for an infant, when, along with breast milk, he also receives supplementary feeding with an adapted milk formula. Moreover, the amount of the mixture is equal to or less than the volume of breast milk received by the child. When is supplementation needed?

Such a need may arise if breast milk does not provide the baby with all the nutrients necessary for growth and development. But how to understand that breast milk is not enough? The child often cries after eating, is restless - this may indicate that he is not full. A wet diaper test can be done. Ideally, a baby pees 12 to 25 times a day. If the amount of urination is much less, then the child does not have enough mother's milk. It is also important to monitor the weight of the crumbs. If during the first half of the year he gains less than 600 grams per month, then he needs to be fed.

Sometimes a woman makes a decision to introduce complementary foods when she feels that there is less milk in her breast than before. This happens during the so-called lactation crises. These are the periods when the amount of breast milk naturally decreases. This is a temporary phenomenon. Crises usually occur at 3, 7 and 12 months of a child's life. Young mothers are worried that the baby more often than before requires breast, because it does not gorge itself as usual. This is followed by the decision on bottle feeding. Breastfeeding consultants recommend not rushing to such a decision, because the crisis usually lasts 3-7 days, after which the amount of milk returns to normal. During this difficult period, it is worthwhile to latch the baby to the breast more often and drink herbal teas to support lactation.

Sometimes the need for supplementation arises if a young mother needs to return to work or school.

It happens that supplementation with special mixtures or mixtures with medicinal properties is necessary due to the illness of the baby.

Mixed feeding: basic rules

It should be said that the introduction of supplementary feeding, as well as the choice of the mixture and the method of feeding, should be discussed with the pediatrician. He will help determine the required amount of supplements.

Typically, up to three months of age, a baby needs about 30 ml of formula milk per feeding. Three to six months - 40-60 milliliters. Supplementation should be introduced gradually, starting with ten milliliters per feeding, systematically bringing it to normal.

Prepare the mixture according to the instructions on the package.

An important rule when introducing mixed feeding: at the beginning of feeding, the baby should receive breast milk, and only then the formula. Watch how the baby's body reacts to changes in nutrition, whether there are allergies or digestive upsets. The mixture may need to be replaced.

If the child does not eat all the prepared mixture, then you should not force him.

It is better to give supplements from a spoon, you can use a syringe or a special “breast feeding system”. It consists of a container for the mixture, connected to a special thin tube (medical catheter for feeding). The tube is attached to the skin of the breast with a patch so that its end is at the level of the upper edge of the nipple. Thus, the baby receives supplementation at the same time as breast milk.

Breastfeeding counselors do not recommend bottle formula. After all, this can discourage a child from taking a breast - after all, it is much more difficult to “extract” milk from it. If you do decide to use a bottle, make sure that the nipple on it is with small holes so that the baby eats, making an effort, as with breastfeeding.

At night, you should try to breastfeed your baby only. This is easier for the mother, and stimulates lactation. Indeed, in the period from 3 to 8 hours in the female body, the hormone prolactin, which produces breast milk, is most actively produced.

Sometimes there is a need to replace one or more feedings with formula, for example, when the mother is absent. In such cases, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast more often when possible. This will help maintain lactation, which is so good for the baby!

But if, nevertheless, it was not possible to keep breastfeeding, you should not be very upset. A properly selected mixture will help a child to grow stronger and grow smart and healthy. And for a little man, the care, care and love that he receives from his mother is still very important - it does not matter whether she breastfeeds him or from a bottle.

Especially for - Ksenia Boyko

Of course, breastfeeding is the best nutrition for a baby, especially a newborn. A woman's milk is enriched with proteins, fats, carbohydrates. It is unique in its composition and is almost completely absorbed by the baby's intestines. In the early days for the baby, feeding with mother's milk is especially important, because it contains the necessary bacteria for the formation of the main microflora of the baby's intestines.

But it happens that due to some circumstances, it is not possible to establish breastfeeding, or its volume is limited as a result of the mother's early departure to work. Then it makes sense to transfer the baby to mixed feeding, which involves feeding the baby, in which, along with the mother's milk, he receives an adapted formula.

Why are they switching to mixed meals?

In order to switch from natural feeding of a newborn to mixed feeding, there must be an urgent need for this, which arises for the following reasons:

lack of body weight in a child;
frequent long absences of the mother (going to work, travel, inpatient treatment);
regular production of insufficient volume of mother's milk (true hypogalactia);
diseases when it is worth reducing the volume of breast milk consumption by a child - lactase deficiency, exudative diathesis and others.

However, sometimes poorly informed mothers about the peculiarities of lactation confuse crises, as well as a decrease in the amount of milk due to overwork or nervous shocks (also called false hypogalactia) with a true lack of milk and immediately try to supplement with a mixture. It also often happens as a result of lack of confidence in one's own abilities to feed, due to pressure from relatives or in the absence of a desire to breastfeed. Therefore, it is recommended that before switching to a mixed diet for a child, you should consult with doctors: a pediatrician and breastfeeding consultants.

How to switch to mixed feeding?

It is advisable to decide whether to transfer a newborn baby to a mixed diet or not, preferably together with a pediatrician, who can tell you which mixture should be preferred in this case. You also need to pay attention to the steps of introducing the mixture into the children's diet. Since this is a new food, at first it should be fed a little, starting from 20 ml, gradually increasing its volume by 10 ml with each feeding, bringing it to the desired rate.

How to feed a baby with mixed feeding?

In order to properly organize mixed feeding of a newborn and not lose completely breastfeeding, it is worth adhering to the following rules:

calculate the missing amount of food per day (this is easy to do by regularly weighing the baby).
introduce the mixture gradually, starting with 10 ml per feeding.
first, both breasts are offered alternately, after which the mixture is given.
the mixture is given from a spoon or from a bottle with an elastic nipple (so that the baby does not refuse mother's breast at all).
give the mixture to the child not after each of his requests to eat, but at an interval of 3-4 hours. You can breastfeed at will.

Problems with mixed feeding of a newborn

The main problems with mixed meals:

constipation - since a newborn's stomach formula is considered a heavy food;
upset stool - as a result of an incorrectly selected mixture, then it is imperative to change the diet.

Mixed feeding

In order to speed up the withdrawal from mixed feeding, complementary foods are introduced at 4-5 months (not at 6 months as with breastfeeding). This is done according to a similar principle, as in the case of a natural one, the only difference is that the feeding that was carried out with the mixture is replaced, and the feeding with milk is preserved. So, by 6-7 months, the baby can already completely abandon the mixture, because he will receive the most nutritious and varied food.

The transition to a mixed type of newborn feeding does not mean that it is impossible to return to exclusively breastfeeding. This can be done by eliminating the reasons due to which the transition was made: to increase lactation, to ensure the regular presence of the mother with the child, or to cure the baby.

Mixed food myths for newborns

A child on a mixed diet always suffers from constipation. It is not true. Almost all babies up to 3-4 months old suffer from constipation and flatulence. From the mixture, the baby suffers from constipation only when it was picked up or prepared incorrectly. The mixture should be selected by the doctor according to the age of the baby and his individual characteristics. It is necessary to prepare the mixture strictly according to the instructions. In this case, the initiative is punishable.

A child on a mixed diet must definitely switch to a full artificial one, because as a result he will be lazy to suckle the breast, because milk flows out of the bottle easier. True, however, in part. In fact, if you make a large hole in the nipple, then the baby will begin to abandon the breast. If the nipple is tight, the baby will equally love both the breast and the bottle.

A mixed-fed newborn grows up sickly or weak. Yes, the mixtures do not contain all the necessary immune cells, as well as hormones, as in mother's milk. However, the baby receives most of the immunity even in utero, then supplementing it from the amount of breast milk received from the mother. In addition, adapted formulas are prepared in such a way as to maintain the child's immunity on full artificial nutrition, not like on a mixed one.

Mixed feeding of newborns as it is correct Komarovsky video

Reasons and indications for mixed feeding

The transition from breastfeeding to mixed feeding can be due to several reasons:

- Lack of breast milk is the most common cause. It is possible to determine whether the baby has enough milk by control weighing before and after feeding. In addition, with insufficient nutrition, the baby becomes restless or, conversely, lethargic, poorly or does not gain weight at all, rarely urinates (the normal frequency of urination is 10-12 times a day). Milk may not be enough even if twins or triplets are born;
- the second most common reason is the mother's going to work / school, when there is not enough expressed milk for adequate feeding;
- sometimes they switch to mixed feeding after a difficult birth, a cesarean section, a large blood loss to the mother;
- the mother is taking medications that suppress lactation.

The decision to switch to mixed feeding can only be made with a pediatrician, and even better with a breastfeeding consultant. Only experts can say for sure whether the baby really needs additional feeding, or "not enough milk" is nothing more than a mother's anxiety.

But the most common cause is a lack of milk. You can suspect or determine it before going to the doctor, while still at home.

To do this, you can use the following methods:

For instance, check weighing method when the child needs to be weighed before and after feeding and determine the rate that he should eat according to his age. If it does not eat it, then you need to feed the mixture to the norm.

The second way is urination counting method, there should be at least 12 of them per day, if less means not eating up.

Third weight gain method, i.e. the child should gain weight according to his age norms, if he does not gain the prescribed grams, then the baby does not have enough milk.

Also, the following signs will help you suspect a lack of milk:

as we already said, the baby pisses little, less than 7 times a day, the urine is dark yellow and has a pungent smell
the child is not gaining weight well
the child cannot adhere to the approximate feeding regimen, needs to eat in less than 1.5-2 hours
changes in the nature of the stool, liquid, or lack thereof

How to calculate supplementary feeding for mixed feeding?

But you will have to calculate the amount of supplementary feeding yourself each time.

There are several methods for calculating supplementary feed.
Below are the schemes for calculating supplementary feed that they can offer you.

For children of the first 10 days of life the amount of milk required is calculated using the following formulas
1.The amount of milk per day (ml) = 2% of body weight x n, where n is the day of life
For example, a child is 7 days old, body weight is 3500 g
3500 x 2 x 7: 100 = 490 ml the baby should eat per day

2.Amount of milk for 1 feeding = 3 x day of life x body weight (kg)
Let's take the same child 7 days old and 3500 g
3 x 7 x 3.5 = 73.5 ml should be eaten by the baby in one feeding

For children over the 10th day of life the most popular method for determining the amount of milk required is the "Volumetric" method according to Heibner-Czerny
According to this method, the daily amount of food is:
from 10 days to 6 weeks - 1/5 of body weight
from 6 weeks to 4 months - 1/6 of body weight
from 4 months to 6 months - 1/7 of body weight
over 6 months - 1/8 of body weight

For example, a child of 2 months, body weight 5 kg
5000 g (weight in grams): 6 (1/6 body weight) = 833 ml per day

Mixed feeding scheme for babies

It is better to observe a free diet for mixed feeding, giving the baby a breast as soon as possible, that is, on demand. But the minimum should be at least 3 breastfeeds, since with more rare attachment to the breast, lactation quickly fades away. This is especially important at night and in the morning, when the activity of the hormone prolactin is highest. This technique, in addition to the obvious convenience for the mother, is also very important for improving lactation. But in the afternoon you can already feed the baby with a mixture. It should be borne in mind that with mixed feeding, the number of feedings will, on average, be one less than with breastfeeding, this is due to the fact that the mixtures are evacuated from the stomach more slowly and therefore the feeding intervals increase. The recommended break between feedings is 3.5 hours. By the time of the introduction of complementary foods, children should be on 5 meals a day.

Types of formula for newborns

When feeding, as a rule, artificial mixtures are used, which are very close in composition to mother's breast milk. Milk mixtures can be adapted and non-adapted. Which, in turn, are divided into sour and unleavened (sweet) mixtures.

Unadapted (simple) mixtures consist of cow's milk and its constituents, they are not processed and therefore their composition remains almost unchanged. Therefore, these mixtures are used in extreme cases, in the absence of adapted ones.

Adapted mixtures- these are formulas that are very close in composition to mother's breast milk. In them, cow's milk has been corrected and enriched with vitamins and minerals, i.e. adapted for breast milk.

Well adapted mixtures include Nutrilak-1 (Russia), Nan-1 (Nestlé), Nutrilon-1 (Holland), Humana-1 (Germany), etc.

Less adapted are "Nestogen" (Switzerland), "Semilak" (USA), "Baby", "Baby" (Russia).

There are also acidic mixtures, they are good because they are more evenly evacuated from the stomach, are better digested, and also suppress the putrefactive flora in the intestines of the child. But they are not without a number of disadvantages. When feeding exclusively with acidic mixtures, the loss of some trace elements, for example, salts, calcium, is increasing, ammonia is lost in urine, etc. Therefore, feeding only with sour mixtures is not recommended.

When choosing mixtures, consider:
- the degree of adaptability of the mixture (as we found out they can be unadapted, adapted and partially adapted);
-individual reaction of the child to the mixture, i.e. how he carries it;
-combination of mixtures (acidic should not exceed 1/2 - 1/3 of the daily amount of food)
-use of the mixture in accordance with the age of the child (usually the number 1.2 or 3 is indicated on the package, which corresponds to the following age 1 - from 0 to 6 months, 2 - from 6 months to 1 year and 3 - from a year)

But remember that all formulas are suitable for feeding and it is not necessary to purchase the most expensive and adapted one, if the child tolerates the selected mixture well and has optimal developmental characteristics, then it is not worth changing the selected mixture.

The choice of infant formula should be done together with the pediatrician, without focusing on advertising, advice from other mothers and sellers. Only a doctor will be able to determine which of the infant formula is most suitable for your baby in accordance with his age, state of health and individual needs. In addition, a competent doctor will give recommendations on how to establish full-fledged breastfeeding.
The choice of infant formula should be done together with the pediatrician, without focusing on advertising, advice from other mothers and sellers. Only a doctor will be able to determine which of the infant formula is most suitable for your baby in accordance with his age, state of health and individual needs. In addition, a competent doctor will give recommendations on how to establish full-fledged breastfeeding.

How to feed a mixed feeding baby?

With mixed feeding, there are several ways to supplement. One, as mentioned above, is spoon feeding. This method is good for small amounts of supplementary feeding, which retains the ability to switch to breastfeeding after a while.

The second method, which is used, if necessary, to give the baby large volumes of the formula is feeding through a thin catheter coming from the bottle and fixed at the nipple. At the same time, the contact of the mother with the baby is not lost, which is very important for the preservation of breast milk, and the baby is not weaned. This method is also good in that it allows you to give supplementary food without stress for the child.

And, finally, the third method, which is used in the absence of the mother, is supplementary feeding from a bottle. If you have to give the baby a pacifier, choose the most dense one and make small holes in it so that the baby makes an effort to suck out the food.

Mixed feeding problems

One of the main problems with mixed feeding is the baby's refusal to breastfeed, since it is much more difficult for the baby to breastfeed than it is to receive the formula from the bottle. That is why it is better to feed not from the nipple, but from a spoon, in order to prolong breastfeeding as much as possible.

In addition to giving up breast, with mixed feeding one of the most common troubles is a problem with digestion. The baby's body is adapted to breast milk, which, in turn, is the ideal food for the baby. Artificial mixtures have a different composition and require a different intestinal microflora. That is why, on mixed feeding, babies often experience constipation, colic, and there may be traces of undigested milk in the stool - white lumps.

This is caused by a violation of the acidity of the intestinal environment (in breastfed children, the acidity of the intestines is 5.1-5.4 pH, while those on artificial feeding are 5.9-7.3 pH), which, in turn, inhibits the development of beneficial digestion of bifidobacteria and creates a favorable environment for anaerobic putrefactive microflora. In addition, allergy-prone children can develop intolerance to milk protein, which will create many problems in the future.

In the video below, you can listen to your pediatrician's advice on how to combine breastfeeding with bottle feeding.

In conclusion, it should be reminded once again that the early introduction of supplementary feeding is an extreme measure, the need for which is determined by objective indicators, and not by the mother's anxiety and the desire to supplement "just in case." Consult a good doctor who is guided not only by tables, norms and graphs, but also takes into account the individual characteristics of the child. Breastfeeding counselors are very helpful in setting up breastfeeding. Perhaps it is enough to correct a couple of mistakes, and breastfeeding will improve, providing not only good nutrition for the baby, but also peace of mind and confidence.

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For many years, pediatricians around the world have argued that for a baby, especially in the first six months of life, there is nothing better than mother's milk.

However, sometimes it happens that lactation is disturbed and then mixed nutrition of the newborn comes to the rescue - how to feed the baby in this case and what are the indications for switching to this type of feeding? We will talk about this and much more in our article today, and also decide whether this way of feeding is normal or should be avoided.

In order for a newborn to actively develop and grow, he must eat a certain amount of breast milk every day. Its volume depends on the age of the baby and his individual characteristics.

On average, children in the first six months of life eat from 400 milliliters of mother's milk (at 1 month) to 1 liter (at 5-6 months).

If the baby receives such a volume of breast milk, then he feels good, looks healthy and happy, is actively gaining weight and has a strong immune system. Otherwise, the baby has insufficient growth, he becomes irritable and nervous, and his development slows down.

If the pediatrician diagnoses such manifestations in a child, then first he gives recommendations to the mother to stimulate the production of more milk. In the event that this does not help, the doctor decides to switch to a mixed diet.

It is worth remembering that partial or full bottle feeding is always stressful for the baby. Breast milk is not only a set of vitamins and minerals, it is also a powerful supplement for the complex development of babies. It strengthens the child's immune system, forms the intestinal microflora, and much more. Therefore, the most important task of every young mother is to attach the baby to the breast, even if very little milk is produced.

Switching to mixed nutrition for a newborn

Now let's look at how you can make the transition to this feeding mode. Here, as in the case with the definition of the need for mixed feeding, the last word remains with the pediatrician. It is he who sets the required amount of supplementary feeding, and also gives recommendations as to what mixture should be given to the baby.

The transition itself is carried out very slowly so that the baby can get used to the new food for himself. This is also done in order to prevent the occurrence of strong negative reactions.

If the baby, even at the first stage of the introduction of the mixture, begins to feel bad, for example, he has an allergic reaction, digestive problems, constipation, colic and he behaves restlessly. Then you will have to refuse such a mixture and consult with a pediatrician about a possible replacement.

For the first time, the baby is given only about 15-20 ml of the ready-made mixture per day and his reaction is closely monitored.

If everything goes smoothly, then this volume is slightly increased and so gradually brought to the daily amount established by the pediatrician.

They feed the baby, about once every 3-4 hours with a break for a night's sleep (at this time, it is better for the baby to just apply it to the breast), not forgetting about breastfeeding. First, the breast is given, then when the baby has emptied both breasts, the formula is offered to him.

How to properly feed your newborn with a mixed diet

The main thing to remember is that by using a mixed diet, we are not replacing breastfeeding, but supplementing it. Treating formula as the primary source of nutrients for your baby can lead to the risk of losing breast milk.
In the event that a woman has a relatively large amount of breast milk and supplementary feeding occurs with a very small amount of the mixture, then it can be given with a syringe without a needle or with a teaspoon.
If the mixture makes up the majority of the infant's diet, then a special bottle should be used. In this case, special attention should be paid to the nipple - liquid should not pour out too easily from it, only if the baby makes efforts when sucking, he will be able to eat the breast.
First of all, we give the breast (we do this at every meal, skipping even one feeding can affect lactation). After the baby has sucked everything he could, we feed him with milk mixture.
If the mother has little milk, then for feeding you need to use not one breast, but both. So the baby will eat a larger amount of useful breast milk, and stimulation of lactation will occur in both breasts at once.
When you notice that there is more breast milk, gradually reduce the amount of the formula in order to transfer the baby to fully natural feeding in the future. Before doing this, consult your pediatrician and perform a check weighing before and after feeding to determine how much milk your baby will eat.

Varieties of mixtures and their choice

Although the responsibility of the selection of the formula primarily lies on the shoulders of the pediatrician, every breastfeeding mother using mixed meals needs to be aware of the varieties of such products.

For children who are prone to allergic reactions, special hypoallergenic mixtures are produced in which the milk protein is replaced with a purified version of it.
Each mixture is suitable only for a specific age of the baby. There are 4 age groups: premature babies, children under six months, after six months and after 1 year.
There are fresh and fermented milk mixtures. The transition from the first to the second occurs gradually, by mixing them. So, in the first month of life, the child is given only a fresh mixture, then, up to six months, they are mixed in equal proportions. After the baby is 6 months old, he can be given pure fermented milk mixtures.
In the event that a child suffers from frequent regurgitation, a special adapted mixture is recommended to him, which reduces the likelihood of this.

Calculation of the amount of the mixture with mixed nutrition for babies

Usually, the amount of milk formula is calculated based on how much mother's milk is drunk by the child every day.

To determine this, the child is weighed before and immediately after feeding. Then the resulting difference is multiplied by the number of feedings and some specific figure is obtained.

The next step is to determine the required volume of milk formula for the baby if he was completely artificially fed.

To do this, determine the volume of the mixture, the calorie content of which is 1 kcal, then this figure is multiplied by 550 (the daily calorie intake for a child up to 4 months), or by 800 (from 4 months to a year).
From the resulting volume, subtract the amount that the child receives per day with breast milk.
This figure should be divided by the number of feedings, and so we get the volume of the mixture for one meal.

Signs that mixed meals are being organized correctly

Determining that you have organized mixed feeding correctly is quite simple. There are several main indicators of this:

The child's weight gain is in line with the norms or even slightly exceeds them (too much weight gain is an indication for a nutritional review).
The child looks cheerful and cheerful.
The baby does not have any allergic reactions.
There are no abnormalities in the structure of the baby's stool, he does not suffer from constipation, colic or diarrhea.
The baby does not spit up.

If all these signs are present in your baby, then this is an indicator that you have correctly built the mixed nutrition of the newborn. How to feed him further is decided by the pediatrician, usually, if the amount of milk in the mother has increased, the ratio of feeding and natural nutrition is changed towards the latter, until the baby completely switches to mother's milk.