Formula Milk + Breastmilk

Can I mix breast milk and formula?

Expert Answers

Jan Barger, lactation consultant

While there's nothing wrong with mixing breast milk and formula in the same container, it's not recommended simply because you don't want to waste a single drop of your precious breast milk. Formula from a bottle that your baby has drunk from must be discarded within an hour of preparation. Breast milk, on the other hand, will "keep," refrigerated, for a number of hours in a bottle that's been fed.

So, for example, if you mix 2 ounces of expressed breast milk with 2 ounces of formula, and your baby only drinks 2 ounces altogether, you'll have to throw the leftovers out, wasting some of the breast milk. To avoid this kind of waste, a good plan is to feed your baby whatever breast milk you've expressed, and then follow that up with couple of ounces of formula if you need it.

Some mothers mix powdered formula with their breast milk in order to increase the calories their baby gets during a feeding. Please do not do this! Not only does it change the composition of the breast milk, but the micronutrients in the formula will become so much more concentrated that it can be very hard on your baby's immature kidneys. Always follow the exact directions on the can of powdered or concentrated formula, and never mix formula with anything but distilled water.

Pada pandangan aku yang tidak mahir berbahasa Inggeris ni...susu ibu adalah susu manusia yang lengkap segala nutrisi di dalamnya dan tidak boleh ditandingi oleh susu formula itu sendiri. Walau banyak pengeluar susu formula mengatakan susu mereka lebih baik dan menyerupai kandungan susu ibu itu adalah SALAH sama sekali. Ciptaan ALLAH takkan sama dengan ciptaan manusia. Bagi aku sedangkan untuk mengendalikan susu ibu ini amatlah rumit tapi sebenarnya ia senang...kerana hanya menggoncangkan sahaja kita boleh merosakkan/merubah komposisi itu sendiri apatah lagi untuk mencampurkan dengan susu formula..so apa khasiat yang kita dapat?? Sebenarnya bayi tidak tahu apa-apa kalau di ajar minum susu ibu maka ia hanya tahu susu ibu sahaja kalau kita dah campur2kan susu formula dan susu ibu tentulah bayi itu boleh buat pilihan tapi apa pon terpulanglah pada ibu-ibu di luar sana untuk buat yang terbaik pada anak-anak kalians....