Certainly, breast feeding is the best possible option for a newborn baby. However, if any difficulty arises, for example if breast milk is not enough to satisfy the infant, breast feeding can be integrated by formula milk added to breast milk, following the instructions from the paediatrician, using a good bottle. This is the case of mixed feeding, that allows to properly feed the baby without depriving him completely of the benefits provided by breast milk.
The bottle can also be a precious help when the mum needs to express her milk with a breast pump to give it later to the baby.
Mixed feeding can be of two types:
1. COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING
Upon each single nursing the baby is fed at the breast as much as possible, then the meal is completed by taking artificial milk from the bottle. This kind of feeding has the advantage to keep the milk production active, which is stimulated by the frequent suction.
2. ALTERNATE FEEDING
It implies a meal exclusively from the breast, and the following meal exclusively from the bottle. This kind of feeding is convenient for the mum who has more time to dedicate to herself or her job, but it has to be remembered that the reduced suction by the infant risks to make quickly run out milk production.
In case of mixed feeding, it is advisable to select a bottle equipped with a teat whose features are as close as possible to those of the breast, so that the baby can be indifferently fed from the breast or the bottle, without any difficult switch from one to the other.