Partial Breastfeeding Is a Perfectly Acceptable Option
If you intended to breastfeed your baby but ended up wanting or needing to feed your baby formula milk, you might think you have changed the command: you are now feeding your baby formula milk. But this is not an all-or-nothing choice, and incomplete breastfeeding has important benefits.
One of these, according to a new study , is the likely reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Children who were breastfed for two months or more, even if they got the formula, were less likely to die of SIDS than babies who received formula alone. The study was observational, and we cannot be sure that the researchers excluded all confounding factors. But the results show that breastfeeding can be protective.
So what does partial breastfeeding look like? For example, you can pack baby food in a day care bag, but feed him directly from the tap when he is at home. Or even if they receive formula most of the time, there is still nothing wrong with feeding the baby before bed. (If you rarely breastfeed, your body may stop making milk, so keep this in mind when deciding what to do.)
Obviously, if you have changed what your child eats on the advice of a doctor or other healthcare professional, you can discuss your options with them. But I know a lot of people who think they “need” to wean completely when there is no real reason to do so. If you prefer to breastfeed for a while, this is usually an acceptable option.