For gavage feeding, I assume that the whole amount always gets put into the
baby.  In that case it would not matter much whether formula was mixed with
the mother's expressed milk, since there would be nothing to discard.  Also,
for such small babies, at least where I work, no milk is saved from one
feeding to the next anyway.

If the baby is being fed by other means, or for older babies who are getting
some expressed milk and some formula, the rationale for not mixing the two
is that you can give the expressed milk first, and then give formula to
satiety.  Thus you ensure that the baby gets all the breastmilk.  Having to
toss out leftover formula is not as sad as having to discard expressed milk,
which of course you must do if it is mixed with formula.  If it is pure
fresh expressed milk, the caregiver can refrigerate what the baby didn't
take and give it at the next feed.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway
Where our neonatal special care unit is starting, tentatively, to do more
formal collaboration with the BF clinic when babies are ready to go home :-)

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