clueless about bottles

[Mel32]

Hi all,

Personally I'd like to try breastfeeding but I know I could encounter issues or longer term I may wish or need to express my own milk.

My question really is what do I NEED to have (bottle wise) on hand in time for the babies arrival? I'm sure I will buy bottles at some point but just trying to spread the cost/ prioritise. Although to clarify, i have no issues in buying them now if needed.

Can I get away at with buying nothing right now? I was thinking... there's a 24/7 Asda superstore near us if I was to encounter any issues bfeeding my husband could nip out and buy what we need, or should I definitely have these on hand? Aside from bottles what other equipment do I need?

I think I had been putting all my hopes on breastfeeding but I want to be prepared!

 

[JD.Deedee]

Get these type of ready milk bottles
http://m.boots.com/h5/cat_hub?unCou...1-First-Milk-from-Birth-Starter-Pack_1480929/

Cow and gate and hipp organic do them too. If you want to take some just in case to hospital with you or have ready at home just in case breast feeding won't work out. For the just in emergency situation.

I've seen a baby pack that did a free mam bottle when scrolling past on Facebook, so it might be worth seeing where you can get freebies like that for small bottles so you can try some different ones out. I wouldn't buy more than 1 bottle of one brand each if I'd do it again. I ended up with about 12 useless bottles because they give my son horrible wind. Eventually trying out different teats with different bottles worked out quite costly because once you settle on a bottle and teat, the teats wear out and need replacing ever so often. Some teats are more expensive than others.

Again in case of emergency the ready milk bottles can be thrown away after use so nothing needs to be done. With normal bottles you can boil it out in water for about 5 mins. Microwave sterilise is about the same, submerged in water and the microwave makes it boil and boils it out within 5 mins... Additionally you can buy sterilising tablets which are put in a steriliser which is nothing more than a big tub you can seal off with the lid that's designed to fit the bottles of the brand that's used.. But then used with cold water and has to be rinsed off after use before using to make up a bottle.
Never bothered with one of those myself as it didn't make sense to me having to rinse it off after use.

Do look into electric breast pumps, when I wanted one I kind of panicked and wanted one NOW when I got that one into my head. Might be worth looking into if you want to buy one or try one from hospital before you buy ect.
I for the love of god do no recommend hand expressing. It made me give up on life after five minutes, it's hard and no fun!

Hope that helps x

 

[scn]

I plan on just having this in in case I struggle with breast feeding. It has six bottles ready made and six teats, you just pop the teat on the bottle and away you go xx you can then always buy bottles when you need them xx

 

[Mel32]

Thanks that's great! So I'm thinking I don't need to go buy a steriliser immediately.. just know I can pick those up in an emergency and that would give me time to research a full kit if necessary.

I hope breastfeeding works for me!

 

[Tigger87]

I didn't buy anything last time. Breastfeeding is definitely not easy, and I always felt like I wanted that extra push there that if I WAS going to give up, then at 3am someone would have to go buy bottles and formula. Luckily, it was never bad enough for me or hubby to do it, if that makes sense? It just made me think about did I really want to give up bfing?

As you say, 24/7 supermarkets mean we're not restricted. You can always get something if you need it. I didn't buy any bottles until about 3-4m, and even then the little bugger wouldn't take them!! I won't bother this time xx

 

[Mel32]

Thanks that's encouraging, worried I was being a bit blissfully ignorant. I didnt research it as i was so hopeful to breastfeed, I'm tempted to go without as the shops are nearby

 

[Emmam1982]

I don't plan on breastfeeding for more than 3 months so I've bought a steriliser and bottles ready plus il need them for expressing my milk after a few weeks x

 

[Phoenix85]

Buying 'just in case' bottles of formula when wanting to breastfeed is like buying "just in case" chocolate when you're wanting to diet.

Don't do it.

First of all, a newborn's stomach in the first three days is the size of a cherry or small marble - it can hold about 5-7mls of liquid at a time.
Those bottles contain about 8-10 times that quantity. Far too much for a newborn.

If you encounter any difficulties in the first day or two you can hand express some colostrum and feed it from a small syringe, clean spoon, finger, or a special feeding cup (ask the midwife about the latter in particular).

I never had any bottles or formula with either of my babies and never had any issues. The eldest was mix fed from 10 weeks but prior to that was exc. breastfed. Youngest never had any formula.

I'd suggest getting in touch with a local breastfeeding group or La Leche League group before the birth too

 

[MrsW84]

Suggesting having formula on stand by is like having chocolate on a diet is giving th impression that switching to bottles would be a negative thing
It's not a negative thing
Feeding your child in the best way for you is positive
And having other options available is not only sensible but I'm sure makes a lot of women feel more relaxed
I have got a few boxes of the ready made bottles for the first week or so much easier than bottles in the early days
X

 

[Mel32]

thanks, I did the antenatal classes so I've learned a lot of basics I just didnt think I covered what kit was necessary to support the intention to breastfeed. Thanks v much for everyone's help

 

[Tigger87]

Suggesting having formula on stand by is like having chocolate on a diet is giving th impression that switching to bottles would be a negative thing
It's not a negative thing
Feeding your child in the best way for you is positive
And having other options available is not only sensible but I'm sure makes a lot of women feel more relaxed
I have got a few boxes of the ready made bottles for the first week or so much easier than bottles in the early days
X

Bottle feeding isn't a negative, but I do think the diet analogy is a good one. Unfortunately breastfeeding isn't something you can easily come back to if you decide to switch, and it really isn't easy. So whilst it isn't negative to formula feed - it can be a pretty committed decision. If you make that decision at 3am because there's bottles and formula in the cupboard and you're exhausted and not thinking clearly, it's not the best time. The same as when you're on a diet (or just trying to cut back on chocolate) and you get that really hungry, desperate moment. If the chocolate was there, you'd just go for it. If you had to go out, you'd think a bit harder about it.

The OP has stated she wants to give BFing a try, encouragement along that journey is what's needed rather than "don't worry if it doesn't work", which to me feels very negative.

 

[Phoenix85]

I agree with Tigger.

If someone says they don't intend to breastfeed very long then fine, that's their choice, however Mel has said she wants to breastfeed and from her posts she would rather not buy formula (and bottles) in advance if it's not absolutely necessary. Which it isn't.

Some people may feel happier having "just in case" formula. However it has been proven that women who have bottles and formula ready before the birth are less likely to breastfeed for as long as planned compared to those who don't.
When the bottles and formula are there already it makes giving them much easier and once that happens it can often be much harder to continue breastfeeding.

The point also is that a newborn will not starve for the sake of a few hours being cup/syringe/spoon fed a few drops of colostrum (or milk) so if you did run into difficulties that is a valid option/next step until you can either a) get some help from a midwife or trained breastfeeding advisor, or b) go out and buy formula & a bottle.

 

[Blueclass]

I am going to try bf however I won't do it for long and I have already for bottles and a steriliser but that's my plan. I do agree it might be too easy to swap if it's in the cupboard but would swapping on feed at 3 am be that bad? I don't know if that would stop you bf so that's why I'm asking?
I will have things here but that's because I like to be prepared for every event plus It was Sunday eve I wouldn't be able to get milk.
Just do what you want and make your own decision everyone on here is either going to agree or disagree x

 

[Tigger87]

The real issue with doing it at 3am (when you "plan" not to) is that it becomes a bit of an easy out. Unfortunately our boobs work on supply and demand, so if you're dropping demand, supply will start to decline, meaning you have to use more formula, meaning your milk decreases more. It's a bit of a "boobie trap".

I'm absolutely not being negative about formula - if you want to FF, then that's great. Make sure you're prepared for it. If you want to BF, then I don't think you need to prepare for bottles. No one tells you if you plan on bottle feeding you should have a pump "just in case".

The early days of BF were really hard for me. I needed all the support I could get to keep going (and after we got past a few months, it was the easiest thing in the world). If I had bottles and formula in the cupboard, I know it would likely have ended our journey very early on.

Like I said above, it's just not something you can easily return to after a week of FF.

 

[Flickalicious]

I've not read all the comments so apologies if I'm repeating anyone!

I think it's a good idea to get a steriliser whether you're breast or bottle feeding. You may need to sterilise dummies, syringes, spoons etc so it's worth having.
And bottles too. If you need to hand express or pump for whatever reason.

They're both an essential in my opinion. Even though I planned to fully breast feed my first, I bought the whole set up of bottles and stuff anyway.

24/7 supermarkets are all well and good but you, OH & baby could do without the stress if you're able to plan and buy ahead now xXx

 

[Phoenix85]

Regarding that, you can sterilise by boiling whatever it is in a pan for 10 minutes

I fully intend to pump milk to donate but I'm not clogging up my kitchen with a steriliser. I'll boil the pump/milk pots in a pan instead.

If you were bottlefeeding regularly a steriliser makes sense. If it's a one off then a pan works fine.

 

[Browneyed Girl]

Regarding that, you can sterilise by boiling whatever it is in a pan for 10 minutes

I fully intend to pump milk to donate but I'm not clogging up my kitchen with a steriliser. I'll boil the pump/milk pots in a pan instead.

If you were bottlefeeding regularly a steriliser makes sense. If it's a one off then a pan works fine.

I did this as a one off recently - NHS advice is that there must be no air bubbles in the bottles which is completely impossible in standing water and even more so in boiling water! I'm not sure how anyone can achieve this, I tried for about half an hour!! My lo is fine but I'd be worried if it was for a newborn and I wouldn't do this regularly x

 

[Flickalicious]

For speed however a steriliser will do the job alot quicker x

 

[YorksLass]

Thanks for this - was wondering about the same thing. I think I won't bother with bottles at all at first then. We were only thinking of it because my partner was suggesting that sometimes I could express so he could do some feeding and maybe down the road I could go out and leave him with my milk prepared for use. Would there be a problem with that, those who know? Would the baby be less keen on a bottle if used to breast? How old should they be before I dare to take a couple of hours away with a friend, for example?
Tbh, I was thinking I wouldn't leave them for months and months but my partner is insisting it'll be good for me to have a break every now and again. I'm not keen on buying lots of extra stuff for bottles anyway, more expense and clutter! I'd have thought a large pan would do.

 

[Mel32]

well he arrived this am and I had no bottles. He seems to be having a good try at feeding tho so I'm quite pleased! Thanks for all your advice