clueless about bottles

[YorksLass]

Awww... many congrats Mel! X

 

[Phoenix85]

Wow, congrats Mel!!

I hope all continues to go well for you both x

 

[Tigger87]

Congratulations Mel!

Yorkslass - there's no problem feeding baby through bottles. There's a risk of nipple confusion (or something) but I don't think it's that common. You'll want to try and get your supply up to speed with exclusively feeding first, if you can, because baby is more efficient than a pump. When you leave baby then you'll need some way of expressing (I never managed to hand express well!) because your boobies will be like over inflated balloons if you miss a feed

 

[Phoenix85]

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.

Hi.

When you leave him is completely up to you... don't let your OH force you into doing it sooner than you're comfortable, you won't enjoy yourself if you're not ready.

Ideally it is best not introducing bottles until breastfeeding is well established (around week 8), as before then giving bottles and missing feeds (from the breast) and pumping at other times etc interferes with establishing a supply.

Also some babies have trouble swapping between the breast and a bottle teat and giving bottles too soon can lead to 'nipple confusion' or a bad latch, making breastfeeding more difficult. So it's best to wait until you are both confident with breastfeeding & know what you're doing before introducing any other artificial nipple - that includes dummies.

Sometimes a baby will not want the bottle after being on the breast, however that is reasonably rare. Often mums find that partners or grandparents etc have better luck bottlefeeding when they (mum) is not around - if baby can see, smell, or hear you, they are more likely to hold out for the breast. If you aren't there they are more likely to take milk from a bottle.
Some people find the baby prefers some bottle teats over others. Personally I'd go for a flat/small one like the MaM teats over round "cherry" teats like Tommee Tippee etc.

If & when you decide to try the baby with a bottle, you're probably best having your OH try feeding him it with you out of the room, but close by in case he won't take it & gets upset.

After 4 or 5 months the baby can have expressed milk from a doidy cup if you prefer (this is what I did with K, she's never had a bottle)

 

[Phoenix85]

Congratulations Mel!

There's a risk of nipple confusion (or something) but I don't think it's that common.

My first baby DID get nipple confusion when I introduced bottles at 10 weeks, however in hindsight we already had a bad latch (didn't hurt at all but they did not feed efficiently and only gained around 3-4oz a week which is why the HV kept pushing formula!).
In hindsight I should have sought help from a trained breastfeeding advisor and tweaked the latch/positioning instead (or first).

Our issues (with poor attachment at the breast) meant that bottlefeeding was far easier for LO, so it wasn't long before they started refusing to feed from the breast altogether. By 4 months (6 weeks after introducing 'top up' bottles) I'd dried up and was fully formula feeding.

I think if breastfeeding is going well though, the latch is good, they are not a "lazy feeder", then it's fine to introduce the occasional bottle.

I'd just be very wary of doing it very early on or if there are already issues there. It's much better to rectify feeding issues (like low weight gain etc) with good support & advice rather than introducing bottles.

 

[YorksLass]

Thanks! I think they're going through breastfeeding at ante natal next week too... I really hope I'm able to get the hang of it. My mother said she had difficulty but got there, and I'm as persistent and patient as her... haha