Bottle or Breastfeeding

Amy - posted on 09/30/2010

I have always offered my daughter a bottle from the time she came home from the hospital. I knew that after 3 months I would be returning to work and I would need her to take a bottle. When she just came home though she only got one bottle a day, and it was usually a feeding in the middle of the night, so I could sleep and my husband would give it to her. We used playtex ventaire, wide nipple and we never had a problem with nipple confusion. If you want him to take a bottle I would at least introduce one a day to him or else you may end up in the posistion where he will never take one and then you can never get away. My daughter is 6 months old and has no problem going back and forth between breast and bottle. I work full-time so I pump while at work and my husband gives her bottles during the day. A couple of days ago we went through about 3 days where she didn't want to latch on so I just continued offering her breast, would then give her a bottle when she refused and just pumped for a couple of days. I believe it was because I was getting my period because she is not latching on and eating fine again. Just make sure that if you offer multiple bottles during the day that you pump each time to stimulate production. 4 weeks is primetime for a growth spurt so when you pump don't expect to get much right now because the pump is not as effective as your son, once you get through the growth spurt you should have no problem feeding your son and pumping because you will be producing more. Good luck!

Janice - posted on 09/30/2010

I would definitely pump a bottle for the occasional break if thats what you want. If you never introduce a bottle then he probably will learn to never take one, which can become a problem if you want/need to go somewhere without your child. My daughter began refusing the bottle because she gotone so rarely and since I was in school full time I introduced rice cereal at 4 mo to supplement. But really my daughter wasn't ready (took 3-4 week to learn to swallow it) and she would just cry if she was hungry during my 3 hours away, 3x a week. It was aweful. So although some women can and want to EBF w/o bottles, if you know that you want a break or will be away in the future you should introduce a bottle soon.

Racheal - posted on 09/30/2010

everyone has great advice, but please remember so you dont loose your supply when some one else is feeding your baby you need to pump when he would have nursed so you can keep a good supply, once you start missing nursing's is when a lot of ppl run into supply issues! hope it helps and good luck! also nurse on demand!! babys at this age go thru a lot of growth spurts and nurse very very very often in order for you to make more milk! dont let anyone tell you that you will get him to used to it or you are spoiling him because they are flat out wrong! good luck hun

Tiffany - posted on 09/30/2010

My 10 mos old daughter is still breastfed and gets bottles during the day when I'm at work or when I'm not at home, my husband gives her a bottle. She has had a couple of bottles/wk since she was 2-3 weeks old, and we never had any nipple confusion, even though I know this can occur for some kids. We used The First Years Breastflow bottles, which is supposed to somewhat mimic the same sucking actions when the baby nurses. Don't expect your baby to love the bottle right from the beginning as it takes time for them to get used to it, as it requires a slightly different sucking action. As another mom said, you have to pump every 2-4 hours, just like you would if you were nursing. I honestly would prefer to just nurse my daughter rather than to pump, as it's faster, easier, and pumping can make you a little more sore than straight nursing. Do make sure you get a really good double electric pump if possible, as it will make pumping faster and more comfortable for you. Getting others to help with the feedings can be nice to give you a little break at times and allow others to feel more bonded or connected with the baby. Also, the first few times he gets a bottle, it's probably best if you're not in the room, as it could be confusing for your son. I know my daughter seemed slightly confused. Also, try not to be the one to give him a bottle for a few months, as it was slightly confusing for my daughter who assumed the nursing position, but was thrown off when I gave her a bottle. Do remember though that you'll need to pump during those times your son gets a bottle, and he'll eventually slow down with his feedings. I remember those days where my daughter ate every 1-2 hours and I was so exhausted, but you'll get thru it and your son will continue to thrive. Good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 09/30/2010

I think they say 6 weeks is a decent time to consider the baby a good latcher. I used a few bottles when our LO was born because I had to go back to the hospital and he wasn't allowed to come with me and my husband had to give formula for the last feed before visiting hours opened again and the rest of the night he got pumped bottles. We had a heck of a time with latches but after 4 weeks he was a pro at the boob. He's 9.5 months now and just plays with the bottle whenever I try to pump.

Celeste - posted on 09/30/2010

I would make sure that breastfeeding is well established, first. You don't want to run into nipple confusion and as someone who has dealt with it, it is NOT fun. Also, make sure that if someone is giving a bottle, that you pump that missed feed.

BTW, nursing all the time is very very normal at this age. Newborns go through many growth spurts, and plus, they are getting your supply established. It does get better though!

Samara - posted on 09/30/2010

Annabeth, there are benefits to bottle feeding and breastfeeding. The bad thing is your son can get used to the bottle and not latch back on the breast. Also pumping is double duty. I had to do it for 2 months while my son worked on his latch. I was lucky that he did not get used to the bottle and was able to latch back on a breast. Also your son might not take a bottle from anyone else, my son would not even take a bottle from his daddy for about 2 weeks. So there are pros and cons. I say stay breastfeeding and if your mom and everyone wants to help out pass him along to them for the dirty clean up or the bath time. Breastfeeding is very demanding even more for a first time mom but the benefits are worth it. When the doctor told me i had to stop breastfeeding and pump and bottle feed my son. It killed me the fact that I would never get to share that special moment with him again was horrible. I say just stay with breastfeeding.