How old should my baby be before my boyfriend can give her a bottle of breastmilk at night?

Amber - posted on 01/22/2009

Hi Lisa, I have 2 children and breastfed both of them. Think of your milk as a supply and demand. If you gave your baby a bottle (of your boyfriend did) then you would have to pump the milk that your baby would have had in order to keep your body producing milk frequently enough for the demand of your baby. If you choose to not pump while your baby is feeding from the bottle then you will more than likely experience engorment which is extrememly painful and also leeking ( which can make your shirt really wet). This may also led to an infection. So, if you are doing this becuase your are tired and want to get a little more sleep (I know the feeling), then I would suggest to have the baby in bed with you and nurse either sitting up in bed or lying down. I did both and was able to sleep while my baby nursed. I remember being soooo tired that I would be nursing my baby and fall asleep either while sitting up nursing or lying down and would wake up a few hours later to my baby nursing again. It was as if she nursed and fell asleep and woke up a few hours later to the breast still in reach and helped herself! I remember with my first baby, being a new mom and still getting used to nursing that nursing lying down was difficult for me. It was not until my first daughter was older that I was able to nurse lying down. With my second baby, I was able to nurse her pretty much right away lying down. If this is something you want to make as a routine every night (having your boyfriend feed 1x a night) I would ask a few questions. How old if your baby? Does she nurse really well or is she still trying to get the hang of it? Is your body already on a feeding schedule? You can adjust your body to a feeding schedule but it is not easy to do and I would not suggest it for a young baby or if your baby is not already an expert at nursing. When I went back to work 6 months after I had my baby, I would be at work and miss 2 feedings and was able to adjust my milk producing to only have to pump once. It took some time though. I started off pumping on schedule and slowing increased the time before I pumped to only pumping 1 time. But, by that time, my daughter was a nursing expert and loved nursing. So, there was def no worries of her not wanting to breastfeed anymore.



As far as your concern that she won't keep breastfeeding......bottle feeding is easier for a baby. The sucking is easier and so if your baby is not an expert at nursing she may find that the bottle is easier for her and may not want to nurse anymore. I would only give her a bottle if you are sure that she is really good at nursing. Some babies will still continue to nurse even if they have had a bottle but all babies are different. If nursing is really important to you, then I would not take the chance. Hope this helped. Good Luck!!!



I hope this helps you.

Sarah - posted on 01/20/2009

Quoting Kristi:

 My son was fed formula in the NICU for the first 2 days of his life (I was in the ICU trying not to die). I started pumping, and they would give him my teeny tiny little bit of milk, along with formula. ALL FROM A BOTTLE. Then I first tried to breastfeed day four in the hospital. Went ok, but he was still supplemented with formula. He is now at home and solely on breast milk, but I switch all the time between the breast and a bottle. I pump so my husband can feed our son, because he deserves that closeness. This has had NO IMPACT on my milk production, and, personally, I believe that NIPPLE CONFUSION is a joke, and it's what doctor's who are against things like formula tell you to scare the crap out of you. I do not believe that it's a real thing at all. I was told that too (at the hospital), and was told that I needed to breastfeed and only breastfeed ...

 

This is almost exactly my experience too.

Really don't worry about confusion.

I would add that I used  hospital grade pump lent to me by the unit, far better than the ones you get in the shops. Medela rent them quite cheaply - you might want to try that. I double pumped, which does help you drain we'll and keep production up.

Kristi - posted on 01/19/2009

I too do the lay down feedings, they help me and baby stay calm and sleepy, so getting back to sleep comes really easy

Sara - posted on 01/19/2009

Quoting Kristi:

This has had NO IMPACT on my milk production, and, personally, I believe that NIPPLE CONFUSION is a joke, and it's what doctor's who are against things like formula tell you to scare the crap out of you. I do not believe that it's a real thing at all.

ps - I have no idea where the comment about "the baby getting an infection" from being bottle fed. Again, that's fear mongering. Your baby won't get an infection from bottle feeding, as long as the bottle are cleaned ... good luck, and go get some sleep! :)

I'm sure we all mean well and want to give helpful advise.  Just because some of us had a different experience doesn't mean that other people's experience is invalid or 'fear mongering.'   I think there are plenty of moms who can attest to nipple confusion. Sucking from a bottle is much easier than sucking from a breast, and some babies prefer the easier route when given the option.  And some babies aren't great at sucking in the first place. And it is fact that milk production is built on a demand principle.  The more milk that is demanded from you, the more your body will produce.

That said, I don't think you need to fret too much about giving a bottle at night.  You didn't mention how old your little one is, so it's probably beneficial for both you and your baby to wait until BFing is well established (3-4 weeks) to reduce the risk of disruption or confusion or "laziness" (for lack of better term).  I'd just suggest making up the missed nursing session with at least one extra pumping session to keep your supply up... if she's demanding more feeding, there's probably a reason.

Also, be aware this may be a phase she grows out of!  The "always hungry" may be the sign of a growth spurt, and so her wanting to nurse more is her way of helping increase your supply to meet her needs.  Once she gets through the growth spurt she may well start sleeping better and eating a little less frequently.  Hang in there!

My personal experience, though, is that doing a nice lay-down feeding is great.  I was convinced I wouldn't take my baby to bed with me, but we both settle down much more quickly, and I feel like my sleep has been much less disturbed when I feed my baby this way.  Even if I put her back in her cradle when she's done.       

Hope you find the solution that works for you!

Heather - posted on 01/19/2009

I agree with co-sleeping as well, it's great and has also helped me get a few more zzzz's!  What I meant to post also, is that when you weigh nipple confusion against a serious lack of sleep-I would rather deal with nipple confusion. I had latch problems prior to introducing a bottle and coupled with not getting more than a half hour to an hour at a time for weeks on end had me feeling even more depressed on top of the usual baby blues.  Bottom line, YOUR health is just as important so you can take care of the health of your precious little one.  Good luck with whatever you decide! 

Emily - posted on 01/19/2009

My daughter did, in fact, have nipple confusion and it caused a horrible latch, low milk supply for me, weight loss for her, and an eventual switch to complete formula feeding when she was only 4 1/2 months old. Everyone I talked to believed that there was no such thing as nipple confusion and I would be totally fine giving her bottles and pacifiers. I didn't give her a bottle until we tried to switch to formula... but she had a pacifier from birth and always preferred that to the breast... which is where all our problems originated.

Once I finally realized that was the problem, I didn't allow my second any artificial nipples until 5 weeks. Then we introduced the pacifier and she did wonderfully with it. She never had a bottle either. My third is now 12 months and has never had a bottle or a pacifier... I just didn't see a need for either with her. I was perfectly fine allowing her to nurse for comfort instead of providing a "fake boob" for her.

If you are co-sleeping, nursing throughout the night is extremely simple and everyone can get more sleep. There are many other ways for daddy to be involved with his kids. My husband is in charge of all middle of the night diaper changes for newborns as well as most of the changes during the day when he's home. Daddy's can also handle bath times, or baby massage with lotion, or story time, or just rocking or cuddling to sleep after they have nursed.

Heather - posted on 01/19/2009

Quoting Jenna:

Quoting Crystal:

Don't do it.  Take the baby to bed, and nurse lieing down as often as the baby will like.  If you start bottle feeding like that you could mess up your supply and/or cause infection.

I introduced bottles of breastmilk at 1-2 weeks due to latch problems. I pumped one breast ( bottle feeding it) and fed off the other. My son has only had breastmilk, he is 3.5mos. Our latch problem was fixed at 10 weeks and he is back to the breast again.He will still take the bottle (breastmilk)when I go away for a couple hours as well. Although each baby is different ,my transition was easy.

I too had latch problems and introduced a bottle around 1-2 weeks.  We had no problems going back and forth between the two.  If there was a litte nipple confusion, it easily sorted itself out.  Take care of yourself so you can be the best mom you can be and if that means getting help with feeding to save your sanity-do it!  My son was/is a bad sleeper and the first month of his life I only averaged 2-4 hours of sleep a night.  It got to the point where when he would wake up, I would start crying too!  Do what you have to do, pump to keep your milk supply up, drink water and good luck!  :)

Kristi - posted on 01/19/2009

I don't blame you for wanting to get a little bit of sleep, that lack of sleep, in an of itself, might lead to you making less milk. Your body needs to rest and rejuvinate!  I might get in trouble for my response to you, but that's just life. My son was fed formula in the NICU for the first 2 days of his life (I was in the ICU trying not to die). I started pumping, and they would give him my teeny tiny little bit of milk, along with formula. ALL FROM A BOTTLE. Then I first tried to breastfeed day four in the hospital. Went ok, but he was still supplemented with formula. He is now at home and solely on breast milk, but I switch all the time between the breast and a bottle. I pump so my husband can feed our son, because he deserves that closeness. This has had NO IMPACT on my milk production, and, personally, I believe that NIPPLE CONFUSION is a joke, and it's what doctor's who are against things like formula tell you to scare the crap out of you. I do not believe that it's a real thing at all. I was told that too (at the hospital), and was told that I needed to breastfeed and only breastfeed ...

I should point out that my son is one big preemie. 10 1/2 pounds now at 10 weeks. He was born at 7 pounds (I know, one big preemie).

Do what you need to do to make yourself sane. You need to sleep, you need to eat, and you need help. Go ahead and pump the milk and have your boyfriend feed the baby. Do the pumping right away, and then let him feed her, this will have no effect on your production.

Take care, do what you need to.

ps - I have no idea where the comment about "the baby getting an infection" from being bottle fed. Again, that's fear mongering. Your baby won't get an infection from bottle feeding, as long as the bottle are cleaned ... good luck, and go get some sleep! :)

Kibbie - posted on 01/19/2009

If you have a good supply and your baby is nursing well with not problems then you can do a bottle occasionally :)

We were giving my little one a bottle after the first week or two (but he was my 2nd and things are easier the 2nd time around)

Emily - posted on 01/19/2009

Introducing a bottle between 3 and 6 weeks will cause the least problems in terms of nipple confusion. But any time baby is not at the breast could cause problems for your supply. Baby is always the best pump and will drain the breast much better than any pump. If you pump instead, to offer a night time bottle, your breast will not be drained as well and will signal to your body to produce less milk.

Also, going more than 4-5 hours at night without nursing will cause your fertility to return sooner than it otherwise would.

The best way to keep your supply regulated is to put the baby to the breast as often as they want. Bring baby to bed with you and sleep while you nurse. Everyone will get more sleep. :)

Sarah - posted on 01/19/2009

I forgot to mention that I express milk when my son gets a bottle. And If I don't express as much as he's had, I express again after another feed. I expressed from the day he was born to feed him while he was in hospital. It's really great for keeping your production up, if you think its going down, just express more.

Jenna - posted on 01/19/2009

Quoting Crystal:

Don't do it.  Take the baby to bed, and nurse lieing down as often as the baby will like.  If you start bottle feeding like that you could mess up your supply and/or cause infection.

I introduced bottles of breastmilk at 1-2 weeks due to latch problems. I pumped one breast ( bottle feeding it) and fed off the other. My son has only had breastmilk, he is 3.5mos. Our latch problem was fixed at 10 weeks and he is back to the breast again.He will still take the bottle (breastmilk)when I go away for a couple hours as well. Although each baby is different ,my transition was easy.

Sammy - posted on 01/19/2009

hi i started to give my daughter a bottle of breastmilk at around 6 wks coz then she was ajusted to breast feeding and had the hang of it. i use tommee tippee closer to nature bottles and my daughter has no problems goung between breast an bottle. just make sure u express ur milk after ur daughter has her feed that way it wont mess with ur milk supply or her feeding patern. hope this helps an good luck

Crystal - posted on 01/19/2009

Don't do it.  Take the baby to bed, and nurse lieing down as often as the baby will like.  If you start bottle feeding like that you could mess up your supply and/or cause infection.

Sarah - posted on 01/19/2009

My baby was premature, 9 weeks old now and only started taking sucking feeds from three weeks ago. Because he was in the special care unit, right from the day he started sucking, he had bottles over night when I couldn't be there. He's home now and fully breast fed, excet the last feed at night that his dad does. We've had very little problems with feeding. We didn't use special bottle either, just normal avent ones. Babies find breast feeding so comforting, that I can't see that introducing a bottle a day will ever be a problem.

Try it out.

Good luck

Erika - posted on 01/18/2009

Doctors say wait until at least 3 weeks to offer a bottle to try to avoid nipple confusion. We did then with my son and gave him only the medela or the evenflow 4oz bpa free bottles. He is now 6 months and has never had trouble going between breast, bottle, or pacifier. But you definitely want to be careful. Good luck!

Peggy - posted on 01/18/2009

http://apps.facebook.com/circleofmoms/th...

Here's a similar thread. Maybe those responses will help! Good luck and congratulations!