if you BF and pump

nikinikinine

when did you first start introducing expressed milk in a bottle? 

what about pacifiers?

My mature milk came in 3 days PP and feedings are getting easier and easier (although I'm nervous about tandem feeding once my husband goes back to work). It would be a lot easier to pump and have a few bottle sessions in a day for when I have other people helping me and/or for the twilight feeds. But I don't want to mess up their latches or make them lazy nursers. I feel like I need to wait a few more weeks... 

BeccaLandes

My boys got pumped milk and formula in bottles before they latched and nursed from me (we had latching problems in the hospital and they didn't have a lactation consultant there so we had to wait a few days to get help).  

That said, once they learned how to latch they were more than happy to breast feed as well as take bottles.  I did pump and bottle feed at night, because I found that was faster than trying to nurse when I was mostly asleep.  

My boys never seemed to prefer bottles over breast, but I think a great deal of that was good luck on my part!  If you are not comfortable starting with bottles yet, don't do it, but bringing in one a day probably won't ruin breastfeeding.

mbjmaybebaby

I'm not much help bc ours were given the bottle from the get go since they were in the NICU.  I know I've read a lot about nipple confusion but it sounds like your babies are nursing fine.  I think having help with the feeds will save on your sanity.  You will do great with tandem feeds, don't stress

mbjmaybebaby

same with the pacifiers, they were given them from the get go in the NICU

babydontforget

My babies were supplemented with the bottle in the hospital. And even if they hadn't been, straight from the beginning, and even after I managed to eliminate the supplementing, I did one bottle per day of breastmilk. Emotionally I just needed that one break. It was the middle-of-the-night feeding: My husband fed them in bottles while I pumped.

Mine both got pacis in the hospital, too. I went in thinking I didn't want pacis because of the nipple confusion thing, but the first time they were both screaming inconsolably, I was like, give me a paci, any paci. Ha!

My guys never had nipple confusion. At this point they eat from both breast and bottle just fine. 

heatheric71505

In my opinion the nipple confusion thing is made a big deal and it isn't.  I am not saying that it doesn't ever happen I just don't think it happens as often as "they" want us to believe it does.

I held off on pacifiers forever on my son when all he wanted to do was suck!  He'd get so frustrated if he was given the option to nurse and he didn't want to.  I kept trying to stick with the soothie paci (the best according to my LC) and he didn't like it.  He was just over a month old when I finally caved and gave him a MAM paci.  This is no joke, he had been fighting sleep ALL day and I literally put it in his mouth and he fell instantly to sleep.  Not even kidding.  It didn't change a thing with nursing and I was just irritated that I had waited so long!  With the girls they got a paci their first night and I didn't care which kind!

I was never a good pumper so I didn't give bottles often, so I can't offer a lot of help there.  It sounds like they are both nursing well so I wouldn't stress over it. 

It sounds like things are going well.  Keep up the good work!

AGFaso

Thanks for this post and responses, this is one of the things I am most scared of after my twins are born.  You ladies are teaching me so much!

jalaiaa

I was told by my LC that 1 month was the best time to introduce the bottles, so that is when we did it. At about 6 weeks I was having a lot of nipple issues on one side so I nursed right, pumped left and switched back and forth which baby I nursed and which got the bottle. After about two days of this, James started to scream every time I nursed him but would take a bottle easily. So I tried nursing him more and started nursing both sides again (even though it hurt like stink). When I stopped giving him bottles he was fine nursing again. I do work part time, so he got plenty of bottles after that once he was a little older, with no problems. 

James has had a paci since day one. At first I was convinced that I wasn't going to give him one until 1 month as well, but I swear that kid just needed to suck. He would have been nursing 24/7 if he didn't have the paci.  

I do recommend trying to tandem feed now if you can. It saved me so much time. Once you get the hang of it, it works well, just takes some practice.  

GSwans

My pedi told me to wait until they were 3 weeks, and then start introducing a bottle 1x per day.  So glad I did this b/c then DH could feed them, too.  We always give a bottle now for bedtime.  It helped them, too, as a signal that bottle = bed.  We did pacis at the same time,and mostly used them for naps and meltdowns (witching hour).

Haven1

Mine were premies, so they got bottles and pacis in the NICU right away.  It never caused any confusion. They were actually great nursers from the start.

But yes, tandem feed!  It will make your life soooo much easier.