introducing first bottle...advice?

KariD77

My 3 1/2 week old is EBF but we would like to start giving her a bottle of breast milk once in awhile so daddy can help give me a break... We waited until now because she just got her tongue tie clipped and wanted to be sure she was still eating ok before introducing a bottle...

For those of you who have already introduced a bottle...How did it go the first time?  Do you have any suggestions? How much breast milk should we defrost? I'd hate to do way too much and waste it...

cbbrou14

My first advice is to wait a couple more weeks. With my first LO, I gave it at 4 weeks, which was the earliest the LC recommended (4-6 wks). I was in such a hurry to do more fun, new things with her, and let Daddy get in on the action! She did fine with the bottle, but was actually such a lazy eater that she got attached to the bottle early on (~5 mos) and wouldn't nurse any more. I think I did about 2 oz of milk, I'd say 3 at the most. Good luck!

MHeming

It went great the first time for us.  DS didn't like the breast milk cold, so we did have to warm it, but once we got the temp right (he likes it REALLY warm) he took it like a champ. We were told by our pedi to start with 3 oz. and then give one ounce at a time if he wants more until he's satisfied.  We now start with 4 oz and most often he takes 2 more oz after he's finished the first 4 - so he eats a total of 6 oz.

I showed DH how to brush the nipple from DS's nose down to his mouth so that he opens wide and DH figured out on his own to switch sides after burps so it's like he's eating from the breast.  He doesn't listen to me and burp DS after each ounce, but I recommend doing so.  They take in more air drinking from the bottle and need to burp more often.  

HTH

Cameron11

I'm a first time mom of an 8 week old so not an expert at all... according to what I've read, there's a short window of opportunity that's ideal to introduce a bottle to a breast fed baby (2-4 weeks).  It said that waiting longer may risk the baby refusing a bottle so I wouldn't wait. Also, I've read that it's important to make sure the baby gets a bottle regularly because they will quickly forget if only given a bottle for date night, etc.  My BF baby won't take a bottle unless it's pretty warm.  My husband holds the bottle almost horizontally so that she has to work to drink the milk.  I'd start with 3 oz. Good luck!

Strunella

We introduced the bottle at about 5 weeks.  LO does not seem to be picky about bottles or nipples...he is just a happy eater and doesn't care where the food is coming from.  I think we started with about 2 oz (he's at about 5 oz now).  We stop LO half way through the bottle to burp him (even though he gets mad!), and I really think this has helped with less spit ups.  Otherwise, they tend to suck it down in one shot. 

We did not give the bottle regularly and LO did not seem to care.  Maybe he is more easy going than most.

kmlevine04@gmail.com

we introduced it earlier at 2 weeks, bc she was doing great with bf and I wanted a glass of wine (bad mommy), but it went fine, she took right to it..i'd say make sure you have a good bottle - we're using playtex drop ins - recommended to me by a lactation specialist - and try holding them horizontally so your LO has to work to pull it out just like at the breast. just make sure you check your LO's bottom lip to make sure its out and just like your latch, if its not right, take it away and start over. my daughter's gone back and forth bottle and breast now for almost a week and been fine...

misswilddog

I also EBF but decided to offer a bottle of bm two days ago because I am going out tonight and can't take DS.  Anyway, I had just pumped 2oz and put it in the playtex drop ins bottle.  DS took it from me right away and still wanted more so I BF him too.  He has no trouble going back and forth, and I had also introduced a pacifier last week, which he had no trouble with the so called "nipple confusion".  Last night DH fed DS his bottle before bed and he took just the 2 oz, then BF about an hour later.  It's hard to say how much to put in the bottles.  For now we just do 2 oz at a time.  For tonight I have 8 oz in the fridge ready to go for DS just to make sure there is enough to satisfy him.  Good luck!

KariD77

Thank you all for the advice, it was VERY helpful! We gave her a bottle last night and it went great!