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seeking bottle advice from BFers

amh_navyblueamh_navyblue
in D.C. Area Babies

I go back to work full time a week from Monday.  DD#2 will be 8 weeks and I have been EBF and I plan to continue to BF, pumping at work.  I started pumping when she was about 4.5 weeks old and about the same time started to introduce a bottle, in preparation for day care.  I try to incorporate the bottle into her day at least once a day.  She hasn't rejected the bottle, but she's not very efficient in feeding from it (we've used the medela and aveda bottles so far).  I realize this may be in part because I am the one giving it to her, but I don't have much of choice since I am at home with her by myself during the day and she goes through her fussy stage in the evening when DH is home, which I know is not the optimum time to try and introduce the bottle.

I never really had to deal with this with DD#1 because I was at home with her until she was 11 months and by that time she was using a sippy cup and transitioning to cow's milk.  Can anyone reassure me that once she is at day care she'll feed more effectively?  Is there something different I should be doing between now and then to help with the process?

TIA!

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Re: seeking bottle advice from BFers

  • SofkaSofka

    I think when the bottle is her only choice, as it will be at DC, she will eat just fine.

    We used playtex drop-ins

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  • DelRayMom2BeDelRayMom2Be

    We have the Medela bottles that came with the pump, some Nuby bottles, and the gerber cheap ones from target. My daughter will eat from all of them, the nuby nipples are super slow flow and it takes her over an hour to finish a bottle. Her DC providers say she likes the cheap gerber ones the best, which is fine with me. They also attach directly to the pump so i don't have to transfer milk to a different bottle each time.

     

    As for her eating from the bottle, we did the same as you, one bottle a day until she went to daycare. My husband would give her the bottle right before bed. We also discovered that having a bottle right before bed helped her stay asleep longer during the night. Also, when my daughter is really fussy, sometimes a bottle will actually calm her down. I know fussy times aren't great times to introduce a bottle, but if she is already eating from a bottle, I think it is fine.

     

    Good Luck!

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  • Hey JellisyHey Jellisy
    We used the Medela bottles (and occasionally the Avent and Gerber Nuk) and she got the hang of it by day 2 at daycare.  The first day she didn't drink much but the second day she went through all her milk like a champ.  Once it was presented as her only option she took to it really well.   
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  • tomandcourttomandcourt

    We use the Dr. Brown's bottles. They're "natural flow," which means if you put liquid in it should drip out one drop per second. This is slow, and it should be - don't worry if you're LO is drinking slowly out of the bottle. You don't want her getting used to the milk coming out from the bottle fast, because she'll get frustrated at the breast and not want to BF anymore.

    She'll eat when she's hungry at daycare - once she figures out the bottle is her only option, she'll eat. 

    In terms of getting her used to it, can you try it on the weekends when you and DH are home during the day? You could get one ready and leave the house so that she has to take it from DH and won't try to nurse.

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  • mommmyzmommmyz
    We use Playtex bottles. We did a bottle every day for months 1 - 2, and then he suddenly wanted nothing to do with it right before I went back to work at 14 weeks. I panicked, but it all turned out okay. Honestly, the first 1.5 weeks he was not eating a lot at daycare. Maybe 8 oz. a day? Now he is up to 15 oz. and that's where I think he'll stay. But, he ate A LOT at night (honestly, still does) when he was taking less. It's called reverse cycling, there is a lot of info about it on kellymom. DS does much better from a bottle at home now too. They really will eat when they are hungry (as I have to remind myself all the time!).
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  • amh_navyblueamh_navyblue

    I've heard about the reverse cycling...and I'm guessing DD will do that since she likes to nurse a lot in the evenings anyway. 

    Thanks for the reassurance everyone!

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