Detroit Babies
September 27, 2008
Help me understand Bottles
Holy bottles. there are so many types and styles on the market.
Do you have one type of bottles (the short, fat, "breast like nipples") ones for when you are BF/Pumping (or just when they are super little) and then at like 3 months switch over to the "regular" taller ones?
If you pump..do you pump into bottles, pour it into storage bags, then pour the milk from the bag into the bottle when you need it?
Will the bottle style matter if it's a combo of BF/pumping or formula?
if you are BF, when can you start pumping and using a bottle along with the BF?
TIA! 
September 27, 2008This discussion has been closed.
Re: Help me understand Bottles
I have the Avent - I have found they leak and Dayne has a funny latch on them. I tried the Dr. Brown and they're OK but he still latches strange. When I tried the Nuk bottles we both fell in love. He prefers them and so do I.
My biggest piece of advice that I wish someone had told me - try a few different bottles, see which one works for your LO because it's different for everyone.
I do know a lot of moms who love the Nuk, Dr Brown and Tommie Tippie (I think that's what they're called)
Mommy's little helper
With bottles, I would register for a variety of types. You never know what kind the baby is going to like. The thing to keep in mind is if you want to nurse and bottle feed you need to have a very slow flow nipple so there isn't nipple confusion.
For pumping, you always always always pump into bottles never into the bags. Bottles are more accurate with the measurements. You pour into the storage bags when you are ready to freeze. Refrigerate first, then freeze, never freeze warm milk.
My suggestion is to use the Medela bottles for pumping only (if you are getting a Medela pump that is). The are horrible for bottle feeding. Find another bottle (Tommee Tippee, Adiri, Breastflow, Dr. Brown's, Born Free) for feeding. Again, always go for the slowest flow nipple, that's one of the most important things if you want to go back and forth.
I would hold off pumping for at least 4 weeks. You are going to have way to much going on to want to worry about pumping. Of course, this is if nursing is successful. Obviously if there are issues and a LC suggests pumping then by all means pump, but in an ideal world I would wait 4 weeks to start pumping. The best time to pump is after the am nursing session. You get the most milk between 2 and 5am because your prolactin levels are the highest then. Once you start pumping to build a stash (if you are going back to work), pump after you nurse. This will signal to your body to make more milk. You probably won't get much, but it will help in the long run.
If you have any other questions just let me know. Gabriel will be getting breastmilk until about 18 months because of my freezer stash and I EP'd for only 8 months.
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
The size bottles are mainly a conveience thing. They use the same nipples, so there's really no difference to the baby. A newborn generally starts at 2oz feedings, so it just works well to have those small bottles in the beginning. Many bottles are being made to be as close to the breast, so I don't think it really matters if you bf/pumping or strictly ff. It'll come down to what works best for the baby.
There's no way to tell what bottle will work best, so try using something first that will be convenient for you! It amazes me how many people head straight to the Dr. Browns. Have you ever seen those bottles? They have a bunch of pieces which makes washing them a pain. If you FF- you can't shake them, so it's very inconvenient, especially if you're on the go. They're great bottles if your baby is colicy, but why deal with the hassle if you dont need to? I believe the playtex ventiair is another one with some extra pieces that just seem to be a pain.
We ended up using the Playtex drop-ins which I love! The liners collapse in on itself, so it's great to keep the air out. And what's nice is since the liner collapses, it tends to keep the formula up in the nipple, so the bottle doesn't have to be constantly held up. It's a great "feature" for this stage where Nathan can hold his bottle, but doesn't get that he has to hold it up.
I seriously bookmark most of the posts you reply to in the last few months. I guess I am a stalker like that.
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
It's sad really, even after all you have already emailed and PM'd (as well has *heatherjrichard*.
Like I am going to be getting up in the middle of the night with the baby then opening my laptop for a reference.
I should just give you my number
Haha 
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
Shelia was a god send when I first started having to EP. I would have given up after a few days without her ; )
Born 7lb, 15oz, 21-1/4, 2 mo - 12lbs, 14oz. 25", 3mo - 14lb, 4oz 26in , 4 mo - 16lb, 1oz, 26 3/4 in, 5 mo 18 lb, 4oz 27-3/4 in, 6 mo 28 3/4 in 19lb, 14oz
We used one bottle from the time he was born until he stopped using bottles. Like pp said, I don't suggest buying or registering for a ton of the same bottle until you know what your LO prefers. We probably tried at least 4 or 5 different ones before we found the one he did the best with. I think because he was breastfed he was much more picky about what bottle he would use. He prefered the wide neck ("short/fat") nipples. For the record I know for sure we tried Avent (HATED- omg leaked!), Drop ins, Dr. Brown's, and Medela. Eventually we found and tried Born Free, which he loved.
I breastfed at home but pumped at work, and only occasionally pumped at home. I actually did both, pumping into bags and into bottles. Medela makes bags that hook to your pump and you can pump directly into them. However I really didn't like how they froze, they were a lot thicker and took up more space. I highly recommend using Lanisinoh bags. They store so flat and rarely leaked. Most of the time I would pump into medela bottles that came with my pump and would then transfer the milk to the storage bags.
(FYI- if you decide to use playtex drop ins, they make adapters that hook directly to your pump too. I bought these and would pump into drop in liners which were cheaper then bags and could store them in the fridge or pour into bags).
I had to start pumping right away to get DS to latch.... but otherwise I recommend waiting at least 2-4 weeks before pumping. I pumped to much in the beginning because I was so worried I wouldn't make enough, and I ended up with a huge oversupply problem. It caused some issues with DS and made me super uncomfortable.
Hope that helps...
I agree 100% with Lauren on the Lansinoh bags, they are awesome and you can get them on Amazon through their Subscribe & Save program really cheap.
I also have to say the same thing that happened to Lauren also happened with me regarding oversupply. I was so nervous about not having milk stored for when I went back to work that I began pumping way too early. I started out pumping only on one side because I had a tear and wanted it to heal, but the other side was my lazy side so I would always have to top Gabriel off with an ounce or 2 in a bottle. He started liking the bottle more and I was pumping more and gave myself a huge oversupply. I had the chunker who didn't want to have to work for the milk so switching back and forth between breast and bottle was not going to work for us once I introduced the bottle. Plus, with my oversupply that I gave myself when I started giving bottles and trying to still nurse caused Gabe to choke and pull off screaming his head off. You do not want to end up with oversupply. It's not as good as it sounds, believe me.
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
This. The other side to this though, is if you pump too early WITHOUT latching LO on you can really do damage to the long term supply of your milk. The baby sends messages to your body on how much milk to make based on nursing time, so if the baby isn't latched on at all it can cause problems. Your LO will know exactly what to do, even when you don't. They are smart little things.
They will 'cluster feed' during growth spurts. That means that they will start to eat every hour. It only lats a day, but I know lots of mom's will think they aren't making enough and get discouraged. Since your body makes more milk when the baby sucks, the baby is simply trying to 'beef' up your supply to be able to provide for their increased needs as they grow. It is an important part of the nursing supply chain that I personally had NO idea about when I started to nurse. Just another reason why you will have the most success with bf if you hold of pumping for the first few weeks so LO can do their thing and get your supply going.
Like Sheila said before, obviously pump if a LC tells you to...but in most cases they will tell you to hold off until your supply is well established.
Which has nothing to do about bottles...I got no help on that. We have the Tommee Tippee bottles, but I can count the number of bottles DS has successfully taken on one hand. He just isn't a fan, and we've never had any need to force the issue.
Here's the product review from my blog:
I think figuring out what bottles to buy is one of the toughest questions to answer when preparing for a baby (or two or three or four). After reading many reviews, I knew I wanted BPA free bottles with nipples that wouldn't confuse the babies for breastfeeding, bottles that didn't leak or make the babies gassy, that attached easily to a Medela breastpump, and ones without a thousand parts to clean and assemble. We were willing to spend a lot of money on that miracle bottle if it existed but ended up going this route when every bottle I researched was missing one or more of those requirements anyway. These VERY inexpensive bottles don't have the wide and short nipples I was searching for, but they have been perfect for us in every other way (and the babies never seemed confused). We bought four packages of these and of the 9-ouncers.
One thing I discovered after posting this in my blog is that the nipples on the smaller bottles are slower than the ones on the bigger ones. Keep them separate so down the line you don't have an older, hungry baby struggling with a slow-flow nipple and then you have to do a big sort--learned that the hard way!
I may be in the minority here...
Do you have one type of bottles (the short, fat, "breast like nipples") ones for when you are BF/Pumping (or just when they are super little) and then at like 3 months switch over to the "regular" taller ones? I registered for all Advent bottles and that's what he has used from the beginning of bottle feeding. I only had one leak on me, and I blame myself for that. I just bought nipples for each stage that we needed, they fit on all of the bottles. I have 8 little bottles (4 oz) and 14 large bottles (9 oz). He is over 3 months now and we use both size bottles still.
If you pump..do you pump into bottles, pour it into storage bags, then pour the milk from the bag into the bottle when you need it? I have a Medela PISA, and I pump in the little 5 ounce bottles they give you, and I bought 6 gerber ones (9 oz) that screw right into the pump, and they are really cheap. Those work best for when I pump at work and my morning pump, which is more than 5 oz per side. I keep those gerber bottles in the fridge and transfer to Lanoish (sp?) bags every night, when I make the bottles for the next day. Make sure to get the milk storage system. I use that to flatten the bags for a week, then transfer them to a box in our deep freezer.
Will the bottle style matter if it's a combo of BF/pumping or formula? I don't think it matters. I just know that Dr Browns have so many parts, and you can't shake them. My SIL uses those and has a love/hate relationship with them.
if you are BF, when can you start pumping and using a bottle along with the BF? I EP. I pumped a few times in the third week, and then pumped during the day at four weeks, and BF at night (it was easier, and I was tired and lazy to hook up the pump). So at 4 weeks he was feed during the day with a bottle then me at night.
i'm not sure if this happened to anyone else, but DS wouldn't let me feed him the bottle at first, he kept trying to BF. It took a couple of days worth of feedings for him to accept the bottle from me. He took it from anyone else easily though.
And kbaby brought up cluster feeding...read up on that. That almost made me quit breastfeeding. I was so tired and frustrated that night. I think he was attached to me for over 3 hours straight. It was a lot to handle with only being a mom for less than a week.
Kendra and Sheila helped me out a lot these last few months. Its a big adjustment and learning experience. Good Luck!!!
You should never shake bm, it breaks down the proteins and antibodies. You should swirl it around to evenly disperse the hind milk. I agree, the Dr. Brown's bottles are a pain in the neck, but I have the dishwasher basket for them so cleaning is a snap. I, too, have a love/hate relationship with them.
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR