Mamas: Starting the bottle...

Tayrusso

So...I kind of made this goal to start incorporating bottles into Lucy's diet around the 6 week mark (tomorrow), annnnnd I really don't want to.  I know that I have to because I'll be going back to work in two weeks...  Is there a certain way to do this?  I want her to still breastfeed when I'm home from work, and I'd like her to EBF up to her first birthday. 

Does anyone have any advice?

elyselowe

I would say to just start giving her maybe 1 or 2 bottles a day just to make sure she will take a bottle and get used to it before you go back to work. When I was getting ready to go back to work when Brooklyn was born I just had DH start feeding her with a bottle 1 or 2 times a day so she could get used to other people besides me feeding her. But when I was home from work she still breastfed just fine and continued to until after she was 1. I haven't heard of too many people having problems with doing it.

I hope its a smooth transition for you!

enjoylife

I'm only 4 months in BFing wise. We did introduce the bottle at 6 weeks just so that hubby could have a hand in feeding/bonding, but we only did 1 bottle a couple times a week. I went back to work when lo was 12 weeks old so then he got bottles from hubby while I worked. Its been fine, we do only BF when I am home or even out and about. Only thing I can say is keep her on the slow flow nipples with the bottle. A gets frustrated every once in awhile, but I told DH that my nips don't go faster so he will have to get used to it. Also now that LO is 4 months old and about the time that I have heard babies will choose bottles and start nurse strikes I told DH to now only give him the bottles of the refrigerated milk. (no more warming) so that he prefers straight from the tap now that both mommy and daddy can feed him and its been working well. I think we will be able to reach a year with no big problems. Good luck!.

CandiceNT

Don't get discouraged if she refuses one bottle...we had to try several different brands before Blake found the one kind he would take....only then did I stock up on that kind    We repeated this process with pacifiers and sippy cups...I now have a nice "trial" batch of everything for this next kiddo to try out lol. Good luck!

CTri17

I'd give 1 bottle a day (at bedtime maybe) and have Casey feed it to her. That way she associates you (mostly) with the breast and others with the bottle!

Tayrusso

Thank you girls!  I decided to push it back until mid next week.  Why o why can't I just be a SAHM?!?!?  That would make this all so much easier.  I'm just so afraid she'll stop nursing when I'm home.

irlndsumer

enjoylife:

Only thing I can say is keep her on the slow flow nipples with the bottle. A gets frustrated every once in awhile, but I told DH that my nips don't go faster so he will have to get used to it.

Exactly this.  DS had no problem taking the bottle at 6 weeks, or switching back and forth, but once he started getting them regularly at daycare we ran in to flow problems.  He got used to the fast flow at daycare, then would scream and cry in frustration when nursing.  So we switched to Breastflow bottles and it went back to normal.  It's a lot slower and harder for him to get the milk from those nipples, so it's more like nursing. 

I was sad about it at first, but it's nice to have a date night with hubby, an afternoon to myself or be able to give him a bottle if I don't feel comfortable NIP somewhere.

Tayrusso

irlndsumer:

enjoylife:

Only thing I can say is keep her on the slow flow nipples with the bottle. A gets frustrated every once in awhile, but I told DH that my nips don't go faster so he will have to get used to it.

Exactly this.  DS had no problem taking the bottle at 6 weeks, or switching back and forth, but once he started getting them regularly at daycare we ran in to flow problems.  He got used to the fast flow at daycare, then would scream and cry in frustration when nursing.  So we switched to Breastflow bottles and it went back to normal.  It's a lot slower and harder for him to get the milk from those nipples, so it's more like nursing. 

I was sad about it at first, but it's nice to have a date night with hubby, an afternoon to myself or be able to give him a bottle if I don't feel comfortable NIP somewhere.

Thank you, Erin!  I had never heard of those bottles, but they seem great.