Advice please for first-time mum nerves....

[Armymummy]

Hi,

A couple of questions:

Has anyone used the 'Close to Nature' Tommy Tippee bottles - any good??

As I want one weekend to have a nice bottle of wine with my partner (my first alcoholic drink for nearly a year!!). So therefore use expressed milk to feed my daughter via the 'Close to Nature' bottles instead just for the one night. As I won't be able to BF her if I have a drink.

Just wondered if these bottles are good. As I have read that some women have found them convenient especially if they have gone back to work etc. As the teats on the bottles are easily to switch from breast to bottle and vice-versa.

So any tips/advice please!! As I'm abit wary of trying this even though plenty of women may do this!! Maybe it's just first-time mum nerves again!!


xx

 

[Nervous_1]

I used those bottles in the beginning and LO got on fine with them, but some babies don't. It's a bit of trial and error!

Just a word of caution, don't give a bottle to your baby until she is at least 4 weeks old, preferably 6 weeks, as it could cause nipple confusion (even the Tommee Tippee ones can do this), instead you can use a sippy cup. Just hold it to her mouth and she will lap at the milk like a kitten. Don't pour it into her mouth because she might choke.

Also, you can have the odd glass of alchohol when you BF. As a basic rule of thumb if you're safe to drive you're safe to BF. The alchohol leaves your milk at the same speed it leaves your blood. So a glass of wine won't cause a problem

 

[Jophie]

I am no expert, but I can share my experience of bottle feeding expressed milk. I have been using the tommy tippee bottles to feed expressed breast milk while I was ill will mastitis and a uterine infection. I am now well and am trying to get my daughter to latch on again. We are now on day four of doing this.

I found she became 'lazy' at the breast as she had to do some work to get some milk out rather than getting the steady flow that she she had from the bottles. After a couple of days practice she is latching on well again and I don't need to top up with bottles now.

As you are just expressing for one evening, I doubt you will have as much trouble as I had with getting your daughter back on the boob. I would advise that you still pump that evening even if you just discard the milk just to keep you milk supply going.

I do think that the shape of the teats are designed to mimic a nipple more than other bottles you can get.

I hope it goes well for you and that you enjoy your glass of wine.

 

[Greta Chick]

Hi

Lots of people I know have/do use the bottles you mentioned. I've got them as well because I also read they were good for reducing nipple/teat confusion when combining breast and bottle.

I tried my DD2 on one of these bottles about a month ago with some expressed milk (I was giving it to her) a couple of times throughout the day and she wouldn't take it at all. She looked at me as if to say "what am I supposed to do with THAT?!" I haven't tried again but should do as I'd like to do a fitness class but it's over her bedtime so hubby would have to do the bedtime feed while I was out.

I agree with the other posted who said leave trying a bottle til 6 weeks if possible to reduce confusion further.

HTH

xx

 

[JeepGirl]

We have the closer to nature tommee tippee anti colic bottles and love them. We have been using them since LO was a week old for expressed milk and have had no problems with nipple confusion. But I have never given him a bottle, only OH and my mother do.

 

[Cattia]

We started with a bottle at three weeks. The HV told me this was the best age although I have read in other places 4-6 weeks is optimum. With my DD we left it too long and she refused a bottle until 5 months. This time we needed to start early as we were giving infant gaviscon and couldn't get it down him from a syringe so have been mixing it with expressed milk. We have been giving a bottle with the gaviscon and milk in about twice a day so he always has the boob and bottle at the same feed. I would suggest you try her on the bottle before your planned evening as they sometimes refuse or it takes quite a while so it could make your evening stressful if you are doing it for the first time, especially if you have already had a drink and feel you can't feed her if it doesn't work out.