Bottle?

[Jadie]

Hi ladies,

In a couple of months time ill be going back to work. LO is going to start needing to take a bottle from his daddy and my mum soon, any advice on how to introduce this to him?

He's been ebf since birth (apart from stupid hospital staff feeding him formula from bottle - long story) will giving him bottles magically make him not want breast anymore? Can anyone give me positive stories of being able to feed both?

I've researched how to bottle feed a breast fed baby and its something ill definitely do, I just wanted personal experiences of how it worked for you!

I'll be working either 2 night shifts a week - Friday and Saturday or 3 day shifts a week - Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I've got to figure out how many bottles he will need but supply is not a problem I can pump enough.

Thanks ladies

 

[toby1331]

We introduced a bottle at 4 weeks, so I could start pumping and building a stash for going back to work at 12 weeks. OH gave her the bottle and she took to it on the first try. She had no issues going back on the breast for the next feed. We did this until I went back to work with no issue. Once back to work she got 3/4 bottles a day and always took them. I nursed her first thing in the morning and then on demand in the evening. Again she never had an issue switching between the two. I will say I haven never given her a bottle. I am always the boob girl!

 

[Jadie]

Thanks for that gives me hope, I'm just scared he will refuse breast if he has a bottle, but I think if I don't give him bottles he should be ok

 

[SarahBear]

We started trying a few weeks before I went back to work. She had trouble with it when we had the wrong sized nipple as we had accidentally gotten them mixed up. Once we got that sorted out, she was much better. The other issue we had was the milk going bad sooner than we were told it should. When we finally tried it, we realized it was disgusting so no wonder she didn't want it! So definitely taste the milk and make sure you have the slowest flow nipple. Also try different temperatures. She seems to prefer it warmer when it's in a bottle. The other thing is, if she won't even put her mouth on it to suck, we would squirt it into her mouth and that was sometimes enough to get her sucking. She used to take more (smaller babies can't go as long without food) but now only takes 4 to 6 ounces when I work full time and sometimes just 3 and a half when I work a 5 hour day. If your son isn't big on the bottle, just remember that sucking on a bottle is NOT the only way to get milk. The milk can be slowly squirted into his mouth using the bottle. He can be syringe fed, or he can use a spoon or a cup. The other thing to remember is that it is ok if he takes less while you're gone as long as he makes up for it when you get back. When I worked full time, Violet would cluster feed in the evening and nurse at night. We co-sleep, so we were able to do this and still get a good amount of sleep. The biggest down side was a lot more nighttime diapers. In the end, she's not a bottle fan, but will take what she needs to get by and much prefers nursing.

 

[Jadie]

Oh that's good to hear, thank you so much

 

[belle254]

Don't know if it helps because my DS is a bit younger but I've breast and bottle fed him (ebm and formula) since he was born. He really is a completely combi fed baby, it depends on the day and our moods and where we're going whether he's fed expressed milk, formula or if I breast feed him. He's also has a dummy. We've been doing this since birth and haven't had any problems yet
Good luck x

 

[Jadie]

Awesome story! Thanks for that!

 

[seaweed eater]

We've been doing both for 9 months, and I've been back at work (mostly p/t) for 6 months

We gave a bottle every couple of days age 1-4 months, and he went through a period of refusing them around 3-4 months. Once he started daycare it took a bit of persistence but he started taking them well. Never any trouble with nursing at the breast.

 

[Jadie]

Sounds positive, DH and mother might be in for a tough time getting him used to the bottles tho! We've bought the closer to nature ones so hopefully they help. I'm just trying to get motivated to pump after feeding for my stash!

 

[Joygrrr]

I'm having trouble giving my 4 mo a bottle at the minute, he's had one 3 or 4 times when he was much younger with no problem and now he refuses it point blank! I've tried all sorts! Different times of the day, different teets, temperatures and people feeding him! I'm off back to work in sept and I am concerned what to do!

 

[seaweed eater]

Sounds positive, DH and mother might be in for a tough time getting him used to the bottles tho! We've bought the closer to nature ones so hopefully they help. I'm just trying to get motivated to pump after feeding for my stash!

It's good to have a stash, but not as good as you might think. https://www.workandpump.com/freezerstash.htm
I have never had to use mine, ever. I try to pump 3 oz extra per day and I have several hundred in the freezer now. Good to have but if you want to keep your supply up, the only reason you'd use it is if you have to get rid of fresh milk for some reason.

 

[Jadie]

Thanks for sharing - something to keep in mind!