Breastfeeding and expressing for bottle feeding? Help/advice

[DivaMommy2Be]

FTM over from 2nd tri. This has been bugging me , i dunno whether i need bottle stuff or not :/

So what I mean is I am going to be breastfeeding. But I'm just curious as to when/how you try getting baby to take it from a bottle. Me and my OH both want him to be able to feed the baby, along with other reasons.

I posted in 2nd tri a while ago about breast/formula feeding. With no judgement but everyone fought so it was removed


But one poster said she wouldn't be breastfeeding again cause her baby never took a bottle so she was the only one who'd feed her, that it was exhausting, she couldn't go back to work, her OH couldn't feed baby etc.

And another said she was going to try to bottle feed her daughter breast milk from 6 weeks to avoid the same thing.

I'm just seeing a lot of people say they have up bf because it was too much being the only one able to feed, and I don't want that to happen to me. I'm really wanting to breastfeed but also it's important for me to be able to express eventually for bottles.
I never realised that you can leave it too late and that the baby can refuse the bottle, or if too early prefer the bottle.


So.... My questions are.. Is it hard to get baby to take a bottle once you are successful at BF, when, how to do it etc.

So confused

 

[mummybean]

Hi my baby is 5 weeks and i breastfeed but need bubs to take a bottle for when i go back to work.

last week I expressed so my husband could feed him and he took the bottle no problem. He did have a bit run down his face because it clearly needed less sucking than my breast lol but other than that all good.

All babies are different so you will find what works and u can always try different bottle teets till u find one bubs like. I know some will only take next to nature as it is very close to the real thing but we use avent and bubs is happy.

Good luck and I hope it all works out

 

[mummybean]

Oh and my midwife told me I couldbus a bottle as soon as he was feeding happily from the breast and I just express 20 ml or so after each feed

 

[CordeliaJ]

I was told bottle should be ok once bfing is established and baby has got a good latch going. I started expressing a few bottles from 2 weeks, so that DH could do a couple of night feeds, and it's worked fine. He's only 3 weeks old now, but has happily been having breast in the day time and a mixture of breast/bottle at night. I will say that even at this early stage, he obviously doesn't like the bottle as much as the breast, as he does fuss over it, but he will still take the bottle if he's hungry.

 

[Squiggy]

My baby is 13 days old, he has problems latching on so I've been using the nipple shields, I've expressed once so daddy could feed baby and he sucked it down like nothing.
I continue trying to get him to take directly to the breast and he tries but still obviously has trouble.
I do hope he'll be able to take to the breast at some point, it will be convenient to be able to go back and forth from bottle to breast.

 

[DivaMommy2Be]

Thanks for the replies ladies. Youre replies are very helpful, thought id have to wait a lot longer than that to try anything but bfing. Found out I have a daughter today so these questions are feeling a lot more real

 

[mummybean]

Glad u found the answers useful and a big congratulations on your little girl!!! X

 

[febbride2012]

hi hun - my little girl was in nicu and had a bottle from day 2, (of my expressed milk) she also took my breast we've never had nipple confusion and she happily drinks from what ever is offered to her xxx

 

[MissAnnabelle]

I started pumping at two months and she fought the bottle, so I wish I had started pumping earlier. I know if you pump early you have to be careful you don't pump too much then you can make too much milk. I had supply issues from using a nipple shield for the first 8 weeks so I pumped after every feed for a while to increase supply. Now I pump 3-4 times a day and freeze 4oz a day and have 1-2oz for a bottle either for top off at night or to take shopping.

 

[Annie77]

I would definitely recommend introducing a bottle early on. With my last two babies I left it until 6 weeks and not routinely so they rejected bottles and I was stuck feeding all the time.

 

[monte3375]

We introduced a bottle within the first two weeks. I pumped to get a break to sleep a couple of hours. He took it right away. I primarily breastfeed rarely ever give bottles, but when we are with family or events...he takes the bottle great!

We use tommee tippee bottles.

 

[febbride2012]

we use TT too xx