Giving a bottle

[CharlieP]

Hi girls - a quick question...

We are trying to give our LO a bottle of EBM a day to make sure he gets used to a bottle and to let my OH feed him...

He cluster feeds from about 6.30 til about 11 each night (which is so tough) and he is very grumpy, screamy during this time - fighting with my boobs and getting himself generally wound up to the point of hysterior!!

Trying to give him a bottle during this time is nigh on impossible cos he's in such a mood - so my question is for those who gave EBM in a bottle when did you do it, and if you did it in the evening how did you cope with a grumpy baby who clearly wants the boob more?! (but is not happy once he is on it!!)

TIA

x

 

[TigerLady]

How long has he been at the grumpiness? Is he still in a growth spurt? It may relax a bit once he gets through it (if that is what it is). If not, is it colic??? I hope not!

I didn't have that problem (thankfully) so can't offer much advice. But I was thinking, if you suspect the evening clusters might be a passing phase, maybe wait the phase out and then try the bottle. I would definitely avoid trying a bottle when he is so upset. Seems you would be asking for having trouble.

 

[Shifter]

I would probably stop trying to give a bottle - it's still a little soon tbh, they don't normally recommend bottles or dummies before 6 weeks as it can cause nipple confusion.

I would ride out the cluster feeding, which normally subsides after the first couple of months and then try a bottle again.

 

[DolceBella]

Try giving the bottle during a different time... maybe when the "fussy phase" isn't happening during the day. It sounds like your LO just needs booby at night for now. Bella had the night time fussiness phase till about 15 weeks. It gets better.

 

[CharlieP]

Thanks... Will try it at a different time. The HV recommended giving a bottle now as she said if you leave it too long they may not take one at all... This exact thing happe Ed with my neice so I am keen to make sure he takes one.

I really hope it isn't colic!! He doesn't seem in pain.... Just grumpy so hopefully it's not

 

[kerrie24]

I would try a bottle through the day before he gets to the awkward bit at 6.30.I left it til the 6-8 week mark on advice of the health visitor and found no matter what I did or which bottles I used,my daughter would not bottlefeed.It can get very frustrating and I will definitly introduce a bottle earlier this time around.

 

[polaris]

My LO was the exact same with the cluster feeding and evening grumpiness and attempts to give a bottle at that time were not successful. What we did was gave him a bottle earlier in the day when he was relaxed and he took it no problem. The night times seem to be getting a bit better this week by he way so stick it out and it will get better

 

[Jemima]

It may just be a little too soon for him to get the hang of the bottle. I know it's tryicky to get the timing right...too soon and you risk them getting confused, too late and you miss the boat and they never take to it (as happened with us :doh but perhaps you could leave it a couple of weeks and try again then. Sounds like he could be having a growth spurt with all that cluster feeding anyway so I'd just let him concentrate on working on his growing. Hope it all works out.

 

[Maffie]

I started introducing a bottle just after 5 weeks, id say try different types of bottles as babies dont all like the same bottles. The fussy feeding will go, Noah has the odd fussy day where he wants boob but ive no experience of him being fussy once on the boob as he loves being on it. Fos some reason Noah takes the bottle best in the early hours, not sure why but to be honest he swaps back and forth boob to bottle easily.

Sorry ive rambled there i'd say give him a couple of weeks to get over the fussing, use slow flow teats, try a few different types of bottles. If he's not interested stop and try again at another time.

Good luck with it all

 

[Seraphim]

We tried 2oz on Monday, in the bottle which came with the medela swing pump. Hazel ate it all and a few minutes later asked for more and nursed fine.

I was however seriously nervous

It was only so early because I'm hoping to goto a meal this evening with the mums group in my village.

One thing I noticed about the bottle (as its design will never need to service FF) is that the neck is only an inch or so across, so all fits inside LO's mouth.

She's had 2 more 1oz bottle feeds since to administer Colief while we're out (Using the dropper can be a little bit dribbly)

I have wondered if everything going smoothly means I could relax about 'confusion' now.

I still find the sterilising (and paranoia) quite stressful with the bottle etc.

 

[Maffie]

We tried 2oz on Monday, in the bottle which came with the medela swing pump. Hazel ate it all and a few minutes later asked for more and nursed fine.

I was however seriously nervous

It was only so early because I'm hoping to goto a meal this evening with the mums group in my village.

One thing I noticed about the bottle (as its design will never need to service FF) is that the neck is only an inch or so across, so all fits inside LO's mouth.

She's had 2 more 1oz bottle feeds since to administer Colief while we're out (Using the dropper can be a little bit dribbly)

I have wondered if everything going smoothly means I could relax about 'confusion' now.

I still find the sterilising (and paranoia) quite stressful with the bottle etc.

I agree on the sterilising gosh I feel like im at it all the time, the pump, the bottle, the teats , everything. Boob feels so much easier.

 

[TigerLady]

I was a maniac about sterilizing everything at first, too. It just got to be too much! So, when LO got a bit older (3 months ish) I relaxed a bit on it. That is not to say I don't sterilize -- I DO! But I don't fret over how long it has been in the cupboard, where was it after sterilizing, etc etc.

I use something, wash it, sterilize it, put it in the cabinet and leave it there until I am ready to use it again. If that means it sits there for 2 weeks, that is fine. I don't sterilize it again. And I don't sterilize my pump between every pumping anymore. I pump 2 times per day at work, so I can't. I only sterilize if it gets gross for some reason or a couple of times per week otherwise. I just wash it after every pumping with pump wipes.

I figured LO had gotten old enough to handle "normal" washing routines. His immune system needs to learn to cope with the odd germ here and there. Besides, he had reached the age where he was throwing EVERYthing he could get his hands in his mouth anyway -- clean or not!

So far, no problems with this approach!

 

[pennysbored]

Thanks... Will try it at a different time. The HV recommended giving a bottle now as she said if you leave it too long they may not take one at all... This exact thing happe Ed with my neice so I am keen to make sure he takes one.

I really hope it isn't colic!! He doesn't seem in pain.... Just grumpy so hopefully it's not

Yeah, if I were you I'd try giving it about an hour before the predicted witching hour, then you have time to build up your supply for the next feed, especially as typically most women don't make as much milk in the evenings.
As far as nipple confusion, the only time I've ever had issues with my new LO is after my OH's Christmas party last weekend and we left the kidlets with a sitter for a few hours. He had three bottles in a row, and I spent all weekend correcting his latch. So I don't think one bottle is really a bad thing IMO, but when you start having several in a row in these early stages, all may not be lost, but you will have your work cut out for you.
At least that's how it went down for me. Some people will tell you its too soon, but then there is the other side when you wait too long and have a really tough time getting them to take a bottle all together. Follow your instinct.

 

[Shifter]

I was a maniac about sterilizing everything at first, too. It just got to be too much! So, when LO got a bit older (3 months ish) I relaxed a bit on it. That is not to say I don't sterilize -- I DO! But I don't fret over how long it has been in the cupboard, where was it after sterilizing, etc etc.

I use something, wash it, sterilize it, put it in the cabinet and leave it there until I am ready to use it again. If that means it sits there for 2 weeks, that is fine. I don't sterilize it again. And I don't sterilize my pump between every pumping anymore. I pump 2 times per day at work, so I can't. I only sterilize if it gets gross for some reason or a couple of times per week otherwise. I just wash it after every pumping with pump wipes.

I figured LO had gotten old enough to handle "normal" washing routines. His immune system needs to learn to cope with the odd germ here and there. Besides, he had reached the age where he was throwing EVERYthing he could get his hands in his mouth anyway -- clean or not!

So far, no problems with this approach!

^^ That all sounds familiar! By about 3 months old Jack constantly had something in his mouth; his hands, toys, clothes etc. These things obviously were not sterile so I relaxed about sterilising the pump and bottles. After 6 months I stopped sterilising altogether, I mean food isn't sterile is it?!

Babies need a few germs for their immune systems to learn to function. I can't stand these paranoid types who try to keep their houses as sterile as possible.