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Combining breast and bottles
Is this possible right from the start? I intend to breastfeed but would like to use bottles (with my expressed milk) so that hubby/grandparents can feed the baby and give me a break! I plan on getting the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles as they are ment to be good for combining.
Any experiences?
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Any experiences?
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Replies
I think it is possible, but I remember hearing that you're best to just have them on the breast for the first few weeks to get your supply established. I found I didn't really have enough extra at first, I'd try to pump after feeds but didn't get much. But then again we were struggling with the bf so there may have been other factors there as well, and I know some folk have loads of milk at first.
Maybe chat to your midwife, or ask if there is a breastfeeding consultant in your area who you can talk to, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you however possible.
Good luck! xxx
Bottle wise we use breastflow bottles, as they are shaped so that the baby latches on the same way as they would latch on to a breast, and the flow is similar.
I wouldn't bother about getting anyone else to feed to begin with. If you've got support just rest when the baby is asleep and feed him/her yourself for the first few weeks. There's no better feeling than the closeness you get when feeding, and hubby will bond with baby in other ways - mine got the first smile out of our son! xxx
I would recommend asking to speak to a breastfeeding support worker or try La Leche League, or NCT. I've been told that the whole nipple confusion thing is no longer considered a worry & if you wait beyond 6 weeks it's harder to get LO to take bottle! That said we didn't until 8 weeks and it was fine, although I do know people who had problems after waiting. So much advice & often conflicting!
Good luck
Linds
it is important not to give too soon due to nipple/teat confusion, you do need to get a good milk supply going and it takes a lot of effort to express and leave LO with enough milk in the beginning - all too hard when they feed so often so have others said definately go with it and breast feed in the beginning.
I tried a bottle at 8 weeks and it was too late - its taken until now (5 months old) to get LO to take a bottle, im going back to work in 3 months so its been very worrying and would not wish it on anyone. they say give it 6 weeks but my LO was a big baby with a strong suck and i felt confident he knew what he was doing at the breast - if i could do things again i think id give him one at 4 weeks or so, but only for him to learn, to go out and do anything would have been way too hard as he fed so much and i was too tired!
only now am i able to go out for short spells without him (having my hair done this week - yay!) but it takes several days of expressing to leave him for longer than 3 hours or so and its hard work - plus if you leave it much longer you have to express whilst out, seems just as easy to come home and breast feed xx
if the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles are those ones where the bottle is wide and shaped like a breast, they're not the best ones for combination feeding. It's because you have to tip them up to get the milk to the teat once the milk volume in them starts to go down, this makes the milk flow faster because you've got gravity there too now, and the baby's suck changes from an active 'stripping out' of the milk to a defensive 'slow this flow down', they do this by folding their tongue back a bit, and this can then cause problems when they go back on the breast and need to actively suck again.
The best bottles for combi feeding are the kind of old fashioned long narrow ones, and while you're feeding try to keep the bottle as horizontal as possible and keep baby as upright as possible to minimise the effects of gravity on the milk coming out of the bottle. (and make sure you buy bottles that don't contain BPA in the plastic)
HTH xxx
We had issues feeding at first (long labour/illness etc) and my milk was delayed coming in as I'd been quite battered and exhausted which became a vicious cycle as I'd exhaust myself feeding because it was poor quality, so he'd be more hungry et etc.
So we gave him some aptimil in a bottle on day 5 and continued to do this for 3-4 weeks, one bottle at night and my supply went up as I was mainly breastfeeding and regaining my strength. I then substituted the formula feed for breast and all was fine.
I would recommend building up your supply by only breastfeeding for the first 6 weeks or so. (I was given this advice by bf counsellor) as it allows you and your baby to work together to get the right amount sorted and then you won't have any supply issues.
Having said this all women, labours and babies are different so be prepared to be flexible.
Personally I think introducing a bottle early meant our son would take both whereas I have nct friends whose babies won't take a bottle at all even at 5 months old. Also some women find expressing more tricky than others and breastfeeding is certainly more efficient than expressing. I have to say I find expressing a harder job because you finish feeding and then have to introduce a 'false' feed when your body isn't geared up to do this. Go easy and be careful not to express the next feed which your baby needs. A little at a time is good.
Its usually easiest to express in the mornings as in the early days this is when you tend to be a little engorged and have excess anyway. ;o)
Best of luck! x