when to introduce a bottle?

[LucyG]

I'm sure there are as many answers to this question as there are moms, but I'm wondering when all of you introduced a supplementary bottle. My dd is almost a month old, and nursing is going very well. She also will take a pacifier on occasion, and has not been confused by the nipples. I want her to accept a bottle, for time-to-time use. When did you all begin pumping and feeding ebm? Should I plan on doing this several times a week, so that she will stay accustomed to it? I won't return to work until August, and only part-time then. However, I want to at least introduce a bottle soon, so she can get used to it, and so dh can have the feeding experience.

Also, if I'm only going to give a bottle a few times a week (or do you need to do it every day to be consistent?), do I really need to build up a "milk bank" in the freezer right now? Would pumping and then feeding the ebm that day or the next work just as well?

Thanks in advance!

[egoldber]

If I were you, I would introduce a bottle soon. They say about 4-6 weeks is the "best" time to introduce a bottle.

That being said, I gave DD some formula when she was two days old and a supplementary bottle (sometimes EBM, sometimes formula) just about every day from then on.

HTH,

[Momof3Labs]

We introduced one at 5 weeks, but I was told 4-6 weeks is the perfect age. I was also told to continue to offer a bottle 2-3 times a week to keep it "fresh" in baby's mind. I have known several moms who offer the bottle at 4-6 weeks and then don't offer one again for a few months - guess what those babies have done? They have refused the bottle.

It's nice, too, for you to be able to get out for a few hours without worrying about rushing home to feed.

When we were only giving the occasional bottle, I just pumped and kept it in the fridge (good for up to 8 days in the fridge) and fed Colin the fresh refrigerated milk. I didn't start building a freezer stash until I went back to work. Frozen milk is good for 3-6 months (unless you have a deep freeze), so you might want to wait until June or July to start building a stash. I work part-time, also, and just pump every night before I go to bed. This gets me 7-9 ounces consistently, and I just freeze what I don't use. Now Colin has plenty of EBM for my occasional 2 day business trips.

That's a lot more than you asked for, but I hope that it helps!

[LucyG]

Thanks to both of you, Beth and Lori! I have read 4-6 weeks, too, so I guess this is a good time. We'll try it in the next week and see how it goes.