Best way to introduce bottle to BF 4-week old baby?

[andie16]

Breastfeeding is going well and we starting trying to introduce a bottle of expressed milk last week. She took the first one with some fussing and one the next night without difficulty (both from my husband). After that, no luck. We have tried three more times and she wouldn't take the bottle from either my husband or from me. Any suggestions? We have Avent bottles-should I keep trying with those or try a new kind of bottle?

Also, since I am still breastfeeding her about every two-three hours during the day, longer at night, when is the best time to pump? I'm not going back to work until January so this is really just to get used to the bottle and give her dad a chance to feed her.

Thanks.

[Jen841]

We experience a similar thing. Be persistent is what the LC told me. We started with the Avent, and after trying a number of bottles at "Bottle Boot Camp" at Grandma's he ended up liking the Gerber ones. I did not try other bottles until he was around 8 weeks old. Until then, an ounce in a bottle was a VICTORY!

LC suggested doing it at the same time each day. It was also recommended that I do it a few times b/c he trusts me.

At 4.5 months he still prefers to nurse, sometimes. He takes his bottles at day care, and I feed him when I am around.

[jennifer13]

We also had a similar problem- DD took it then refused it. We had some difficulty with Avent nipples- seemed like she would suck and suck but nothing would come. Had better luck with Playtex and Dr. Browns. Definitely keep trying because in a few weeks you may really need the break that only a bottle can give! :) And she still takes it better from me than from anyone else, even while BFing most of the time, so you could try giving it to her too. Good Luck!

[KGoes]

This sounds like the pattern that we had with DD. I had been told that I should not be the one offering that bottle since DD associated me with the breast, which she definitely preferred. DH had to slog through this phase on his own, although my mom had great success feeding her as did my dad. Bottom line - she tended to eat just fine if I was out of the house when she was fed. We stuck with the Avent bottles instead of trying a bunch of different kinds. The key factor for us was patience - the more frustrated we were, the more the process seemed to not work.
As for pumping, the morning is what I would recommend and right before bed, which is when DH gives DD her bottle. I slept better and woke up less often in a puddle when I started to do that.
Kelley
Mom to Grace

[andie16]

Thank you for all of your suggestions and encouragement. The bottle feeding is definitely going better-she doesn't really seem to like it very much and fusses a lot, but she will eventually drink from it. I have been pumping first thing in the morning and then again in the evenings when DD gets a bottle.

How many ounces should she be taking in the bottle? Last night she took about three (over the course of an hour-is this too long for DH to spend feeding her, especially since she doesn't like it), which is the most yet. She is six weeks and weighs between 10 and 10 1/2 pounds. When I pumped, I pumped about 3.5 ounces last night (I have more in the morning, but I think this is normal-right?).

Thanks again for everyone's advice.

[flagger]

HI. We use Avent bottles as well.

We started offering the bottle about this time, or maybe a little earlier, it is all a big haze now.

We would pour in about 2 ozs to start knowing we could always add more. Even then, our LC was not very concerned about reusing a bottle during the day after she had drunk from it since it was her own saliva, and bacteria that would go back into the bottle. We would just put it back in the fridge and offer it later.

Some mothers I know, used the #2 nipples right from the start, because they didn't want to wait for an hour for their baby to feed. It was a little too much too fast for Cocoa to take and she would spit lots of it up, but now she takes it from #2 nipples all the time.

As far as getting her to take it at first, Ms. Flagger had to be out of the house completely for me to be able to offer it. A babies sense of smell is very highly developed and if they know the tap is in the house, it seems they will wait for the breast. Also she had to be hungry but not ravenous for it to work.

And I know you hear this often, but persistance does pay off.

As to your other question, her best pumped production was always in the morning after about a four-five hour rest in between feedings. Also if she used the electric followed by the Avent Isis, she always got more than just doing only one versus the other no matter what time of day.

HTH

[jennifer13]

My DD with similar issues was taking 4 oz at the most at 12 weeks. Only now- 5+ months old, is she taking 6-7 oz on a regular basis. If it is just a supplemental bottle I wouldn't worry about it too much. You might try the #2 nipple of whatever bottle you are using. And, if you are using Avent, you could try another because that always seemed to be a problem for us- DD would fuss because the milk just didn't flow well. Switched to Dr. Browns and she sucked it down much faster (although still slow). And you'll always pump more in the mornings. Good luck!
Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

You don't want it to be too easy for her to get the milk out of the bottle or she may begin to prefer it to the breast, so start with the slow flow nipples. (most breastfed babies stay on the newborn or #1 size nipples the whole time they take a bottle and then go right to a sippy cup when they are older) You want bottle feeding to be as much like breastfeeding as you can, by holding the baby close and cuddling for the time it takes her to drink from the bottle, even if that is an hour. Suckling is nourishing for a baby in many ways, not just nutritionally.

The best time to pump depends on you. You have the most milk in the morning, so some moms find it best to pump when they first wake up. Some moms like to pump from one side while baby eats from the other. This is good when you are first starting to help your body learn how to work with the pump. I like to pump when I first wake up, before the baby gets up. Then I feed her right after I pump. (she still gets milk because the breast keeps making milk as long as baby is suckling)

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[miki]

We just did this, too. My husband found that Lorelei would take the bottle without fussing if he jiggled her while she drank. She will suck down 4-5oz. at a sitting but she dribbles milk a little even with the newborn nipple.

I pump once during her first nap of the day and a second time in the evening after she goes to sleep just because those are the times when I am most confident about how long she will sleep and having the time to pump.

[votre_ami03]

I totally agree w/what Karen said about the milk coming out too fast. I went back to work @ 12 weeks, I BF Nolan immediately when we got home & he was so frustrated w/me that the milk wasn't coming out fast enough. He would pull off & cry. I was so upset. Although we did get used to it & Nolan is still BF when I am with him.

As far as how much, Nolan got by with 4oz bottles at first. Now, at 16 weeks (pushing 20lbs) he is demanding 6oz per feeding. I usually get about 4 oz, but can get 6oz in my AM pumps lately.

I made the mistake of not having a strong supply built up b/f I went back to work. Not recommended! I usually pumped whatever side he was not eating on after a meal. Although now, he is requiring more food & eating from both sides.

Christy & baby Nolan 7/22/03