How to Pump and Introduce Bottle to My Infant?!

just stick with it, even if you feel badly because she cries and wants you. I gave in to the feeling badly and I'm still breast feeding my 21 month old daughter and she's not a great regular food eater. the earlier you can introduce other things besides you, the easier it will be, I think, to have her transition to food later on. you can do this!

Hi S., isn't it interesting how many differing opinions we all have? I found some great resources on kellymom.com. I breastfed both my kids and introduced the bottle by 4 weeks for each, even though I didn't go back to work until 6 months with my first, and 3 months with my second. Here's what I've learned: every baby is different, in terms of their bottle-taking-ness. One of mine would ONLY take the Breastflow bottles while switching between breast and bottle, and the other will drink out of anything that has a wide nipple base.

I wouldn't wait until you go back to work - definitely start now. With both my kids, we started by offering a bottle once a week, and then more often. I pumped excess milk while home on leave, by pumping every day right after the morning feeding. Then I built up freezer storage (which amounted to 6 weeks worth of milk when I stopped pumping during the day!).

Many people say their baby won't take a bottle from mom, but I found this not to be true with my kids. I wouldn't worry so much about who is giving the bottle to the baby until you see how she does. Try different kinds of bottle/nipple combinations. Buy just one bottle and try it. If it doesn't work, then you can try another without having invested in $50 worth of bottles. Start with a very slow flow nipple, too, and stay with that until you are close to being done full-time nursing. Some babies get used to a faster flow from the bottle (also they don't have to wait for the let down), and then aren't as interested in nursing. Good luck!!

Isn't breast feeding wonderful? It's so magical -- the feelings and the nutrition.

Lots of the plastic ones have chemicals you want to avoid. I would go to http://www.mothering.com and read about bottles, nipples, breast feeding, etc. It's another good forum for information.

We use the Born Free plastic bottles and are going to buy some of their glass ones, too. They have cups, pacifiers, and more that are safe. http://www.newbornfree.com/

Silicone nipples are safer than rubber ones.

Wide neck bottles are more like the breast for latching on purposes than standard size bottles. Born Free has some semi-wide bottles. Other brands have wider necks, which might be even better for latching on, but they are made out of the bad plastic.

I don't think you have waited too long. I had tried it two or three times quickly while I was on maternity leave, but we didn't really give it to him until 3 months. Our son has only had breast milk -- from me and the bottle. I would have preferred to never have given him the bottle, but it's been o.k. Sometimes takes a bit for them to get used to the bottle, but they usually do.

Congratulations and good luck!

Hi S.,

Just a few thoughts for you. Whether or not you are going to give her a bottle right away or wait until you are gone, you might want to try pumping milk in advance. (Perhaps you should check with your pediatrician about the timing?)

My little one is 14 months and I still nurse morning and night, but I no longer pump. I did notice that early on I had a lot of milk coming through the pump, but was not all that good about pumping since she was drinking so much from me. I realized later that I should have been pumping every day to keep the production up.

Since breast milk can last frozen up to 6 months (depending on what type of freezer you store it in) it might be in your best interest to have some milk ready to go in the freezer.

Good luck!

- R.

Hey S.,
I'm so glad the breastfeeding is going well for you; it's the first wonderful thing you are doing for your baby! As for pumping, easy peasy, get a Medela (it's expensive, but trust me just spring for it and you will never regret it - if you're not going to pump that much, you can even get their single pump). As for bottles, I used Dr. Brown's with my first girl, but am using "Born Free" with my second - they are BPA free and have a very similar design to the Dr. Brown's. Again, more expensive, but having a child who isn't ingesting dangerous chemicals and who isn't getting a lot of gas during feeding is worth it. (Dr. Brown's also makes a BPA free bottle but they have a chemically odor from what I hear). You can definitely do this! I pump every day at work and my daughter takes a bottle no problem... and, no there is no window after which your baby will not take a bottle; it will be new to her, but I'm sure she will surprise you. (I started my first daughter on a bottle at 7 mos! Before that, it was exclusively from the breast.)

As for the actual pumping of milk, pumping does not decrease your supply of milk (Stacy mentioned it might, but that is not the case). When your breast releases milk on a consistent schedule, whether from a pump or from nursing, your body maintains that general level of milk. The more you pump or nurse, the more milk you will produce. The less you pump or nurse, the less it will produce - it might take a couple of days to adjust, but it always does. You need to make sure you are eating well and drinking plenty of water. Personally, the only time I have ever noticed a slow-down in production of milk is when I had not been drinking enough water.

Again, congrats! And just enjoy her!

Congrats S.!
Well ... after reading all the responses so far, I bet you noticed, there is no "right" way to do this! Every baby is different and responds differently.

However, you have not waited to long. My first child was 4 weeks early and we struggled, together, with this amazing breastfeeding thing. We stuck it out, through the rough patches, and I was thrilled to be able to nurse and/or bottle feed with breast milk, exclusively, until he was 6 months. I introduced food at that time and continued nursing/pumping until he was 15 months. Second child nursed until she was 11 months old ... she did like to sit still and had other, more important things to do! :)

I pumped from the day I got home from the hospital (sent hubby out in the middle of the night ... FIND ME A BREASTPUMP NOW OR I'M GOING TO EXPLODED!LOL) Anyway ... both kids did well, most of the time, transitioning back and forth from bottle to breast. Even if I was giving the bottle, that might not be the norm but it was true for us. The right bottle is key. Buy a few, try them and see what she prefers.

Take your cues from your baby ... she will tell you! In my opinion, kids, even babies, adapt! We just need to give them love and patience!

Best wishes and enjoy this amazing time!!!

Start now now NoW or forever hold your peace! Try to choose a bottle with a wide nipple and specifically look at your breast and try to pick a bottle/nipple that most closely resembles it. I know that sounds weird but alas it is true. Most major makers will carry both narrow and wide nipples for this very reason. Ultimately my favorite all time bottle (and I went through MANY) is indeed the Playtex Drop-Ins. This is because it really is hands-down the best for reducing air/gas to baby. You do have to keep buying the bags but most all pharmacies and supermarkets have generic brands at alomst have the cost and work equally well. And you'll have to see if you can find the "nurser" shape (wide) for that bottle- I can't quite recall.

Good luck and start NOW! -N

PS She may be more resistant to taking it from you (the bottle) b/c she'll smell your milk from your breast and prefer what she already knows and is comfortable with. SO you may try having someone else introduce it while you are not in the room at all and she is hungry.

just a few things to suggest. try to just do one bottle a day until you are concrete on the time you will be away from her. since you dont know your plans, the most important thing is to not disrupt breastfeeding and your supply so one bottle a day should be helpful to get her used to it withiout disrupting your body. have someone else feed it to her preferably when you are in another room, at least until you are all comfortable with it.
make sure to feed her the bottle in the general time you would be away. so many moms feed the baby the bottle at night, but the probability is that you will be home at night. the idea is to have her fed the bottle when you wont be there. baby stimulation cannot be compared to the pump, so to protect your supply, you should try to have the baby breastfeed whenever possible when you are with her and use the bottle only when needed such as at work.
get a double electric pump. it saves you time and is the best at keeping up your supply. another thing to consider is to build a stash now. a good way to protect your supply is to pump after she feeds, and a completely separate extra feeding. at her age, she probaly is too young for that as she will need to eat before you are full again so pumping after she eats can help. whatever you do though, try not to use your stash is you feel you arent pumping enough. it puts you in a cycle. you need to pump/feed more with each growth spurt. if you just give her an ounce here or there from your stash, your body never is put in the position to realize its time to up the amount. that will result in supplementation. remember, you can make enough, your body just has to be told.

do not ever think you wont be able to breastfeed her still. i would say to contact a lactation consultant, even thru lll. they should be able help you along the way. there is no reason you shouldnt be able to breastfeed her in the morning, evening, and night, and bottle feed in the day while at work. good luck

Hi S.,
Congratulations on your new baby and the great job you're doing breastfeeding her.
You have definitely not waited too long, especially if there is no immediate need for your baby to need a bottle. Experts recommend not even offering a bottle before a month.
Some babies can go back and forth between breast and bottle well, and others don't. My suggestion is not to offer a bottle until close to the time you'll need to leave your baby. There's no need to offer a bottle often if you won't be leaving your baby until months from now. Getting milk in a bottle doesn't benefit your baby. I wouldn't have family members feeding the baby just for fun - feeding is for the nutritional benefit of the baby, and getting milk in a bottle when mom is right there and can breastfeed may be fun for the family but the baby isn't getting any benefit.
Any time you introduce the bottle, it's a change for your baby. But if you aren't leaving your baby til a couple of months from now, there's no need to offer bottles frequently to keep her "used to it," and if you only do it occasionally, it's not really keeping her "used to it" - it's just bottles she doesn't need.
When you are ready to introduce the bottle, the first thing to keep in mind is that you should never offer the bottle yourself. Baby should associate only breastfeeding with mom. Dad, grandparent or sitter should do the bottle training. Resist the temptation to peek in and see how it's going - leave the house. Don't let baby see/hear/smell you or she's more likely to reject the bottle. Be sure that the nipple of the bottle is warmed and a bit of the breastmilk is smeared on the nipple so your baby will smell and taste right away that she's getting what she always eats
Good luck!

I had no issues with my daughter (I'm a first time mom too...with a 4 month old). Just go for it :) Pick some bottles that you like and see what she does with it. I used the medela bottles first as I used the medela pump (and didn't have to buy anything extra). They work well and are BPA free, but they are not my favorite. I really like the avent bottles. Wide mouth top and a nice flexible nipple which my daughter seems to like. Most of their bottles aren't BPA free unless they are labeled. Not sure if you're concerned with that or not. Mine are not BPA free, but I also don't microwave them or heat the milk in the bottle....I heat the milk in the breast milk bag and then put it in the bottle.

I'd say the sooner the better with trying out the process. You need some time to yourself, and breastfeeding ties you to your precious baby all the time. It can be taxing at times....everyone needs a break.

Good luck!

Hi S.!

I transitioned my son partly from breast to bottle, but only at bedtime when he was 6 months. I was worried about it because I tried several bottles before then and he wouldn't take to ANY of them. I finally found one that he loves and it's the only one he uses. It's called the NUK orthodontic. It has a half flat nipple and is very close to the shape of the breast. I started pumping one night after I had already nursed him and just before I was going to bed. This gave me about 3 hours between the time he ate and the time I pumped to produce more milk. That way I had milk for the next night at bedtime to give him. He never drinks as much as I pump in a night so I always have a little left over. When I felt I could, I would freeze a bag so that I would have it in the future. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

M.

S., just to warn you about some things from experience with three boys. First of all, don't dishwash or warm up the bottles because of the break down plastic. If you ever haveto or switch to formula, just keep the wter in room temperature and use it that way instead of warming it up. I did that when my breastmilk disappear. Also, pumping will not be helping the milk supply stay up. You can actually decrease milk supply by pumping. Her sucking will be better. If your baby finally likes the bottle and that is a big IF, then it will be hard to nurse because of the bottle. Some babies don't like bottles so don't be frustrated for her. Instead, be happy because she's saying I'm enjoying this closeness with you, Mommy. Also, I understand that you want others including your boyfriend to have that time with feeding her and I felt that way for my husband but my husband said for me to not feel that way. He can burp our babies, he can play and hold and let the baby fall asleep on him, he will eventually have the chance of feeding them when they start eating solids.
If you want to go out with your boyfriend or friends or just to have a time out and your parents to watch her, fine. Then pumping is fine but to use it all the time may not be something you want to do. Also, make sure you use the right pumping machine. There machines for all the time and daily thing, and there are those occasionally use. Be sure you get the right right and they can be expensive too. Congrats on your baby girl.

let hubby or friend introduce the bottle...baby will smell you and your milk and may not take from you...

My son did really well when I started him on the Breastflow bottles. They are a pain, because they have so many parts. But he really didn't want any other bottle, and that brand just felt ok to him. It's very "boob" like. :)

I think it's such a good idea to give a bottle of pumped milk once a day. My friends who put it off ended up with a big challenge later, and couldn't ever go anywhere without their babies because nobody else could feed them! It's still easy to bond and cuddle over a bottle, and your parents and boyfriend will love the opportunity to join in the fun!

You haven't waited to long. I introduced both my kids to the bottle about 4 wks before going back to work. I used the playtex drop-ins because I thought the nipple was close to a breast nipple. I also got the slow feed nipples rather then the fast ones. Because sometimes babies get lazy and if they don't have to "work" to get fed they'd rather have the bottle instead. I never had a problem with either of my kids going to the bottle.