Thinking down the road

[Conchobhar]

I got invited to my friend's batchelorette party in April. I don't plan on drinking, but I would like to go. My baby will be a month old by then (more or less) and I plan on breastfeeding. Is a month too early to leave her with Daddy and a couple bottles for a couple hours or am I introducing unnecessary nipple confusion? The books I've read have said NO bottles until 3 months. I'd feel really bad if she stopped breastfeeding because Mommy went out and partied one night.

[Devaskyla]

I've heard no bottles/pacifiers until 6 weeks. It really depends on the baby, though. Some will never have a problem with nipple confusion & some will have problems even if you introduce a bottle later. You could get your partner to cup or spoon feed instead of using a bottle if you're really concerned about it.

[JMJ]

You might see how breast feeding is going and then make a decision. If it's going very well, I doubt a couple bottles will hurt anything (though it might be difficult to convince her to accept the bottle). If there are any signs of any breast feeding problems, I would advise against it.

[Malva]

If you time it right and will only be gone for a couple hours, feeding right before you leave and right when you get back would bypass the need for bottles. That's what I'd do personally with a newborn.

Besides, you'll probably really need the baby to be hungry when you get back because you'll be quite engorged.

[Multimomma]

I haven't had trouble with it previously, but like pp's said, take note at that time and see how the nursing relationship is going. It's possible that you might not even FEEL like it then.

And remember, that alcohol dissipates from breastmilk just like it does from blood Babies R Us even sells Milk Screen, the handy dandy test strip. I ONLY know this because I had the awesomest baby gift ever at my Tribe shower....a collection of designer beers and a box of test strips

[liliaceae]

I wouldn't introduce a bottle so early. If it's actually only for a couple hours you might be able to get away with nursing right before and after.....but the baby could get hungry anyway and that would be awful if she had to wait until you got home to nurse. Sorry to be discouraging, but I personally wouldn't do it. You might want to post this in the breastfeeding forum though for more opinions.

[herins]

I'm not sure I believe in nipple confusion, so...

[notjustmamie]

Or, depending on the location of the party, if DD got hungry, you could go home early.

(leaving the DDC now ...)

[mom2tatum]

You have to play this one by ear. So, unfortunately, you're probably not going to be able to make a decision like that right yet. You have no idea how breastfeeding is going to start and be at that point for you both. I personally, had no problems with ds and decided to introduce a bottle right away, because I felt so confident in his nursing. So, by week 1, he had already started a bottle just a few minutes every night and it was FINE. However, my la leche league leader friends tell me I should not be giving that advice to new moms because that isn't the case for so many. BUT, ??? I think everyone is different. Go with your instincts and like others said, you may be best just nursing before leaving for two hours or so and coming back to nurse right away. ??? No way to plan now, even though I know you want to. Oh, and having a drink or two wouldn't bother me a bit! That is something our culture has freeked us out about, honestly...lack of info.

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by Malva

If you time it right and will only be gone for a couple hours, feeding right before you leave and right when you get back would bypass the need for bottles. That's what I'd do personally with a newborn.

Besides, you'll probably really need the baby to be hungry when you get back because you'll be quite engorged.

This is what I was thinking. How far away from home will you be? If it would take a long time to get back to the baby should the need arise, I wouldn't be comfortable going. If it would only take a few minutes, that's another story. My first baby (the only one I attempted giving a bottle) wouldn't accept anything other than milk straight from the tap.

Also, remember that sometime around 6 weeks (sometimes earlier and sometime later) there is a major growth spurt, and your baby may want to nurse constantly. Evenings/nights are prime marathon nursing times, in my experience. It's just so hard to say exactly what your baby's needs will be at that time this far in advance. I hope it works out that you can go, but I'd be open to remaining flexible about it at this point.

[nuwavemomma]

Yeah I don't know that you can assume you'll still want to go, honestly. But you might and you can figure it out then.

I think DS was about 3 months before I left him for a little stretch like that, but everybody's different.

[filiadeluna]

I don't have an answer to your question since this is my first LO, but I have a similar situation...

DH bought tickets for us to go see The Dave Matthews Band at the end of April. Isobel will be about 7-8 weeks old then. I thought about taking her in a carrier or sling (DM has a soothing voice anyway - I seriously think he should do a children's album ), but I'm worried about people smoking around her. I believe it's indoors, and smoking is now illegal indoors in this state, but people do it anyway.

Otherwise we'd have a sitter lined up - either my best friend, or my mom. I don't know if that's too early for bottles or not.

[lanielayne]

I think this is one of those things you just have to decide for yourself. IME, if I wait to introduce bottles they will never want them. I have also had a babe that never took them no matter what and I introduced him to them at about 7 weeks when I was going back to work. I used to work 4 hours at a time so I would nurse before I left and when I got back home. I would leave dh a bottle JIC but some of my LOs would never take them. I have also never had any bfing issues to date. If I had we might have done things differently.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Not from your DDC - my baby was born in January. BUT - I had to introduce a bottle at 2.5 weeks cause I had to start school part time, and no problems! You'll know if your baby will have problems with nipple confusion, or will form a preference based on one night. My baby will take food in any form - bottle, boob (his first choice of course!), he'd probably even take it from a spoon! He likes food, and has a super strong sucking reflex.

Play it by ear, and be prepared to pump when you get home - you'll probably be engorged by the end of the night!