Breastfeeding Questions from a first time mom?

Quote:
I would get the small bottles. Most newborns take about 3-4oz at a feeding.
It's a good idea to wait until at least 7 weeks to introduce a bottle.

Quote:
The pumps I've used, you pump right into a bottle which you could use for storage.

Quote:
I had some disposable pads. I only used them for a couple of days after my milk came in and I was engorged. That was the only time I leaked, and it was only a couple of times.

Quote:
No, I didn't need them. It is my understanding that you only need these if you have flat or inverted nipples.

Quote:
I think we only had 2 or 3 bottles, of the 9 oz. size. While newborns only take 3-4 oz at a feeding, they grow quickly and to me I'd rather just buy the large bottles and save the expense of buying smaller ones first and larger ones later.

I introduced the bottle to each of my babies when they were 4-5 weeks old because I went back to work at six weeks. I had my husband give her the bottle the first time and every time so she wouldn't expect a breast nipple and I've never had to deal with nipple confusion. We didn't do pacifiers, btw, not that it makes a difference ...?

Quote:
I used the Gerber plastic breastmilk storage bags with a ziploc top. It's important to note that breastmilk stays fresh in the fridge up to 10 days and there are more benefits for your baby to give it from the fridge rather than frozen/thawed. That said, I froze quite a stash before I went back to work at 6 weeks postpartum. Freeze them laying flat for optimal storage space. When I went back to work I pumped every time I would have been breastfeeding (so at first that was 3-4 times in 8 hours) and I'd keep that milk in the fridge for my husband to give in a bottle the next day, and etc.

Quote:
My Medela pump in style came with bottles that screw to the pump "horns" (the part that goes over your breast) and the milk goes directly in there. Then I'd pour it from there into the plastic storage bags after I got home from work. Be sure and use a permanent marker on the bags to mark the date you pumped the milk for each bag.

Quote:
I tried both and much preferred the cloth washable ones.

Quote:
No, a lactation consultant can tell you if you need those - they are only for special circumstances.

Good luck to you and congratulations on making the decision to breastfeed!

p.s. I agree that kellymom.com is a wonderful resource!

Hi!

My dd is 6 months old, and we only use the 4 oz bottles still. She only takes them on the weekends while I am at work, and dh just fills them up with a little extra if she needs more, but for the most part, 4 oz is fine for us. We like the platex drop ins with the natural latch nipple. I introduced the bottle from day one, since we had bf issues, but I agree with the others to wait a bit. You want to avoid nipple confusion. I pumped from day one, again, because of issues, but now I have a great freezer stash (I have so much I'm even donating some!) and that makes me feel at ease. I use the one step ahead bags to freeze. I have a medela pump in style and I pump into the bottles that come with it. I then dump the bm into the bags and freeze it. In the begining (once I wasn't so tired, etc) I pumped once a day, in addition to feedings. This helped keep my supply up and gave me a good freezer stash. I haven't really needed breast pads. Anyways, good luck. Remember, if you have trouble (which many of us do!) get help right away. I waited, and I almost gave up bf. I called a lactation consultant and she "fixed" our problems right away. It's so important, especially in the begining, to get the support you need.

Quote:
:

BF'g was HARD and painful for me- I didn't realise it was a potentially difficult task. I never went to any pre-natal breast Feeding classes 'cause i thiought 'hey, this is the way it was meant to be- how hard can it be?!' But it was. (don't really think a pre-natal cllass would have made a dif. though) It isn't hard for everyone, but I reached the point where I understood how someone could give up. Had it not been incredibly important to me and had i not had the amazing suppor of my DH, mom, and MW who knows!

After making sure that the latch was fine and everything and it STILL hurt. the best advice i got was not "breast feeding should not be painful" it was "it's going to hurt!" that made me stop waiting for the miracle feed and just get through it one feeding at a time- things got a bit better by 4 weeks, but the 6th week was magical!

First congrats.....
Lets see....dont get crazy buying bottles, because your baby will more that likely chose the nipple they like(the one that seems the closest to feeling like you!) SO just buy one or two types of bottles that have different nipples try a few days and see if you need to go with another bottle.

Next dont intro bottle until about 4-6 weeks to early will develope nipple confussion!

Then once you find the right nipple and bottle it goes on I would only buy the 9 oz because when your baby is over 3-4 months the 4 oz are not big enough. You can always put less in the 9 oz than more in the 4oz!

Dont start pumping until your milk supply is really in about 4 weeks.....then pump 2-3 times a day 10-15 min after nursing to start building up a supply.....it takes a week or two for your breast to begin producing more milk than what your baby needs.

I used Milk Trays from Slim Lines....you can freeze your expressed breast milk in single ounce servings that fit universally into any bottle on the market. They are made from medical grade and FDA approved plastic! Ice cube trays will freeze your ebm in close to single ounce servings but they only fit through wide mouthed bottles....Milk Trays will fit through any bottle be it narrow or wide! Then you can just pop them out and store several ounces at one time in a zip lock freezer bag since each ounce is already frozen and wont stick together....gives you more room in the freezer!