[emma1325]

If you EBF and never even tried a bottle of expressed milk at all, did you still pump a little "just in case?"

And did you worry that if something unexpectedly came up those first few months, that your baby would not be able to take a bottle? Did you and your hubby never go out for a meal alone for a long time because of this?

I EBF'ed both of my girls, but I worked full time with both of them and did a LOT of pumping.

I'm glad the pumping allowed me to continue breastfeeding, but after two full years of pumping, I'd love to avoid it next time around. I don't believe I'll be working at all with the next baby, so I'd love to just have a little tt

baby attached to me in a sling for the first year.

But in the back of my mind I would wonder if not introducing the bottle would come back to bite me in the butt at some point...what if the baby refused cups at 6-8 months? What if I'm ready in the 2nd half of the year to have some freedom back but the baby refuses to take any liquids except from me?

 

[earthmama369]

I never used a bottle with either of mine. We took them pretty much everywhere with us and preferred it that way, so it didn't feel like a burden at all. Much easier to just nurse from the tap than pump, prepare a bottle, clean it before and after, etc. Both kiddos could drink a bit of breastmilk from a flexible cup by 4 months so I could go out for a bit if I wanted. By 9-10 months, they were eating enough solid foods that I could work a 4-hour shift and nurse before and after, while they snacked on finger foods at home with dh during my shift.

 

[JamieCatheryn]

I don't really believe the stuff about there being a certain window of opportunity to introduce a bottle, or maybe there is but it's individual with each child, so how is that useful as a guide? DH and I have always made our dates short while DS was with a sitter, for cost reasons as well as not wanting to strain the separation from us thing too much. Maybe a bag or 2 of expressed milk in the freezer and a bottle available would help in an emergency, but if you didn't have it then a solution would be found (baby brought to you say at the hospital, a missed feeding or solids and water instead just that once, formula in a newly bought bottle in rare dire circumstances).

 

[russsk]

We never used a bottle. I pumped a little, but really not much. We never ended up needing any pumped milk. DS took a cup just fine, but I never had a need to try bm in a cup.

As for going out to dinner - ha! DS is 13 months and we have only gone out by ourselves twice, but this is because we don't have any family close by and no one to really watch him. That said, however, we take DS out with us and have a great time regardless.

 

[chase_mommy]

I EBF my DD and didn't pump at all. I do regret it. I wish I had established some type of stash. The main reason for my regret is that my DD does not sleep much at night. She wakes up a minimum of 2 times (those are great nights) but usually is up every 30 min to 1 hour a night. All those night wakings, even while co-sleeping, after 13 months on top of the two time-a-night pee trips when I was pregnant = one sleep deprived momma. I wish I could have just one good full nights rest and DH could deal with the nightly feedings, it would be nice.

Maybe thats selfish of me but it has been over 2 years since I have slept sound and uninterrupted, its taking a toll. Thats really the only reason why I wish I had a small stash. One would think that I could just pump ahead for those nights but my milk is so regulated and my breast are breast-pump haters. Anywho, a just in case stash would be nice, IMHO. I will defiantly have one next time around!

 

[LadyCatherine185]

DS (7 mo) has had *maybe* 5 bottles his whole life. He never has liked them. We introduced a sippy cup around 6 months with some EBM in it, and he took to it right away! He will also drink out of an open glass (while I hold it). My friend has a bottle-fed 10 month old who will not drink out of a sippy cup/any other cup.

FWIW, I would just pump some for a rainy day, and maybe try syringe feeding for a tiny baby if you want/need to go out, and when the babe gets a little older try cup feeding.

 

[Juvysen]

We tried (half-heartedly - I'm a SAHM) to introduce a bottle with my first. She didn't take to it and screamed every time we got it near her, so we quit bothering. I figured if something happened to me she'd figure it out *shrug* If she got hungry enough, she'd take it from a spoon or bottle or whatever. With my son I didn't really try. That said, when we had someone babysit (which is not very often), we'd leave an ounce or so that i hand expressed of breastmilk, but by the time I went out of the house much without the newborn, they were on solids and could be fed some solids in the interem. I just never went away for more than 3 or 4 hours

It's not like I go out more than that now that both kids are completely fine on only solids. Maybe I'm not that popular, but there's just not that many places I need to go for long periods

I found it wasn't that big a deal to stick my newborn in the sling and bring him or her with me during the first few months.

 

[jt'smum]

A friend of mines babe takes a sippy rarely and won't take a bottle at all. She is 12 months and a very picky eater. She nurses about 8-10 times a day. They tried to introduce it at 3 months and every month there after. But, she refuses...She is working two days a week now and goes home at lunch to nurse...Babe is healthy but mom is exhausted...

 

[KristyDi]

The only time my ebf dd had a bottle was once at 10 months when I went out for about 7 hours with my mom and sister. She took about an oz from my DH in all that time. She also ate some cheerios and stuff.

When I got back I was engorged and she drained me dry.

I have pumped a few other bottles for an undefined "just in case." But they're still languishing in the freezer. Now that dd can drink out of a straw sippy, I'd give ebm in that if necessary.

 

[laohaire]

I wondered about this but I wouldn't worry about it if I had a second child.

If mama has to be away from the child and the child is hungry, there will be some way to feed the child. Bottle, sippy cup, spoon feeding - children manage and adapt as necessary.

Of course I'm sure a lot of kids might resist, but if mama has to be away for a few hours and they don't take anything, I would imagine that they'd still be ok! Just really going to jump on mama when she returns!

 

[fruitfulmomma]

5 kids so far, never pumped, no bottles. We've been out one time when dd1 was about 4 months old and I hand-expressed some milk and we were gone about two hours. I work a few hours a week and my 4 month is okay with me being gone that long. Dh and I don't go out without the kids, but that is because of personal preference not feeding needs.

 

[EdnaMarie]

I meant to but never got around to it and never introduced a bottle. This time because I have a toddler that I'd like to take out alone, I hope to pump more so that I can leave baby with my mom or in a nursery for short periods of time when s/he's a bit older.

When my daughter really was sick, I gave her some milk that I'd hand expressed into a cup and that was how I knew she was really sick (she didn't take it although by that point, at one year, she already drank from a regular cup).

Quote:

What if I'm ready in the 2nd half of the year to have some freedom back but the baby refuses to take any liquids except from me?

She will not starve herself. She might wait awhile but she will take the bottle eventually. It is EASIER, after all, not harder, than getting milk from the breast. I personally would not risk nipple confusion earlier on out of worry that later, a seven or eight-month old baby would not take any milk or fluids from a sippy.

 

[astrophe27]

I had a few baggies in the freezer for emergencies but that was about it. I never bothered pumping much beyond making sure the freezer stash was up to date. The few times I pumped extra was for my mother who was babysitting so she'd calm down. (She only formula fed us and DD was first grandchild.)

I'd also give her an eyedropper, a baby spoon, and a simply sippy cup like those "take and toss" that have no valve. So apart from the bottle of breastmilk she had all these other means to get the milk into the baby.

That allowed us to escape for a 2 hour dinner. Not that we did it often -- not because we minded or baby minded since I'd top her up before leaving and nurse as soon as I got back but because my mom was such a nerve case! Was easier to just to take baby with us. LOL!

A.

 

[brennan]

A bottle? What's that? Dd is 5 months and has never had a bottle. We don't own bottles, I've never owned a bottle before. I don't have a pump. I'm fine with it, really. The only thing I fear is that I'll be in an accident and need surgery/medicine/whatever and won't be able to bf, so she'll get formula then. That would be really devastating to me. I don't worry about her not taking a bottle, I think she's old enough that she would take sippy or a syringe or drink out of a cup or SOMETHING if it really got down to it. However, I really see no need for it, I mean, I really don't WANT to sit with a milker attatched to me. Not really my idea of a fun time

. And I can't think about planning for something that most likely won't happen. And going out to dinner....I don't want to be away from my baby right now, I'm not ready, so I can't really answer that!

:

 

[Dahlea]

Mine is 6 months and has never had a bottle. We give him a sippy cup once in a while, just for fun, and he's ok with it. I'm not too worried about it.

 

[Halfasianmomma]

I tried introducing a bottle to my DD who's got a very high gag reflex, but it only just caused her to vomit violently. She's 9 months now and the only reason I wish she'd take a bottle is because I'm going back to work full-time and she's SO not interested in solids (oyah and she won't take EBM from a sippy). That's honestly the only reason. I just worry that she won't be getting enough nutrition. Otherwise, she's able to go about 4.5 hours between nursing sessions, so that leaves a good window to go out and get errands done. Like other mamas, I just bring DD with me everywhere I go.

On a side note, DD has started daycare and has seen other babies with their bottles, and suddenly, she wants a bottle too! At 9 months no less. Never underestimate the power of immitation

 

[cdmommie]

I had bad PPD with my first and NEEDED sleep. So my hubby gave DD1 a bottle a couple of times around 4 weeks and 6 weeks I think. She took them fine and came back to breast fine (except that it turns out she's allergic to milk and I DO blame that on the formula that she had twice). BUT we didn't need to do it again for a long time. Then when we decided we would go on a date around the time she was 4 or 5 months old, she WOULD NOT take the bottle of expressed milk... from anyone. We tried and tried, but she never again took any type of bottle. I think if you don't keep it up on a regular basis then it's really not worth introducing at all since they forget so quick. She started a sippy cup around 6 or 7 months though and that worked fine except we just never really went out so we didn't need it, lol. We go on "family dates" right now with a newborn and a toddler

.