Questions on Introducing the Bottle

427 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Redheaded_Momma, Mar 16, 2007

mf_colon

Discussion Starter · Mar 16, 2007

Hi all!

I had a few questions- my DD is almost 6 weeks old and has been EBF pretty much from the first week. Eventually I will be going back to work in September and definitely will be pumping my milk for DD to drink but as well as that I am taking a class right now which is about 2-3 hours a week, as well as run certain errands and go to the gym. So there are points in time where DD is left with my hubby.

I tried giving her a bottle two days and she was not interested. I have read varying information on this, one book I read states you should try to introduce a bottle before 6 weeks or it will be harder for babies to take it later on. Is it true? Or is she still too young for it and will better accept it as she gets older? I want my DD to be prepared for the bottle when I go back to work full-time in September.

What has been the experiences with other mothers on introducing the bottle?

I forgot to add that I bought different types of bottles- Dr. Brown's, Gerber, Advent and she does not like any of them but is that the bottle or her just not wanting a bottle period? I am thinking it is the latter.

Any imput would be appreciated.

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Decca

· #2 · Mar 16, 2007

We introduced a bottle around 3-4 weeks. He took to it well initially, but later on he had some fussiness about the temperature and the flow rate.

I'd keep trying every few days, since you are going back to work and are taking classes now. I'd try giving her the bottle at different times of the day and when you aren't around at all. Most babies refuse a bottle from the mother but will happily take it from the father or other caregiver.

Good luck!

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2tadpoles

· #3 · Mar 16, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decca

Most babies refuse a bottle from the mother but will happily take it from the father or other caregiver.

That's what I've heard, too.

But then there are anomalies like my DS1, who freaked completely out at six weeks of age when his father tried to give him the bottle. He took to a bottle fine....I started him at four weeks. But I was always the one who fed him. Then my first day back at work, his father calls me in tears, saying the baby has been screaming and won't eat.

I had to go home and feed him. He was hysterical....really hungry and frantic. I swaddled him and gave him the bottle. When he was in the middle of the bottle, I passed him to his dad. After that incident, he was fine.

DS2 had no issues with bottles. He did prefer the "natural" shaped nipples....the ones that were supposed to promote normal jaw development, yada yada yada.

Try putting some BM on the outside of the nipple to get her sense of smell working.

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hungrymonster

· #4 · Mar 16, 2007

We introduced the bottle at 6 weeks with our DS. I was completely out of the room/out of sight and my dh gave him the bottle. We did it at a time when he was not too hungry. I think we were lucky in that he took it no problem and still to this day (he's 8 mo.) will still take a bottle for the most part. Some times he will refuse, but that is not the norm. We used the Avent bottles and size 1 nipples to start.

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sunnymw

· #5 · Mar 16, 2007

I have heard that bf babies usually will only take the stage 1 and 2 nipples, not the faster flow ones... don't know how true that is, but they are supposedly closer to the speed of bm flow

At 7 weeks we gave DS a bottle of EBM and he took it okay... but a week later (when I oopsed and had some ice cream... mr. milk allergy was NOT happy with me) we tried to give him some formula in a bottle and he WOULD NOT HAVE IT, no matter WHO gave it. So I don't know if that "before six weeks" thing is true b/c I've heard that before six weeks causes nipple confusion too (and that it's just a political financial ploy for the formula companies to get you to buy their bottles and wean early, etc... not sure about that either lol).

Good luck tho! HTH.

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Redheaded_Momma

· #6 · Mar 16, 2007

my DH gave DS bottle around 5 weeks. He had no trouble w/it and will even take bottle from me. I used the Avent but he takes ANY bottle of EBM. I guess I am lucky. Good Luck!

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