Need some urgent advice

[Kelly008]

I need some advice as a first time mum. I Breast feed my little girl for the first 4 days but I was not feeling well within myself and couldn't carry on so we switched to aptimil on day 5. She is 12 days old today and healthy term baby. She has been on an antibiodic due to having swollen Breast tissue but it's clearing up. So about formula feeding.... The midiwfe said I need to make a fresh bottle every time eg book the kettle wait 30 mins etc but she snacks and has no set feeding times or amounts as of yet sometimes 2oz other times 3oz. So I bought a thermos flask boiled the kettle let it cool for 25/30 mins and filled it and used this last night to make her bottles the water was in there 10 hours and still as hot as when put in so is this oky/safe? Anyone else do this or have tips? Also is it oky to sterilize bottles and have them out for the day then do ones for night time? And if my baby doesn't wake at night for feeds should I wake her up or wait until she wakes herself? And if she keeps crying and we don't know what she wants and try changing/cuddling/feeding etc is it ok to just give more formula even if she has already had a feed, I don't want to be giving her to much. Her gums feel hard too is this normal ? I will ask te midiwfe this tomorrow but looking for advice now

[Squeakyheart]

Hiya I have to confess that we make up DD's bottles with boiled water to kill bacteria and the put in fridge till she needs them. I know this is not recommended but I feel the boiled water kills bacteria in milk and they then sit in the fridge like normal milk, I also suspect I am not the only one!

My DD cluster fed as a baby in the evening sometimes ever thirty minutes but then slept for six hours and no we didn't wake her!

[ohdearitshappeningtome]

What the midwife had told you is current guidelines in accordance to the world health organisation and UNICEF!

I do also make all my bottles for the day and don't store them in the fridge!

[Kelly008]

If I make her feeds up in advance how many should I do? And out of the the fridge or in the fridge? How long do you let them sit out for? And what do you do when going out for the day ?

[tiktok]

Kelly, has your midwife shared with you the written guidance on preparing bottles?

Search google nhs guide to bottle feeding.

There are work-rounds which your midwife can share with you.

The crucial thing is to ensure the water is no cooler than 70 deg c when it hits the powder.

Keep bottles clean in between times - yes, it's ok to have them sterilised and 'waiting'.

Do write down all your Qs and ask the midwife about them.

Yes, you can feed when your baby seems unhappy and unsettled.

Hard gums are normal in all babies. The teeth are already in there :)

One option for you would be to use ready-to-feed formula - it's more costly, but it does save preparation and worry.

Hope the midwife helps.

[NickyEds]

We do as pp do- make up bottles as per guidelines then store them in the fridge. It's perfectly safe if they're used within 2 hours (we now leave them much longer ). Cartons are good for middle of the night and out and about but as TikTok says they are costly. I sterilise bottles, assemble them then leave them for up to 24 hours before using them. The key fact is that very hot (over 70 deg) needs to hit the powder to sterilise it.
Your baby is tiny so will probably want small amounts frequently so if I were you I'd make up 90ml, cool it and put it in the fridge. My baby was bf at that age but wouldn't go longer than 2 hours during the day so when she uses the bottle from the fridge make another up and fridge it that way you just have to warm it.

[Waggamamma]

I do as previous posters have said: make up a batch of bottles with hot water straight from kettle, cool them quickly and store in the fridge until needed. I do 4 bottles at a time.

Warm bottles from the fridge when needed, I use the tommee tippee bottle warmer but a bowl of hot water would do the job.

They are good in the fridge for 12 hours, or two hours at room temperature.

[tywysogesgymraeg]

We used to make up 6 bottles every morning (as many as would fit in our steralizer), and keep them in the fridge. When DD was young, we would need to make some more up later in the day because she was a snacker too. though we did re-use bottles which she hadn't finished, when we couldn't be bothered to make a new one