Advice and tips on offering my 6 week old a bottle of expressed breast milk

[Fionamcmahon79]

Hi All,

I am Breastfeeding my 6 week old DD but have also been introducing an expressed milk bottle in the evening since 2 weeks. Mostly she takes it and manages the teat no problem but never drinks more than 30-60 mls. I'm not so worried about the amount she's taking from the bottle each time, I'm just hoping to get her used to the bottle for later on down the line. I breastfed my other DD for 18 months and she never took a bottle because I left it too late. Basically, I don't want to go down the same route again. I'd like this baby to take a bottle. I'd love to any advice, tips, stories you can share with me. I'm using dr. Browns bottles btw.

Thanks in advance,
Fiona

[NickyEds]

No expert advice but I'd keep giving the bottle fairly regularly. A friend of mine gave one once a week most weeks then had a three week gap after which the baby totally refused them.

[squizita]

Try different temperatures and start almost as an activity - then allow her to learn iyswim. Mine started licking the bottle then after several sessions got drinking. She prefers her expressed milk quite warm - 2 oz, then warm another 1-2oz and give that after a break. Fuss pot lol.

Also try a wide flat Tommy Tippee style bottle and a narrower/softer Lansinoh style ... or even quite a basic small/squishy one. They don't know they're meant to prefer the "breast" bottles!

[squizita]

Oh and re the small amounts ... BF babies only take 24-28 fl oz PER DAY. Less than formula babies. They also feed more.
So if for example she feeds 10 times a day, a bottle might only be 2.4 fl oz!
Though they drink for a bottle they take bf quantities so smaller more frequent feeds.

Kelly Mom and LLL websites both have calculators.