starting to add expressed milk - confused

[madridbaby]

hi all

I am new to Mumsnet and am hoping some of you nice people can give me some advice.

My baby is 6 weeks old today and I've managed to bf him from the beginning, although I had a few problems (milk came in a bit late as he was 3 weeks early, plus 2 bouts of mastitis - but caught it early and I think am doing OK with latch now).

Anyway, I am confused over when or whether to offer a bottle of expressed milk. I will have to go back to work at least part time when he is 5 months old plus before then would like to have the option of leaving a bottle for him.
My questions are:

1. When is the right time to offer a bottle? I have heard that too early leads to nipple confusion but too late means he might reject the bottle altogether...
   
   
2. If I express in the morning and then give him this PLUS feed from breast at bedtime (8 or 9pm) will this help him settle? Or will it fill him up TOO much? It's at this hour of the day that he gets particularly keen on sucking away for hours and hours. I don't want to overfill his little tummy but I think I heard somewhere that milk supply is "low" at this time of day so - do people think it would help to have the expressed bottle too?
   
   Sorry for long and rambling post and also if these are obvious questions answered elsewhere. Any advice gratefully received. I live in Madrid - moved here a year ago and don't know others with babies here or feel confident getting bf advice/counselling here so am hoping MN will help me!!
   
   Thanks

[babyOcho]

NOt sure if this helps...
We started giving 1 expressed bottle at 5 weeks, but we only do it on Saturday night. DD is fine with it and we havent run into any problems so far (she's now 9 weeks).

We were not sure how much of the expressed stuff to give her. I freeze the expressed stuff, so one week DP took quite a bit out and when she had enough DD simply refused anymore.

[cmotdibbler]

Hi,

I gave the occasional bottle from 6 weeks as I was going back to work at 4.5 months and wanted to be sure that he'd take it - but it was really only one a week if that, and I always expressed at the same time that it was given.

Your milk supply isn't low in the evening - they cluster feed to get enough milk to last them through, and its an important part of their self regulation of intake imo.

[callmeovercautious]

A few times a week would be good - they get used to a bottle without relying on it. We started DD early as I was a bit desperate, she was 10 days and had one bottle. We left it until later - about 6/7 weeks but then she had a couple from my Mum or DP.

I am still BFing at 20m so I don't think I gave her Nipple confusion That is more likely in babies who are refusing the nipple in the first place or are given lots of bottles very early.

[callmeovercautious]

And Welcome BTW

[madridbaby]

thank you everyone! I think I will give it a go this week then, and try giving him a bottle a few nights maybe..would be nice for DH to feed him too as I think he feels a bit left out sometimes.

[MrsBadger]

I agree with CMOT - cluster feeding in the pm is normal and imporntat and worth rolling with for the moment.

Don't express for the benefit of dh - make him responsible for bath time or putting on pyjamas or something else.

[LookingForwardToSummer]

i'm no expert but i express in the morning and give lo that after she's had her booby at her 10.30pm feed. she normally has between 1 and 3 oz and stops when she's had enough. she's always falling asleep at that time (and so am i) so it justs speeds everything up and i know she's had enough. i like knowing that if / when she needs a bottle there won't be a problem. i think i started doing this at about 4 weeks.
good luck and well done for overcoming initial problems!

[madridbaby]

thanks again. One more question - why is it that people tend to give the bottle of expressed milk in the evening - is it as LookingForwardToSummer says, that when it's getting late, it's in everyone's interests to speed things up a bit? Just interested.

thanks too mrsbadger - don't worry, expressing not for benefit of dh, just a side advantage. he is v involved but due to bf it works out that most of his jobs are to so with the other end..!

[MrsBadger]

because it's the evening cluster feeds that knackers unsuspecting new mothers

Personally I used them as an opportunity to stay on the sofa and hog the remote, eating dinner with one hand and holding dd to the boob with the other...

[madridbaby]

haha v true, have got through season 3 of desperate housewives already, bring on next growth spurt and season 4 i say..!