Introducing an expressed breast milk bottle - advice please

[ataraxis]

I have a 5 week old DD who is currently BF. She is doing ok but doesn't have a brilliant latch (the positioning and sucking etc is all fine according to HV but she doesn't create a vacuum). This can result in a lot of cluster feeding/long feeds until she has had enough, though this is not always the case, and she can go 5-6 hours through the night/3 hours in the day)without a feed.

I have two older DS's and DD always wants a long feeding session just after school finishes, which causes friction with the DS's as they want my time then as well.

I try feeding her at 2pm/2.30pm but inevitably by 4pm she wants more. I am thinking of introducing an exBM bottle at this time but don't want to inhibit the BF success.

Any advice on when it is ok to introduce a bottle without a significant likelihood of the baby preferring bottle to breast?

[Elasticwoman]

Don't know about bottle, but on problem of dealing with other dc after school, can you not do both at once: ensconce self on sofa with baby and talk to other dc at same time? This also lets dc know just how important breastfeeding is to baby and you. This phase will not last very long in the grand scheme of things.

[ataraxis]

Thanks for your message Elasticwoman - I always BF with them, talk to them, try to set them up with someething to do.

I should have said school/nursery for clarification. DS1 is ok (although frustrated sometimes, he understands) DS2 is 3 and although I have tried to explain to him, he has taken to using the time I feed to run completely amok and do everything he knows he wouldn't get away with normally.

I know that it won't last forever, but to them it seems to be going on forever iyswim. Might leave it a while longer and hope things settle down/I can get her into a routine that doesn't involve feeding from 4-6...Guess I am just trying to be all things to all people as is the way with motherhood .

[mummymarz]

Hi, I have been BFing DD for 19 1/2 weeks now, and she's been having 1 exBM bottle per day since she was about 4 weeks old. I would recommend the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottle, as it has a teat that is shaped similar to a breast. That is the only bottle she takes, i've been struggling to get her to take a bottle for weeks, used to scream murder untill i gave her breast.

If that happens, just give her breast for 1 or 2 minutes, then sneak in the bottle, after a while she will take the bottle with no fuss. But remember to give her the bottle every day, don't skip even one day, otherwise you might be back at square one!

Good luck, hope this helps!

[Elasticwoman]

I have a hazy memory of sitting on the sofa bf-ing dd2 while reading a story to dd1 on the other side. When dd2 slid off the breast, dd1 (age 2) said, without skipping a beat: "other side".

No doubt I have conveniently forgotten all those other times when I was trying to be mother to toddler and baby simultaneously and failed on both counts. All a long time ago now.