Newborn bottles / breastpump

[CruCru]

Hi all

I am 6 months pregnant with DC1 and have arranged to buy most of the stuff that we're going to need this weekend. We are going to have a maternity nurse for the first 6 weeks, which we're hoping will be a big help.

The maternity nurse agency have given us a list of things that we will need, including a breast pump and newborn bottles x4 (4oz) and newborn bottles x4 (8oz). The nurse that we have spoken with has asked us not to get Avent - she said that the brand is pushed but the bottles aren't really suitable for a newborn.

Please could you let me know what sort of bottles / breastpump you would recommend from birth? Ideally I would want an electric double breastpump but I'm sure that I'd be happy with anything that is easy to use / suitable etc.

Thank you

Cru Cru

Really? How odd. I was under the assumption that as long as you used the right teats (ie a slow flow teat for newborns) the actual bottle shouldn't make too much difference. Did she say why she thought Avent weren't suitable for newborns? I found them to be excellent with my twins - the wide neck makes them really easy to clean and the anti-colic valve seems to work (did on my two, anyway!).

If you're going to be EBF-ing completely, then a double breast pump is best, but if you're only going to be EBF-ing once or twice a day, then a single pump is probably OK. Medela are a pretty good brand. From personal experience, I would strongly advise against a hand-operated pump unless you want to end up with aching hands!

Thanks Claire. To be honest, I don't know why she didn't like Avent (and didn't think to ask at the time). I'm not meeting up with her until the end of July.

I'll check out the Medela electric ones.

If you are only going to have the maternity nurse for 6 weeks I'm not sure you'd need 8oz bottles as most bf babies take little and often and their appetite is starting to be regulated from 1-6m (i.e. they generally take between 19-30oz with an average of 25oz and every baby finding it's own level be it 28oz a day or 21oz a day).

Are you planning to breastfeeding directly at all or are you planning to exclusively pump whilst the Maternity Nurse is with you and beyond?

If you are planning to exclusively express then a double electric pump would be a good idea - even better a hospital grade pump which you can hire from the NCT or expressyourselfmum.com (i think that's the right one)

If you are planning to bf directly cup feeding may be a better option for you as then baby can't develop a suckling preference which some babies do with bottles (not all I hasten to add).

If I had a maternity nurse I think I would be using her for support whilst learning to bf, for her to do all nappy changes and bathing, and for her to look after the running of the house. As if you are spending your time expressing whilst she is bottle feeding your baby it rather seems a waste of your's and her time to use two people to do one job (if you want to bf in the mid to long term you would need to be expressing at least 8 times a day inc. once over night to keep a supply going for more than a few weeks).

Hope that all makes sense!

Personally I don't really see the point of a maternity nurse if you are going to breastfeed - the only way they can help with feeds is if you express, which is a load more effort than just feeding the baby and isn't a good idea in the first 6 weeks anyway.

If you have the money I'd get a cleaner/housekeeper and buy in loads of nice readymeals or have food delivered.

I used Philips Avent with my newborn and they were fine.

I started by choosing the breast pump I wanted and I liked Avent because all the bottles and cups all seemed to fit together neatly and they were available everywhere. I didn't bother buying until DD was a few days old though. I intended to BF so didn't bother in case I didn't need the pump and bottles. Didn't work out quite like that but never mind!

I would say though that if you're expressing a lot with a manual pump, your wrist will ache a LOT before long so it's worth considering buying or hiring an electric pump.

Agree with ritamorgan here. Expressing is a lot of work and you will find most people don't express much at all. If you are lucky you can get enough for one feed in one sitting. But many of the mums in my group needs 2-3 sessions to get one feed out. Also I just can't see how your can keep up supply if you aren't feeding or pumping through the night. You'll need to mix feed if you intend to sleep through the night in the first 6 weeks. Then it'd be easier to forego the pumping and just feed in the day and ff during the night?

And yes its not recommended to introduce a bottle until bf is established unless you don't mind if your baby doesn't latch on the breast. I think the objection to avent is that it's more dissimilar to the breast than say tome tippee.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with a maternity nurse who said that a breast pump and bottles were required, especially if you think BF will be quite important to you. The one's I've come across often seem more focused on routine and are rather old school.

I agree with Rita and if it's help you want, someone to help you more with housework but maybe baby stuff as well (post natel doula?) would make more sense.

Maternity nurses will rarely do stuff around the house and many will encourage you to express from day 1 so they can do a night feed and give you a good block of sleep.

What do you want the MN to be doing?

I use Avent which DS is slowly getting to grips with and have with every newborn I've worked with.

Hi all

The plan is that the maternity nurse will help me while I am establishing breastfeeding. She'll get me up to feed the baby and then let me go back to bed while she gets the baby settled etc at night. The breastpump is to give me the option of expressing if I want it.

Thanks very much for all your comments.

As it's recommended that baby sleeps in the same room as mum (or even in bed with you to get maximum sleep) and in the newborn period most mothers are hyper-aware of baby so you'll probably wake pretty quickly by yourself.

Most newborn babies fall asleep whilst bfing anyway so not sure that the MN will be needed much except to help you get baby latched on (if you need that help, you may not).

A post-natal doula may be a better option as some have extra bfing training and will happily do your ironing, or cook you dinner, or clean your bathroom as well as help with bfing (plus it might be cheaper so you'd have money left over for a cleaner - bonus!)

If you just co-sleep and feed on demand you might find it easier to get breastfeeding established.

How about a postnatal doula who can give you some initial support, and save the money for a lactation consultant in case you run into problems?

Or alternatively spend the first 6 weeks establishing breastfeeding and then get a night nanny in a couple of nights a week to look after the baby while you sleep?

Babies can need to feed more than you could imagine at the start - 12+ times a day, taking an hour each feed. Having someone else around all the time, trying to find time to express etc, sounds like it could make things harder.

My DD is only 8wo so all is still fresh. The first couple of weeks she just feeds a lot. Definitely every 1-2 hours. Luckily for me she is a fast feeder (15min when newborn) and a sleeper who doesn't mind her cot. A lot of bf babies do fall asleep on the breast. But there are ones that are very windy, cries a lot, and won't sleep unless held and rocked. If you have a sleeper like mine, then someone who'll do your housework and cook your meals would be great. But I can see a MN useful if you have a tricky one who can't be put down. Will a doula help with rocking/calming a baby while you take a rest?

A postnatal doula would probably just come in for a few hours a day rather than 24/7 like a MN. They basically fulfil the role of a supportive mother - light housework, looking after the baby while you rest, showing you how to do any baby-related tasks, helping you get to grips with breastfeeding etc.

Best not to pump or give bottles before 4-6 weeks - it raises the risk of getting oversupply, engorgement, blocked ducts, mastitis and latch issues. If you don't need to, don't bother.

I would be very at a maternity nurse that is saying you need to give bottles and the baby will be sleeping away from you. Sleeping in the same room as Mum decreases the risk of SIDS. She should know that.