Introducing a formula feed - over protective about who feeds baby or normal?

[Newmummytobe79]

I'm thinking about introducing a daytime formula feed (baby is 10 weeks old) - DC is breastfed throughout day and night with the exception of the bedtime bottle (formula) which DH gives.

I'm feeling nervous about giving up one daytime bf ... and want DC to take the bottle well from me first (won't take night-time one from me at the moment) ... but I'm worried about everyone wanting to feed DC the daytime bottle.

I know the in-laws are desparate to feed her and wonder if you would just let them ... or wait until DC is settled with me doing it?

I don't know if my thoughts are very overprotective - or just normal for a bf mum?

Please let me know your thoughts/experiences!

Thanks

I express milk for a bottle roughly five days a week, mostly for my husband to give our three-month-old son, but both grandmas have done so as well, plus granddad. I don't see this as encroaching on my territory at all, but I know others feel differently.

Re: the formula, have you tried expressing?

My baby is 10 weeks old

she has 1 bottle (of breast milk) a day.

so far this has been given by daddy, grandma, and my best friend. (and me)
personally i dont care who gives it to her, i just like the break from feeding!

I combination feed my ds (now 11 weeks old). at first it was only dh who fed him, as I couldn't bring myself to do it (I was wracked with ridiculous guilt over notbeing able to ebf) now if he is in a growth spurt and i am all fed out, or if I am somewhere i don't feel comfortable feeding I will give a bottle.

On occassion my mother and sister have fed ds so that i could have a sleep or a meal and last week when i went out for coffee with a friend i let her finish ds bottle feed so i could have my cake. I have been fine about all of these people helping me out... BUT my mil is coming up this weekend and reading your post made my suddenly realise she may want to feed ds and that has filled me with dread. I know its ridiculous, because what is the big deal, a bottle is a bottle as far as ds is concerned! But I really really don't want her to feed him.

I know this is all about my feelings toward my mil, but quite frankly I am going with my instinct at this stage, so there will be no mil bottle just yet!

I don't think you are abnormal or overprotective to not want other people feeding your baby. Wait til you feel ready - it won't hurt them or your baby

It is a big deal - and the baby does care, even though his need to 'refuel' is the prime motivator on any individual occasion. Feeding, however it's done, is a (potentially) close and loving shared experience for the baby and whoever is doing the feeding. That's why every Tom Dick and Harry wants to have 'a turn' at it....and why it's not good for the baby to have every Tom Dick and Harry actually doing it :(

No mother should feel awkward about having preferences about this.

Babies are fine to have occasional bottles given by occasional 'others' as long as the 'others' have a clue about doing it, so there is no real justification for saying 'no one but the parents ever' from the baby's point of view. But if you don't want your MIL to give a bottle, just say 'no - thanks for the offer but I would love you to take over the bathtime' or something similar.

You don't sound very keen to add a second bottle feed. Is there a reason for you or the baby to do so, or is it only due to third party (the inlaws) pressure?

I feel very protective over who feeds my ds! Its only ever been me or dh, as he understands that bf babies need to be fed in a manner conducive to bfing! My own mother jiggles the bottle in a baby's mouth, and it fills me with dread, as nothing but wind goes in!!! As I'm still ebf, and dh gives ebm at night, it hasnt been as issue so far, but I still feel, in my own circumstances, that I would probably continue to feel as protective as I do now.