Combination feeding How to give a BF baby a bottle?

[buterflies]

My lil one is 2 weeks old and I know there is a risk of nipple confusion but I would really like to give him a bottle before bed as he feeds every hour some nights.

Has anyone got any hints or tips as lil one not keen on bottle

I combine fed my DS right from the beginning. He was in SCBU and tube fed for the first 3 days. I had a very rough time during pregnancy and labour and my milk didn't come in very well so mix fed from then for 6 months and never had any problems. However, DD would never take a bottle - even of expressed milk. Had to BF her for 15months. So he may just not like a bottle.

buterflies - you really do risk seriously undermining your choice to breastfeed if you give a bottle in the evening to a baby as young as this.

Nipple confusion is not really an issue for a baby who is happily breastfeeding, but the effect on your supply is. Making longer gaps between breastfeeds reduces your supply.

Feeding every hour is a challenge for you, but it is what he is doing to stay close to you (2 weeks ago he was inside you :) ) and to build up your supply for the future - if you can learn to feed lying down and think of other ways to make it easier for you, it's better.

As Warren says, waiting a few more weeks reduces this risk.

I introduced a bottle at three weeks. I think a long as you're only giving the one bottle at the beginning then it is unlikely to effect your supply.

I agree Hardboiledpossom - I also think if you keep that one bottle to the same time each day your supply adjusts round it. You body will make as much milk as baby needs so I fail to see how reducing the demand for one feed will reduce hte supply for the rest of hte feeds. If you feel that is what you need to do to keep your sanity - go with it.

I have given a bottle for 10/11pm feed since day 4 and never been a problem with nipple confusion. I do however express as that time so my milk supply isn't altered I also have fed far far less than every hour, more commonly every 3-4 hours and I have lots of milk and baby has put on a lot of weight so I think everyone is different!

People's experience obviously differs, but people who introduce bottles early on, even one bottle, are less likely to continue breastfeeding, and this is mostly because it has an effect on supply.

Clearly, this does not happen to everyone.

But it is poor advice to say that 'it did not happen to me so it won't happen to you' :(

Seeline, in the early weeks of breastfeeding, the whole production line needs frequent stimulation to ensure a sufficient supply that matches the baby's needs. It's simply not true that your supply adjusts around the baby's feeding when you 'ask' the body to make less - this may happen to some people but for most you can only be sure of it doing this well into a well-established production.

I have given him a bottle today and he took it well from my partner feeding him. I am going to try to continue exclusively breast feeding him but it is hard when so tired. The bottle didnt make a difference anyway, he still wanted feeding an hour later lol.