expressing - to sterilise or not to sterilise? also, how early to start?

[senoritachiquita]

Hi, my lo is nearly 3 weeks and so far we've been lucky enough that bf-ing is going really well. But I would like to have the option of bottle feeding her with expressed milk - eg am desperate to get out to the hairdresser some time soon! So would really appreciate some advice - lots of the advice seems to talk about having to sterilise bottles for expressed breast milk, but am sure I remember the NCT lady saying a wash with hot soapy water was enough. Anyone got any tips on this?

Also, do you think now is a good time to try her with a bottle, or should i wait a bit longer in case she gets confused? Which bottle is best for such a young baby?

Any advice gratefully received - thanks!!

The consensus seems to be to introduce a bottle between 4 and 6 weeks if bf is going well and no need to sterilise bottled of ebm (hot wash in soapy water should do because breastmilk is sterile) but yes to sterile bottles of ff.
Which bottles are best is very subjective. I would recommend starting with a cheap and commonly available brand like Avent or TommeTipee first.
HTH

yes, definitely sterilize.
it's the bottles and equipment you sterilize, not the milk.

what you class as sterilizing - wash in boiled water for 10 mins, and dry in a cool oven (80degrees.
or run through the hot cycle on a dishwasher.
it's

Breast milk is not sterile. I rinse mine out straight away after use then wash and sterilise in steamer. One tip is to get bottles that fit your breast pump so you can pump straight into that easily.

Thanks everyone - seems to be some debate over whether you really need to sterilise bottles and equipment for breast milk, I have definitely heard the advice that olimpia gave but others do seem to be sterilising.

I also seem to remember that putting bottles through the dishwasher isn't advisable for the first 3 months or so, but can't remember details of why that was.

I will give expressing a go in maybe a week or 2 then and see how it goes... have been offered a steriliser by a friend so just wanted to see if I should take them up on it.

Advice given is from dr sears

It's also worth thinking about how long you are going to be away from you little one.

From pretty early on (3 or 4 weeks) DS could go off with someone for an hour or two while I did something. A hairdressers was the first thing.

I fed DS then my mum tucked him into the sling and left me to go to the hairdressers alone.

This has mean I've only really expressed once. As the first long stretch I was away DS was over six months old so just had cows milk.

The advice of a lactation nurse in Geneva for preemie babies was to put pump funnel/non electirc bits in a ziplock bag and into the fridge between pumpings, wash once a day.

Bottle to wash and then heat treat be it steriliser or steam oven, dishwasher wasn't reccomended due to chemicals.

I find MamULTIvent teats work well. They fit Avent/dr Brown natural flow/own brand wide neck bottles.

Personally I do sterilise. Purely because I have a steriliser and after washing its no effort to shove them in the basket and click the button. I don't think it's necessary really, I've just fallen into the habit.

Thanks everyone for all the tips. hazchem i guess its true i can prob manage a visit to the hairdresser in between feeds, but certainly do want to try her on a bottle so i have that option down the line.

i have got some avent bottles already so just ordered an avent philips manual pump on amazon that will fit them - if things dont work out at least it was cheap!