2 easy (hopefully) EBM questions about storage and nipple confusion...

[liquidclocks]

I'm trying to exclusively BF DS2 (7 days old) but due to very sore nipples I've been finding it easier to express and then give a bottle half the time and happily he doesn't seem at all 'confused at the moment and will drink from either breast or bottle.

my 2 questions are:

Nipple confusion - am I risking this and is there an age where it kicks in?

When I've expressed and fed him immeadiately can I then store the 'leftovers' (ie putting in fridge about 20-30mins after I've finished expressing and with the teat having been in his mouth)?

Please help! I'd usually google but my sleep deprived brain can't cope at the moment!

I think if he's happy to have the bottle for some of the time, keep it up. I 'broke the habit' with my DS after a few weeks and he's not at all keen on the bottle now... So no nights out for me!! I always threw away my milk if it had been heated up and would advise a new sterilised teat each time...

Thanks Sophie, my question though is really to do with 'fresh' breast milk - I do throw away any that's re-heated of course. It just seems a waste to sit and express and then a half hour later pour it away!

Oh sorry, I see. Well with ds1 I did store unused 'fresh' milk in the fridge, but maybe as your little one is very young you should be gung-ho about keeping it all sterile - no 'washback' etc (mind you is that possible? Got me wondering now...) I know how you feel - a lot of emotional energy goes into producing it... By the way, I don't know anything about it, but if you want a very funny film including some quality jokes about nipple confusion, watch 'Meet the Fockers'.

If I had fed ds EBM immediately after expressing it and he left some, I would usually pop it in the fridge. I was buggared if I was going to waste any of my hard-squeezed milk unless I absolutely had to!

Thanks both, I thought it would be OK but just wanted the reassurance that someone else had done it!

...nipple confusion question yet to be answered though - perhaps it depends on the individual baby?

I used to put the bottle back in the fridge (in fact sometimes it didn't even go in the fridge .

And as for nipple confusion my dd didn't care so long as it was milk! She does care now though, I stopped using a bottle when I stopped working, and now she won't go back to it (unless I'm not there and she's really hungry).