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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

How old was your DC when you first gave a bottle -either of formula or EBM?

23 replies

Holymoly321 · 15/12/2007 14:43

Just wondering as DS2 is 4 weeks and we want to give him a bottle at night so I can get some much needed rest - but he doesn't want to take it - grrrr.... Just wondering if this is because it's too early days or if he just won't take it at all.

OP posts:

PhDiva · 15/12/2007 15:02

Try a different brand teat. Most babies prefer one over the others (randomly), so that is why it is best not to buy too many bottles before baby is born. I am still breast-feeding my 10-month DS, and have also expressed since the first week. He has taken greatly against Aventa, which he used to be OK with, and has switched allegiance to 'Breast-flow' (american brand supposed to be the closest thing to the way the breast works), which he wouldn't go near as a small 'un.

IMO, it is never too early to start with expressed milk in a bottle if you breast-feed, as I have never heard of a baby actually getting nipple-confusion (they are not that dumb), although someone on MN might want to contradict me.

callmeoverchristmas · 15/12/2007 15:07

EBM at 10 days (so I could get some sleep), she had one about once or twice a week from then on. I think it helped avoid bottle rejection later when I needed her to take one when I left her a few times with DP/Grandma etc.

I agree with the trying different teats and stick to the slowest ones.

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 15/12/2007 15:08

phdivaSomeone on my antenatal thread has a very good friend whose baby suffered badly with nipple confusion.

Please do not say things you know nothing about. It would be entirely unhelpful if the op now suffered because her baby did get nipple confusion after your post.

Also expressing too early for some, not all granted, but some mothers experience problems with their milk supply when feeding from a bottle too early.

Smiling, as phdiva said, some babies prefer different teats, there are supposedly teats made more like the breast which may help to avoid nipple confusion but I don't know personally which ones, sorry.

I know hunker mentioned them on a different thread so I'll see if I can find them for you.

pinkspottywellies · 15/12/2007 15:13

My dd took a bottle of ebm quite happily on the first try at about 3 months (I only didn't try any earlier because I couldn't be arsed didn't need to) but a friend's baby wouldn't take a bottle easily so she just kept trying every day and after about 3 weeks she was ok with it! I would second trying lots of different teats and just persevering!

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 15/12/2007 15:49

I couldn't find the thread, but I did find this teats most like breast apparently

Shitemum · 15/12/2007 16:05

your DS2 is giving you the answer

dal21 · 15/12/2007 18:29

my ds was given a bottle of ebm for the dreamfeed from around the 4/5 week mark. Until the 7 week mark, I would make sure I would express at the same time the feed was given as I didnt want to jeopardise supply - so short term didnt get any more sleep (but it was important to me that DH got that special time with DS). After 7 weeks however, I went to bed pretty much the same time ds did (7.30-8) - dh did the dreamfeed and it meant I got approx 5 hrs uninterrupted sleep (which was a godsend as the weeks of interrupted sleep built up)

In my experience, DS did not experience nipple confusion - nor did a nightly bottle of ebm (for which I now express after the 7am feed for) interfere with my supply (however I did wait til DS was 7 weeks old before my breasts thought they had dropped this feed completely). However I am aware that this is not the case with everyone and both nipple confusion can occur and bm supply can also be impacted. So by all means persevere with trying to give your DS a nightly bottle - but do it in the knowledge of what the impact to your longer term feeding could be. I know that if I had not managed to continue Bfeeding, I would have been very very unhappy.

The tiredness does get better - I promise.

dal21 · 15/12/2007 18:31

oh and ds loved the dr. brown bottles!

pukkapatch · 15/12/2007 18:33

no, its because your ds is a smart boy who know s whats good for him.
listen to him.

goingfor3christmaspuddings · 15/12/2007 18:33

DD1 had a bottle of formula everynight from 6 weeks and by 11 weeks was fully breastfed as she wasn't happy having breast milk anymore. I decided not to make the same mistake with dd2 and she didn't ever have formula and never took a bottle just went straight to a beaker for water when I weaned her on to solids.

pukkapatch · 15/12/2007 18:37

ds1, day two i think. i did breastfeed him,but it stopped entirely by 4.5
dc2 and dc3. 8 months before they were given anything. i did try at six months, but they werent interested.

5goldrings4MONKEYBIRDs · 15/12/2007 19:13

tried EBM once with this baby; he didn't like it; don't think we're gonna bother again until we feel the need to dig out our old doidy cup and give that a go instead. Can't be arsed with sterilising an' all that so hoping won't need to use bottles at all...

Am taking longer mat leave this time however so easier - previous babies was advised to try and introduce EBM on a bottle before 12 weeks and did so with no problems.

Jojay · 15/12/2007 19:27

Strted with a bottle of EBM at 2 days old - not ideal but DS was such a sleepy baby , bf-ing was too much effort, and the less he fed, the more lethargic he got, and on it went.

We went on to establish successful breast feeding though, but it was great that he would happily take bottle or breast.

My advice would be to persevere. It's not too soon to try, but niether are his habits set in stone at this stage, so with some gentle persuasion I'm sure you'll get him to change his mind.

I've heard of some babies who will take bottles from anyone but Mum, as they associate bf-nig with her, so maybe let your DH / DP have a go at this one.

I think it's a great idea to let them have some special time alone with the baby, and this is a great way to do it.

Good luck

Jojay · 15/12/2007 19:28

Excuse the typo's!!

MaeWestYeMerryGentlemen · 15/12/2007 20:25

Think DS was around 6-8 weeks when he had first bottle of EBM. He had been cup fed EBM in hospital at 1 week as was hospitalised due to jaundice.

TBH he only had a handful of bottles between then and 6 months-ish when I went out for the evening and left him with DH.

I dealt with the tiredness by going to bed really early (often when DS did in the early days) and trying to catch up on sleep when I could - this often involved DH walking round the block for an hour or so pushing the pram .

fishie · 15/12/2007 20:45

smiling i never managed to get anywhere with expressing, so the only time ds had a bottle was his first week, before i got bf established. i did (and do) manage a social life and indeed a fairly jolly home life after the first few months. i think it is easier to hand the non-feeding responsibilities over.

muppetgirl · 15/12/2007 20:55

DS 1 - had bottle of formula just after birth as I had passed out with tiredness after long labour and his first breast feed.
Then b/f for 6 weeks with him until I switched to f/f all the time. (Many reasons mainly severe PND)

Ds2 - Had bottle 8/9 hours after birth as he was feeding and feeding but nothing appeared to be coming out, mw suggested I'd run out of colostrum and would take time to make more. I gave him a bottle every feed after offering breast for 2 days until my milk came in. He's 6 weeks Monday and he has a bottle of f/f at 7pm but is breast fed all other feeds.

I have had no problems with nipple confusion with either of my big babies. Others may have, but this is MY experience. I neither advocate doing what I have done or not doing what I have done. I am just happy that I have no PND, are b/f ds 90% of the time and are really loving it!!!

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 15/12/2007 20:56

dal21's advice re:expressing at the same time for the first few weeks til your milk is properly established is very good advice.

WashSantasRedSuitErsaurus · 15/12/2007 20:56

I NEVER managed to get DS1 to take milk from a bottle, I started to give him a tommee tippee easy flow cup with EBM or water in at around 4/5 months. I actually felt kind of proud not to have used bottles at all as they aren't really necessary when bf.

I am still bf DS2 at 4.5mths and it doesn't look like he will be having a bottle either...BUT I won't say never, as you can never tell what is around the corner

coby · 15/12/2007 21:19

DD1 had a bottle on her first night (less than 24 hours old). She took it straight away, it was an avent teat and bottle. Got mightily told off by my MW but DD managed to combine bottle and breast no problem.

Paying heed to midwife's instruction I decided not to give DD2 a bottle until she was 6 weeks old. She refused every bottle type I offered her until (thankfully) tommee tippee closer to nature bottles came out and she accepted that - looks like a giant boob to me , she still refuses all other bottle types!

Will be getting DC3 used to bottles within 2 weeks this time.

This is my experience. My advice - do what feels best for you whatever that might be.

thehairybabysmum · 15/12/2007 21:35

1 bottle of ebm from about 2 weeks old (i think) for ds2 (now 12 weeks), he was a bit unsure of teat for first few days but now fine between breast and bottle. Tis nice to have the option to give a bottle when you are knackered from a heavy days feeding.

I use avent or boots teats.

imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 15/12/2007 21:40

DD1 - second day after she was born, was really jaundiced not sucking, was told to give either EBM or formula when she went back into hospital as she needed food asap either that she would have been tube fed, was a slog expressing and feeding but as she woke up more kept offering boob before bottle and we got there eventually. Had a bottle of EBM about twice a week after that.

DD2 - about 3 weeks, she was a natural born BFer no problems at all, would take milk out a bottle fine, in fact I think she would have taken milk out an old shoe.

Original poster

Holymoly321 · 16/12/2007 19:36

THanks everyone for taking the time to post. DS seems to be very contrary re the bottle. Last night it took us 40 mins to get 2.5oz in him - lots of coughing, gagging, taking it for a good few sucks then gagging again. He has taken the bottle before so am wondering if it's because he's got a slight cold or is having a growth spurt that he's gone off the bottle for a bit. Will perservere though because it's nice for DH to feed him at least once a day and for me to have a bit of a boob break!

OP posts:

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