Expressing - is 4 weeks too early to start?

[Gangle]

I left it too late to try to get DS1 used to a bottle and he never took one as a result. Would like the option of feeding DS2, 4.5 weeks, EBM via a bottle but wondering if he is too young for me to start expressing. Feeding is going really well and I seem to have loads of milk - don't want to do anything to interfere with that. Thanks.

hi gangle,
i started at about 4 weeks(i think).i had mastitis and sore nipples and alsorts and desperately wanted a break and for someone else to do a feed for a change.ds took to bottle straight away.carried on mostly with breast,but had bottles here and there(ebm).was lovely as gave chance for other relatives to bond with him too,but still the benefit of my ebm.was good latcher from beginning even though i got damaged nipples and also took a dummy in hospital so think he is the 'suck anything' type baby.it didn't spoil bf and i am still bf him 4 times a day and he's now 14 months old .think hv also said expressing would be ok too(hard to remember now though...bit of a haze). good luck!.

I think once bf is fully established after a few weeks then it's fine to do the odd bottle of ebm - iirc though to keep up your millk supply you should also express around the time you would normally be feeding.

Like happyathome it's a bit of a haze (ds now 1yo) but think he had the occasional bottle (of ebm) from about 6wks and though he wasn't terribly impressed with the bottle would take it fine and certainly never put him off bfing! (Not sure what will...)

I started at 4 weeks too and tried to give DS a bottle once a week if possible from then.

I am now back at work and he takes 2 a day happily from DH. He is 7mo.

No idea of this was just a fluke, or if 4 weeks is a good time .

He does seem to like holding bottles and sippy cups and also tried to drink some bath water out of a stacking cup the other week...