How to use a Medela Calma?

[vincettenoir]

I have brought a Medela Calma to try and attract my baby to the breast. We had to use formula for medical reasons and she id now a bit hooked on the bottle.

In the instructions it talks about warming milk but I wasn’t planning to. It is not clear how to clean. I was hoping to put in my cold water steriliser with everything else but it seems to suggest it must be boiled or dishwashed once a day, but it’s not clear how to clean between feeds. Anyone got any experience of using this?

We used it and washed it the same as other bottles, just took it apart and washed in hot soapy water (or dishwasher) then sterilised (we use microwave bags but can’t see that cold water sterlisling would be a problem).

I’m not sure whether it will work to tempt your baby back to the breast though...it’s designed to prevent breast fed babies preferring a bottle, which I think it does do - my baby always took it fine, alongside breastfeeding, when we swapped to Tommie tipped bottles she started to object to the breast. If it doesn’t work you could try using nipple shields which make your breast more like a bottle to latch on to 🙂 Good luck.

Oh and I’m sure you can use cold milk. But if your goal is breastfeeding, that. milk will be warm, so perhaps heating it to body temperature might be beneficial!

I second @modgepodge re: the cold water sterilising and the nipple shields! the Calma pieces all come apart and you can wash in hot soapy water and then either put in the cold water steriliser or use a microwave steam steriliser.
I had to use some formula when my DS (now 4wks!) was born as he was an emergency c section and a biiig boy so the midwives didn’t think he was getting enough. It made it really hRd to get him to latch on the breast, so using the Calma along with nipple shields really saved our breast feeding journey. It’s tough, but we’re persevering :) good luck!