Introducing a bottle

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My baby is 11 weeks old and has been exclusively breastfeeding since birth. I'm getting my hair dyed on the 22nd and this will be the first time I am leaving her. I will be gone for around three hours. I will express and leave her with my partner. My question is do I need to get her 'used' to the bottle beforehand? I.e should I start giving her a bottle of my milk everyday to get her used to it? Also how much should I leave her for this time? Thanks.

Yes start getting her used to a bottle now. Most babies are fine but some flat out refuse to take one if you start trying too late. Breast feeding is well established by 11 weeks so there is no reason not to. You will also need to get used to expressing as if you are EBF you may find it hard to pump much to start with.

For 3 hours I would try to leave 2 x 120ml bottles for them to use. 1 may be enough, good to have the second as back up. If you are struggling to pump you could use some pre-made formula bottles which you can buy from supermarkets/Boots. They are just pour and go and are really handy in an emergency.

It might also be worth doing a trial run and leaving her for an hour or so on another day before your hair appt, so your partner gets used to having her and you can relax a bit more easily while having your hair done!

Depends on the baby/ my eldest never had an issue taking a bottle, my youngest flat out refused for 3 months.