Expressed milk in a bottle

[CoffeeHungry]

My LO is 12 weeks on Wednesday, we've been doing so well with breastfeeding, he goes 2-3 hourly during the day and does an 8 hour stretch over night. I exclusively pumped for my first for 13 months as I couldn't get him to latch and I had no support to help me understand how to get him to latch (pandemic baby) so this time I got the support I needed and its going amazingly and I'm so scared of anything that could make it go down hill.

I feel guilty on my partner and family that only I'm doing the feeds and I can't leave him with anyone. My mum made a comment yesterday that she's not able to enjoy him as a baby right now as I can't leave him with her to do nanny duties as I'm breastfeeding. I asked my partner today if he would take the baby to the park with him and our toddler as hes just fed and he said no what if he starts crying whilst we're out and wants feeding. Part of me feels trapped with my baby and my only escape is the bath or popping to the shop which always ends in me coming home to a crying baby or having to get out the bath to feed him.

I'm so worried about introducing a bottle and him not wanting to latch next time we feed or he dosent latch properly the next time and giving me problems. We tried a dummy at 4 weeks and the follwing few feeds after i found it hard to get a deep latch with him so i binned the dummies and we havent had a problem since. Part of me thinks am I being selfish and should just take the plunge and introduce a bottle.

Has anyone stopped breastfeeding because of they introduced a bottle then the baby didn't want to feed on the breast anymore?

Aw, been there! I was chained to the baby who refused a bottle of expressed milk. I would advise you to introduce a bottle asap or he may refuse it completely.

By 12 weeks there's really very little chance of him refusing the breast again. If you don't get on with it, try a cup - mother swears all her kids could drink from a cup by 3 or 4 months

Firstly, well on EBF for 12 weeks!

Not quite the point of your post but your mum is being an arse to even say that. There is no requirement for grandparents to feed babies in order to bond. There’s no need for her to have him on her own at all unless you want her too. If you’re happy breastfeeding that’s great, it’s not in the least selfish and anyone making you feel bad for it - well that’s their issue. I EBF, never gave a bottle ever, and all my child’s grandparents and dad have bonded with him perfectly fine! No I couldn’t leave him for more than an hour or so till much older, but honestly I didn’t want or need to.

If you want to introduce some bottles now is the time to do it, but please do it for you and don’t feel pressured by anyone.

I agree you shouldn’t feel guilty and can’t believe your mum said that!

I’ve 20 week old twins and combi-feed. They started having bottles on day 3 due to weight loss and still adore boob. I actually wonder of bottle preference is a myth as I’ve never heard of it happening whereas I know of loads of breastfed babies who absolutely refuse to take a bottle (this may happen to you…maybe don’t go all out on buying pumps/bottles until you’ve checked if he’ll take one for you). One of mine has just woken so I’ll finish up but do look up paced feeding

You've nothing to feel guilty about and your mum is being really weird to mention it.

I expressed a supply for DS1 and worked for ages to get him to take a bottle so I could go to a hen do for a day. It was way more effort than it was worth and I couldn't be arsed even trying with DC2. Staying EBF and her not being able to be on her own with anyone else for any stretch of time when she was a baby was fine by me, and fine by her and nobody else's business.

If it isn't fine by you and you want to express then totally do it and by this point it should be easy enough to continue bf and bottle in combo. But don't do it for anyone else's benefit or because you feel you should.

i EBF my daughter to 17m (obv introduced food at 6m!!) she is incredibly close and connected and bonded with both her dad and both sets of grandparents. In fact she’s a daddy’s girl and has been since very early on, and her grandad is her absolute hero, the world stops she grandad arrives!
there are plenty of ways to bond and create relationships that don’t rely on being fed/feeding. Your mum is being massively unreasonable.

if you want to give a bottle though do it for you and baby, no one else. Unlikely to reject boob!! More likely to reject bottle - mine would never take one. Tried about 4 different brands, god knows how many teets. Spent a fortune! Hope you have better luck than me (plenty for) if YOU decide you want to combi feed for YOU and baby! No one else!

Also to add, grandad has never given my little one a bottle, made her food or changed her bottom. closest he’s come to those things is just merely being sat at the dinner table when we’re all eating! But still, he’s the absolute best and no one gets a look in when he’s around!

This. My baby wouldn't be going to stay overnight at a grandparents' whether breast or bottle fed anyway. And my husband can take our 3mo out in pram for an hour or something with our other DD. You say your DC feeds 2-3 hourly, so what's stopping him taking baby out just after a feed?

It sounds like they aren't being very supportive

Sorry I misread and thought she wanted your baby overnight. But 'nanny duties' don't have to involve giving a bottle do they? My mum is amazing gran but has never expressed a wish to give either of my babies a bottle. I don't see the point of it. I'd only express to make my life easier, not let someone else play babies!

Introduced a bottle to my EBF baby when he was just 4 weeks, so that my DH could do one feed per day while I was resting. It never caused any issues with the latch, supply etc and I'm still breastfeeding him to this day at 13 months :) So don't worry!