When to introduce bottles

[piperk]

My son was born 18/01/2020 and is being solely breastfed, although hard I'm loving it so plan to breastfeed as long as possible.

My plan is to start to express at some point (although I'm not in any sort of a hurry at present!) so I just wondered when would be best to introduce a bottle based on everyone's experience as I'm anxious about nipple confusion.

Xx

I think the advise is after 6 weeks as you've fully established bf? Don't quote me on that as I can't remember where I read it and can't find it now.

Pump station however recommend when your milk supply is established so 2-4 weeks.

www.pumpstation.com/blogs/articles/offering-a-breastfed-baby-a-bottle

With expressing I recommend you get an automatic pump, I've just finished 6 months of expressing to feed with a manual pump and have rsi in both thumbs... Not fun!

Following this for the same advice x

I was told to leave it until 6 weeks but by then, the babies wouldn't accept it anyway.

The other thing I would say though is that as well as nipple confusion, sone babies will later develop a clear preference for one or the other if you combi feed, so they might have a bottle every day for a few months but then never take one again or might refuse to BF before you are ready to give up.

It might be worth talking it through with a BFC on one of the BFing Helplines. Have you got the numbers?

Congratulations too

Noted @OhWellThatsJustGreat.

@JiltedJohnsJulie no I haven't even heard about them?

Aw thank you
Xx

The helpline numbers are all in this page from the NHS. It's absolutely fine to call and ask them about something like this. You don't have to wait until you have a problem

Anecdotal but my first I waited until 6 weeks as recommended and she never took a bottle. My second had to be bottle fed early on as she was jaundiced and too weak to suckle and she would happily do breast and bottle until we stopped at 13 months.

In my experience those who waited until six weeks found their babies wouldn't take a bottle. I'd go for more like 3-4.

I introduced at 2 weeks, just the occasional bottle of formula that my husband gave my daughter to keep me sane. I felt terrible as had read that doing so sooner than 4-6 weeks would ruin my supply and cause nipple confusion. I subsequently EBF’d my daughter until we weaned at 5.5 months and and only just winding down BF now at 10 months.

All my NCT friends who introduced a bottle pre- 4-6 weeks had no issues with nipple confusion but all those who waited had issues with bottle refusal - make of that why you will! I think the occasional early bottle is fine if you are majority BFing - that was my experience anyway. And congratulations! x

I did not wait until 6 weeks as heard horror stories of babies refusing bottles etc. I used expressed a little at first and we had no problems with her accepting the bottle, getting nipple confusion or preferring the bottle.

Do it now
I'm not opinion. We really struggled to get my son to take a bottle after breastfeeding. He would scream and scream! I'm definitely going to introduce them earlier with this one! We waited till 4 months as I was very happy feeding but was going back to work at 6 months

My baby took a bottle (of formula) easily at 12 weeks, and is still combi fed months later - no preference or nipple confusion.

Most other people I know who wanted to introduce a bottle did so around 6 weeks - only one has a bottle refuser. So you never know.

Partly about knowing your baby - ours sucks everything in site constantly (hands, teethers, dummies), so we weren't too worried about the bottle!

Don't worry if you don't get on with expressing, though, not everyone does. Good luck!

Reading this a bit worried now, DS is 8 weeks and I had planned to express and use bottles in the future. He’s been given and taken a bottle twice in the early weeks 2-3 but I haven’t tried one since as had been following the 6 weeks guideline. I’m now worried he will refuse a bottle when we try again as it’s now too late.

@forevercurious please don't worry, and remember is he rejects the first bottle you give him, it doesn't mean he's going to reject them all, you just need to find one he likes, I would buy individuals rather than packets of them as a just in case.

Not all baby's get nipple confusion and not all baby's notice bottle to breast changes, it will be OK.

With my first we did bottle and breast from birth, no issues
This time I waited as per recommendations, almost 6 weeks.
Refused bottles so now that is not an option until I start FRER flow cups at 6 months

Free flow