Do I still need bottles and sterilisers, etc?

[VJONES1985]

I'm pg with dc1 and planning to breastfeed. However, people have told me I still need sterilisers in case I want to pump (?) And bottles in case breastfeeding doesn't work? Sorry if that makes no sense, I don't really understand and am wondering what your thoughts are?

[hubbahubster]

Good luck ch1a, message me if you feel the need! :)

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

The MW in hospital asked if we had a steriliser at home. I said no, but we have a pan and boiling water, and she looked at me like I was from Mars. I'm not sure why she thought we needed a steriliser anyway given that I was adamant that I would be ebf.

We were bought a steriliser and never used it once because it said you had to wash the components before use and we were too sleep-deprived to bother. So I just sloshed hot water from the kettle over my manual pump.

[Tranquilitybaby]

Kill?! Sorry that should say milk!

[Tranquilitybaby]

I wouldn't bother buying anything yet. You're kill won't be in enough to effectively pump whilst in hospital.

[ch1a]

Hubba that's great to read. I'm feeling positive this time and also prepared for what I will do if it does turn out like last time, I still know that I can make it work somehow. It really is good to read about someone who knows how it is in that situation...fingers crossed for an easier time this time like you!

[hubbahubster]

ch1a I had a compete nightmare with DC1 - mix fed from day 1, he was given formula in hospital for low blood sugar, midwives were constantly ramming him on the boob where he would promptly fall asleep, I spent time on the pump to try and pull my nipples out as they are v flat (made no difference)... stopped BF altogether at 7 weeks but he was mostly FF by that point anyway.

One week in with DC2 and she's EBF. Competely different experience - I was left to it in hospital, no pressure to feed at all, she's doing her job by feeding properly, I'm making sure that she gets both boobs at least every 3 hours (more if she wants). I can hardly believe it given my previous experience. It can be done!

[Toadsrevisited]

DS is EBF, but I can honestly say that if I had had 'just in case' formula in the house, I would have used if, so I'm glad I didn't. The first weeks of bf are hard but better to persevere with it, or make a rational decision in the daytime to mix or switch to ff, IYSWIM. Having it in the house might have let me make a tired decision that could have been wrong. As PPs have said, you can buy everything you need quickly if that's the decision you make.

That said, I dutifully waited to 8 weeks to try expressing so DH could do a feed and by then DS refused a bottle, still does at 5months. Next time I would try this after 2 weeks I think; friends who have have been more successful with using bottles and I wish we had been, just to be able to be away from DS for a couple if hours away or asleep.

If you are planning to bf, lansinoh is crucial, and I really liked washable bamboo breast pads- they were much silkier and gentle on sore nipples.

[Birdtable]

I would buy a steriliser and a couple of bottles and ready prepared milk - I wanted to breast feed so much but unfortunately in the middle of the night on my second night with my baby it all fell apart and we had nothing in the house, very stressful. Also, they won't go to wast because if you never use them you can eBay the unopened box!
You may want the steriliser for dummies etc.

[Pollaidh]

toddle sadly the mother and baby don't always get time to spend together after the birth -in my first case I was having emergency surgery and when I woke up blood loss was such that I was too ill to move. I didn't see or hold my baby until the next afternoon. In the second birth baby collapsed shortly after birth and went to NICU, and I was too ill to go to him so didn't see or hold him for about 48 hours.

[ch1a]

Sorry for duplication!

[ch1a]

I just posted on another thread about ds1, his tongue tie, my flat nipples and our arduous mixed feeding journey. It was all a panic when after continually trying to latch him on two midwives panicked me that I had to give formula now as his blood sugar was getting too low, yet then proceeded to say that I would only get one bottle of formula as I should still be trying to breastfeed. It was really stressful. This time at 39 weeks I'm prepared if that happens again. I'll be manually expressing colostrum and then if necessary I have a medela pump, calma teat, and steriliser waiting in boxes to be opened when I get home. I also have a couple of cartons of hipp in case.

That said I wouldn't necessarily buy it all now. For me its a reaction to what happened last time and my need in the run up to the birth to feel prepared.

I did send dp on a late night trip to mother care last time and he arrived with the shittest breast pump and bottles set that baby wouldn't take to and showed faults in a few weeks. If I were you I would just plan what you will get if you need it...in which case you can just give a specific list to someone to go get it for you. Even the crap set I had cost a lot of money and it wasn't well spent. At least if you know what you would buy then you avoid this situation.

That said I'm hoping I can leave all mine in the boxes and get a full refund as breastfeeding is going to go amazingly this time for me as ds2

[ch1a]

I just posted on another thread about ds1, his tongue tie, my flat nipples and our arduous mixed feeding journey. It was all a panic when after continually trying to latch him on two midwives panicked me that I had to give formula now as his blood sugar was getting too low, yet then proceeded to say that I would only get one bottle of formula as I should still be trying to breastfeed. It was really stressful. This time at 39 weeks I'm prepared if that happens again. I'll be manually expressing colostrum and then if necessary I have a medela pump, calma teat, and steriliser waiting in boxes to be opened when I get home. I also have a couple of cartons of hipp in case.

That said I wouldn't necessarily buy it all now. For me its a reaction to what happened last time and my need in the run up to the birth to feel prepared.

I did send dp on a late night trip to mother care last time and he arrived with the shittest breast pump and bottles set that baby wouldn't take to and showed faults in a few weeks. If I were you I would just plan what you will get if you need it...in which case you can just give a specific list to someone to go get it for you. Even the crap set I had cost a lot of money and it wasn't well spent. At least if you know what you would buy then you avoid this situation.

That said I'm hoping I can leave all mine in the boxes and get a full refund as breastfeeding is going to go amazingly this time for me as ds2

[hubbahubster]

With DC1 we mix-fed from the start due to my huge blood loss = no milk supply. This time, I bought a couple of cartons of ready-made Hipp milk (under a quid each) and had a couple of new unused bottles from a box I bought for DC2 stashed away. We had a microwave steriliser already but if you're just starting out I wouldn't bother - just boil your bottles and then close them up, pop in fridge and they'll stay sterile until you need to crack them open.

As it happens I haven't needed any of this stuff as DC2 is BF like a champion, glad I didn't waste more than a couple of quid on it! By the time I'm ready to give her a bottle, she'll need bigger teats etc anyway.

[Igggi]

If you suspect someone else might try to feed the baby "to give you a break" without your permission (thinking of you, dm) then I wouldn't have any formula in the house! Unless you live in middle of nowhere you'll be able to get it is you need it. Use formula early on before milk supply is established and it might interfere with this, plus the baby won't be exclusively bf, if that's important to you (it was to me, for allergy reasons primarily).
I'd second the microwave steriliser, handy for dummies too if you use them. I've had a manual pump and an electric, electric definitely better and I was able to sell mine on (for a small amount) when finished. Good luck! The feeding boards here are great for advice, better than your health visitor usually :)

[gatti]

I am 32wks with my first baby and I was wondering the same thing. After speaking to other mums and my midwife I bought a set 4 bottles just in case but also learnt that these will come in handy when I want to express and have my hubby involved in feeding.

Also, later, these will be useful for water, juice or herbal teas before the baby is able to drink from a cup.

I was really tempted to get a fancy set (bottles, pump, steriliser)but they super expensive and I don't think I will use it.

To sterilise my bottles I will use boiling water and large pot. I will try to hand-express.

If you want to use a pump better get an electric one - otherwise you will end up squeezing the pumping mechanism which is more frustrating than hand-expressing!

[frankiebuns]

I planned to breast feed first child had no bottles sterilizer etc son took one look at boob and u could see his expression and what am I supposed to do with that! The hospital asked me if bi wanted sma or cow and gate bottle formula and they even gave me 7 day supply to go home with I plan to breast feed this time but I have bottles as back up just incase

[springbabydays]

I bought a pump, steriliser and bottle kit before hand - I planned to ebf and wanted to choose it all at my leisure rather than in a panic or with a baby distracting me. I didn't use them for ages and had to buy different bottles as ds didn't like one particular teat.

[beccajoh]

Yes just to say about introducing a bottle. I know 'they' say wait until six weeks but everyone I know who has done this has really struggled to get their baby to take the bottle. Dad giving a bottle when your baby is a week old, and you need more than an hours sleep at a time is not going to wreck your milk supply. I'm of the opinion that if things are hard going then the occasional bottle, whether it's expressed milk or formula, is a good thing if it gives mum a bit of a break. I found breastfeeding really hard work. I rarely got more than 1-2 hours sleep at a time for about the first three months. It was brutal. It's not unusual for breastfeeding mums. I'm not trying to scare you at all - but all the advice (if I can call it that) I'd received was that breast is best, a proper latch shouldn't hurt, you'll get more sleep if you breastfeed (my mind still boggles at this one) just didn't prepare me. It's natural, right? Easy peasy - why would anyone need to use bottles, women have been doing this for thousands of years etc (v simplistic way of looking at it!) I could do it fine, just wasn't prepared in any shape or form for my baby wanting to be permanently attached to a boob for the first five months.

[feeona123]

If you are wanting to express, then introducing a bottle at around 3 weeks is meant to be the best time.

Any longer and they just might refuse it.

My baby is just over 8 weeks and is mixed fed. At first I was giving her bottles of breast milk, but due to slow weight gain I had to start her on formula as well. We 're still on 2 bottles of formula a day and the rest breast.

It was very handy having the pump on hand in the first few weeks. She had tongue tie so I was in a lot of pain, so pumping helped while my nipples healed.

I didn't buy any formula until we needed it. If your determined to bf then leave off buying the formula. Someone can easily buy it for you if necessary.

My hand pump came with a microwave steriliser which was handy.

[theborrower]

onelittletoddle it's a loooong story, but I had an EMCS, a baby who was full term but low birth weight (5lb 4oz), and who had a tongue tie that wasn't properly diagnosed for several weeks and wasn't fixed til 8 weeks. I was in hospital for 4 days and not one midwife could get her to latch - she physically couldn't do it. Sometimes babies just can't. She got there in the end though, after a frickin horrendous few weeks.

You were fortunate to have a textbook baby. I'm hoping this next one will cut me some slack and be one too :-)

[mewkins]

Is there anyone you can borrow a steriliser from? The tommee tippee microwave one is good and often on offer if not (all bottles fit in I think not just tommee tippee). I mix fed and the hospital used Nuk teats for their bottles. Apparently they are good for newborns in the first few days and fit most bottles (but nothing fits tommee tippee apart from TT ones annoyingly).

This time round I have a new mam bottle pack (am planning to mix feed again), plus an aptimil ready sterilised pack for hospital (likely to be in for two or three days). Dh can also do some sterilising etc when vvisiting.

I had planned to ebf but things didn't work out with dd1(dd jaundiced, getting dehydrated, tongue tie etc) so things don't always go to plan and it's better to feel a bit prepared.

[PenguinsHatchedAnEgg]

Toddle - Babies differ. None of my three have been interested in feeding during the first hours. I know that the books all claim they will be, but not at all in my case. All too knackered from coming out! DD1 had slightly less skin to skin as forceps and was off being checked over and then wrapped up a bit, but the other two were born at home. Think I had about two hours of skin to skin with DS this time round. In fact, DD1 was the one most open to encouragement to feed. DS didn't feed properly for at least 12 hours after he was born (but at three weeks is now semi-permanently attached).

[beccajoh]

When you're in hospital if your baby is genuinely in need of milk they'll provide it. 24 hour supermarkets aren't always open. Sunday evening/night for example.

I would have a back up. I bf my first with no problems at all. My second was a nightmare and had formula from fairly early on.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

I didn't mean to be patronising. I had a very good midwife at post delivery who put DD on my chest and asked me to feed her straight away. I must have put bf in my birth notes.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

Actually I'm surprised how many of you were discharged without having a feed at the hospital! DD fed straight away at birth. During skin to skin I couldn't get her off my breasts. I naively listened to Gina Ford about swapping breasts. And then she fed more during the night and in the morning. DH went home for the night and got me clothes, the car seat etc to pick me up. And even then we waited for a bit before DD was checked and discharged. So in my mind there is enough time for him to go to the supermarket in any case. I heard of local mums who sent family out for tiny baby clothes before discharge too. Basically I would have known if the baby would latch by that point.

I'm guessing it's another case of hospital doing things very differently? Or maybe as a new mum it didn't occur to you that babies should be straight onto breasts when doing skin to skin? (I did notice no one did it in OBEM).