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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Should I buy bottles if planning on breastfeeding?

77 replies

careerandfam · 20/04/2018 16:02

Hello, new mum to be here!

I am hoping to breastfeed and haven't got any bottles/steriliser as was hoping to do it exclusively. I'm now panicking what happens if I cannot do it, baby doesn't latch etc.

Should I go and buy all the equipment in case of?! If so what would you recommend I need?

Thank you!

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ificouldwritealettertome · 21/04/2018 11:23

There is no one who would have wanted to BF more than me. Honestly. But during labour my breech DD got very stuck and damaged her neck which resulted in her losing the natural reflex to latch and suck. After my emcs I was kept in for 6 days just to feed her.

I wish so much that I had bought a pump as I could have encouraged my milk supply in the hospital. I pumped for 4 months but those first few days are so important for milk supply and I only ever managed to make around half what she needed (and maintaining that was SO hard).

She eventually had physio and her natural ability to latch and suck returned but my supply dwindled and disappeared without my regular pumping schedule.

Bottles I already had as I was hoping to produce SO much milk I had to express (wishful thinking) but I would really recommend a few bottles of formula in the cupboard and definitely a pump. You can get some for around £30 from Amazon

elefunk · 21/04/2018 11:28

I bought some, never used them! They're pretty easy to get hold of quickly, so I wouldn't bother.

ChocolateWombat · 21/04/2018 11:29

It's a shame if having a back-up plan to ensure your baby can be fed in the event that mother cannot BF for whatever reason, is seen as being akin to secretly wanting to have an excuse to do something bad - like end to eating chocolate or caving on a diet.

C-sections, babies in special care and all kinds of other unplanned things can happen to prevent immediate breastfeeding or later feeding.....these are not failures on the part of the mother. In these situations, there is no merit in being able to say 'look, I didn't buy bottles - I really was someone who intended to EBF, not one of those people who always secretly planned to bottle feed' - and yes, we can get to shops etc, but with a hungry baby, any waiting could just be very stressful.......is there really any need to put yourself through it, or the risk of it?

I'd buy some bottles - keep the receipts so you can take them back.....display those receipts to all and sundry if you feel you need to justify having even bought the evil items, but as in most situations, having a back-up is good planning and a sign of being prepared, not lack of commitment!

It's the same with reusable nappies - yes, have them and plan to use them, but a few disposables on hand is a good idea and doesn't mean you will 'cave' on the reusables.

MerryDeath · 21/04/2018 11:35

i didn't buy anything. my baby is still breastfeeding and he's 1 yo. don't overthink it.

allthatmalarkey · 21/04/2018 11:37

As my Mum told me, babies are born bombproof. Your milk won't come in for around 3-5 days so babies can last without until then (adults and children can't). A good midwife will be telling you not to worry at the time and if it is time to try a bottle, they'll tell you then too.
I bought one bottle, but I was planning to try to express and have DH do a bottle a day. You should be able to buy a carton of ready made up milk at a convenience shop unless you are somewhere really remote. Do your research now on what you would like to get so you can just press go if you need to, then sit back and relax and you'll probably never need to think about this again.
By the way, the first month or two does tend to be busier than you could possibly imagine and you will do a lot of buying stuff you didn't know you needed. A proportion of it will be stuff that doesn't work or you didn't really need it for long, wish I'd managed to do more borrowing and second hand.
Good luck with everything!

allthatmalarkey · 21/04/2018 11:45

You can often borrow BF equipment. Hospital and community midwives may have a pump, for example. Check out local NCT group too. I'd avoid buying a pump if you can, they're pricey. Try second hand or see if someone has finished with theirs. Boots sell microwave steriliser bags if you don't want to buy a steriliser until you know how things are going. Also, Milton fluid is a cheap way of sterilising and useful for so many things.

3stonedown · 21/04/2018 11:48

I wouldn't recommend having bottles ready. I did and I think it's part of the reason I stopped breastfeeding after 5 days. I was so tired she was feeding every 40 mins (normal I know) and I just thought sod this and got the bottles out. If they weren't in the house I think I would have stuck it out a bit more

ICJump · 21/04/2018 11:52

I’ve breastfeed for seven years and use a bottle maybe three times. I borrow the bottle from an NCT friend when I borrowed her pump.

KittTheCar · 21/04/2018 11:59

I did and never used them.

If I were doing it again I'd buy minimum and get what need after baby comes. Including clothes - some we had were too small for her even when newborn!

I was on mat leave and excited though so pressed the consumer max button DH and I both enjoy shopping so, well.

GummyGoddess · 21/04/2018 12:09

@MeadowHay I'm half convinced that the nhs recommends that to boost breastfeeding rates as if you can last 6 weeks you're likely to continue.

The people that have said that their baby lost interest after introducing a bottle, how often did they use a bottle? More than once a day at first and I imagine baby would start refusing to breastfeed. There's also a huge amount of shame/guilt around not breastfeeding so people might be a bit economical with the truth as they're worried they'll be unfairly judged.

Hugepeppapigfan · 21/04/2018 12:12

I had a pump kit that came with a bottle or two. I EBF for over 12 months but my baby was bottle and tube fed expressed milk for a few weeks at the beginning (prem).

FusRoDah · 21/04/2018 12:28

I bought one bottle and a pack of those microwave steriliser bags. Didn't pre-buy any actual formula though, so it wasn't too 'easy' to give a bottle in the night.

As it happened we got readmitted to hospital day 5 for weight loss/jaundice and put on formula top ups, so that stuff did come in handy, we just picked up the formula itself on the way back from the hospital.

knottybeams · 21/04/2018 12:36

I had a steriliser and a couple of bottles with the breast pump. That would have been enough if it had all gone tits up, but no formula, despite my dm being horrified that we didn't have any just in case. Bf for 13m first time, 5m and counting this time

eeanne · 21/04/2018 12:45

I’ve never bought formula ever, DC1 BF exclusively beyond a year and DC2 is 5 months old. Unless you live somewhere very remote there’s no need to buy in advance. I did use bottles because I expressed and bought those in advance.

Using bottles and formula early when breast milk supply isn’t established is an extremely common reason that BF “fails” for many women. Every bottle feed that isn’t matched by removing milk from the breast signals the body to produce less milk. Supply starts to drop, baby seems hungry, more formula given...etc

wineandcheeseplease · 21/04/2018 12:48

I did. I dont have amazon prime and ended up needing to use them out of desparation due to tongue tie

fontofnoknowledge · 21/04/2018 12:56

Absolutely yes to buying a couple of bottles and introducing as soon as possible. Unless you want to be attached to a baby 24/7.. the idea sounds lovely but for me it was a fucking nightmare. It also meant DH was excluded from feeding which is pretty much all little babies do when not sleeping .. doesn't mean baby has to have anything other than breast milk. So if the badge of EBF is important to you then you don't have to compromise.
From a relationship point of view , first baby is a very intense experience and very easy to create a lovely bubble of you and baby and very easy to exclude the father. From my experience mixed breast and bottle with expressed milk gives best of all worlds . No compromise on milk quality (although formula is so good these days that it is barely worth mentioning ) and also includes dad. Plus you get to have a sleep, go out, have a shower.. all winners in my book.
Second child's babyhood was far more relaxed than me being attached to a baby all day and we both bonded with baby early on, not just me.

rainingcats · 21/04/2018 13:06

I don't think it's a bad thing to have a few bottles etc in your house, if you don't use them then great. I got a few bottles as freebies from attending baby events e.g.) mothercare expectant parent event and also a voucher from boots baby club so you may be able to collect a few bottles that way without expense - steriliser just get a large container and use Milton tablets or look out on amazon or baby events for a stearaliser

Dobbythesockelf · 21/04/2018 13:20

I bought bottles with my first and I fed her for 9 months. They were a God send when I got ill and couldn't feed her easily all the time. She was mix fed from 6 weeks due to my illness. I have bought bottles this time as well. I don't see a problem with being prepared. I didn't buy formula because I knew the shop in the village sold it but bottles and sterilised I bought beforehand on offers in supermarkets. I wasn't tempted to give up on breastfeeding they just gave me a nice safety net that made me feel more comfortable.

SVRT19674 · 21/04/2018 13:26

I will have some bottles just in case. My friend had to have an emergency cesarean and her milk didn't come in three days and three nights. The best laid plans always have a backup.

eeanne · 21/04/2018 13:52

Milk’s not meant to come in for three days...

This is why people “fail” at breastfeeding.

riddles26 · 21/04/2018 13:54

I did because I wanted to introduce expressed milk in bottle by the end of week 2 to avoid aversion to the bottle. A small mam starter kit is sufficient, you don't need a full collection. Also, as pp said, mam bottles can be sterilised in the microwave.

Not sure if it's still the case but boots used to offer one bottle free when you join their parenting club - may be worth finding out about.

GummyGoddess · 21/04/2018 13:58

@allthatmalarkey It isn't true that babies don't need milk for three days unlike children and adults. There was a story recently about a baby who had severe brain damage after not being fed for more than 15 hours here. When people say milk comes in, they mean the usual milk, there's still colostrum there for baby to drink, they don't just dry nurse for a few days.

I don't want to sound like a horrible patronising know-it-all, but it's important that people know that babies do need food for the first few days.

SVRT19674 · 21/04/2018 14:25

@eeanne. Not even colostrum? Don't think so. This baby lost half a kilo in three days, which is massive and had to stay hospitalised until que gained back at least half of what he'd lost. Also crying like a lunatic was a sure sign he was starving.

eeanne · 21/04/2018 14:37

@SVRT19674 you didn’t say colostrum, you said milk. If you meant colostrum you should have been clear.

Many women incorrectly believe gushes of white milk should be there the day of birth and if not formula is needed.

LeighaJ · 21/04/2018 14:55

I'm planning on breastfeeding but also bought a double breast pump, bottles, and a sterilizer because my husband wants to be able to get up with her and let me sleep sometimes instead of it all being on me. Figured it may come in handy in other scenarios too.

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