Planning to breastfeed - do I still need bottles + steriliser

[PuffsMummie]

Exactly that really, due in 2 weeks and planning to BF, but DH thinks we still ought to buy a pack of bottles + a steriliser.

Do we??

I would personally. I planned to exclusively breastfeed, but DS didn’t latch on until he was 9 days old and had a tongue tie clipped. I expressed milk and used formula and fed him with a bottle before then. Without he wouldn’t have been able to drink enough.

You don’t need a strelilizet though if your hoping not to use them. We used Mam bottles which can be sterilised in the microwave, which was useful when we visited family members and stayed overnight.

*sterilizer

Nope, I think you’re setting yourself up to fail if you know you always have back up in the cupboard. Amazon prime and 24 hour stores exist if you get really desperate, I wouldn’t buy stuff just in case.

You could get a breast pump that comes with a bottle. You may want to pump if you have sore nips.

And / or you could get some cheapy bottles from the supermarket and a bottle of Milton to sterilise. If you’re feeding expressed milk you’d need a pump anyway (see above).

Nope, I think you’re setting yourself up to fail if you know you always have back up in the cupboard.

Thanks, I hadn’t really considered that I’d ‘failed’ DS was hungry - he couldn’t get any milk out of me and was getting very distressed. I’m very glad I had the bottles as back up - some people will say ‘just persevere’ but why put your newborn DC through that kind of stress, just so you don’t feel you’ve ‘failed’.

I wouldn't bother just yet unless planning to pump. You can easily pick up MAM self sterilizing (microwave) bottles if you plan too. And if bf doesn't work out you can buy a starter pack of milk (milk with teats) for there and then, and buy a couple of bottles and formula later.

Thanks for all the advice.

I have bought a Haakaa pump, but do I need something else.. like a proper electric pump?

I plan to exclusively BF (if I can), then introduce a bottle with my expressed milk a bit later on (5,6 weeks) so DH can help with feeding once or so a day, and give me a bit of a break.

Does that sound like a realistic plan?

Thanks again for the advice.

I didn't leak much so that pump was pretty shit for me but others rave on it. I had electric which i just strapped on and could get on with things.

Sounds like a good plan. I think as long as you have a plan but are flexible and don't beat yourself up if it goes awry that's best.

You don’t sterilise bottles that are used for breast milk. My twins were in NICU and just washed in hot soapy water.

I didn't buy anything before my daughter was born. Breastfeeding went well for us (with lots of help and some practice). I checked in our local 24 hour supermarket. If you ever need some it is quick and easy to get premixed formula milk in an emergency. I didn't want to buy something that I hoped would go to waste.

This is interesting to read. All of a sudden I realized it didn't even cross my mind to bring a bottle! Reading all the answers, now I would probably bring a bottle and few bottles of ready made formula.
Even if I breastfed, we did use a bottle to give my expressed milk in several different occasions that I didn't plan/would have not think of: when DH was looking after the baby, when we had to add supplements to his milk, occasions when out to places where I found breastfeeding uncomfortable etc but now at 10 months I am using it sometimes even just for water if he struggles to drink it from a cup (he's almost fully trained on that but we went to a hot country and had to compromise!)....

I would incase you struggle to BF

@PuffsMummie if you do need a pump in the early days a lot of hospitals rent them out and you just pay a fiver or so for the sterile parts, this might be a lot cheaper for you (and they're hospital grade quality) until you decide whether you need or want to buy an electric one. I think its easy to buy loads of stuff just in case, but with such quick delivery times now I would wait and see. Combi feeding is doable, hopefully locally there will be a BF support group or someone who can help support and advise you to make it easier.

Also, as someone has mentioned if you do decide to get some in case, MAM bottles are excellent; no need for a steriliser as you can do it in the microwave, and they have a high acceptance rate amongst BF babies.

If you do manage to BF exclusively then no, you don't need bottles and a steriliser. I BF both my DC and never needed either, but see how you go. You can always buy them if you need them. I had a breast pump though and the little bottles that come with that and it was handy if I wanted to leave the DC with someone for an hour or two to get my hair done or go out for dinner. It's nice for the DF to feed the baby too once in a while.

They're quite readily available should you need them. I was a wreck after a week of breast feeding so my mum went out and bought me a breast pump, bottles and a microwave steriliser there and then so I could give my boobs a rest.

It gave me the room I needed to recover and persevere

Wouldn't bother buying. Worth researching what you're interested in and then buy when / if you need on Amazon Prime.

If planning to express get the breast pump sorted first then get sterilizing kit that works for that pump.

@Sandybval thanks, thats really helpful. Will do that, and yes, there are a number of breastfeeding drop in's around my area, almost one every day.

I took one of the starter kits in with me (the mini bottles with the sterile teats) and I did end up using some as both DC had tongue ties which needed to be snipped before they could properly latch.

I did buy an electric pump too as I needed to pump for both of them due to the aforementioned lack of latching!

I'd get the starter pack in advance and play the rest by ear (assuming you live somewhere with decent access to shops). Mothercare have pumps in stock and you can Amazon Prime most stuff.

With respect to pumping for one bottle a day it will depend on how you get on with it. Some people can bf really successfully but can't pump for example. I can get milk by pumping but I find it a massive faff so I only do it if I'm going somewhere and really need to. For me one of the massive benefits of bf is not having to wash bottles and sterilise stuff.

I'd say just go into it all with an open mind and go with what works for you.

I was gifted some bottles before my baby was born but have not touched them in the 5 months since he was born. Different peopled have different experiences with breastfeeding though and you may find youself giving expressed milk in a bottle or mixing breast feeding and formula. Although I didn't use the bottles it was reassuring to have them there in case I needed them. Once my son starts nursery he will have to go on a bottle so although I haven't used the bottles yet I know I will need then in the future.

Get the pre-made bottles with sterile teats. That's all you'd need in an emergency. Everything else you can get later if needed. I have a couple of friends who were undecided on feeding, spent over £100 on bottle feeding 'starter kits - just in case' - took fine to breastfeeding and those boxes full of plastic were still gathering dust 12 months later!

No, well not if you live in a city at least - if things don't pan out you can go and buy bottles, you can sterilise by boiling in a pan in emergency. My mum insisted I bought one, waste of money

Though I would say don't have nothing and do have a few bottles of ready to feed! From first hand experience you really don't want to be 5 days post partum, with a screaming starving newborn at 3am on a Sunday morning deciding you want to try formula and nothing easily available!

If you have got a microwave then just buy 2 Mam bottles as they self sterilise in the microwave so no electric steriliser needed. Also buy some ready made formula to put in the back of the cupboard for just in case.