FTM breastfeeding/bottle

[Rebeccaftm24]

Hi all, hopefully this isnt a silly question, though I'm expecting my first baby at the end of July and I'd like to give breastfeeding a go, though I'm also conscious that it just doesnt work for some new Mums, so won't be putting myself under huge pressure. The thing I'm wondering is how should I prepare beforehand, do I buy bottles/sterilising unit etc. etc. or is it best to wait and see if I get on ok with breastfeeding. Also maybe I need some of this even if I'm able to breastfeed i.e. bottles if i am able to express? Any advice would be much appreciated as I'm so clueless and I'm trying to be as organised in advance as i can. Thanks

I was in the same situation as you with my first pregnancy and couldn’t decide whether to buy bottle feeding things in advance just in case. I decided not to in the end and ultimately this is probably why I hit my goal of breastfeeding for 6 months, because I couldn’t give up and use a bottle on a difficult night and then everything seemed a little better by morning. Breastfeeding is hard, particularly when little ones cluster feed, but it gets easier and honestly when we switched to bottles at 6 months, they seemed like so much faff in comparison!

I bought one of the premade infant starter packs for the hospital in case needed (wasn't) and a single glass bottle in same make as the single pack of dummies we bought as I figured at some point I'd want to express even if breastfeeding going well and preferred glass to plastic. Thing is, baby may not have liked the teats of one make and could have spent loads on bottles that either weren't used or baby wouldn't take anyway. Figured that was all needed for super urgent, everything else is available even in supermarkets or amazon so easy to get within 24 hours.

Doesn't have to be either or. You can bf and use bottles so yes buy some bottles with size 1 teats and a steriliser. You'll also want a breast pump or formula. I
found bf easy and lots of mums do but you won't hear us say it out loud because of people who are struggling so don't assume you can't. I bf during the day and for night feeds. DH did all the evening feeds around bathtime using bottles of expressed milk. After a few months we used formula for those evening bottles. This also means if you want to rest or go out in the evening you can as baby is used to getting bottles from dad.

Worked really well and plan to do the same again for DC2 when he arrives.

Thanks all, it's really good to hear different peoples perspectives and what worked/didn't work. I like the sound of either expressing or using formula so my partner can get the chance to do some of the feeds too. I like to be super organised but I suppose it's pretty much just trial and error once baby is here!

I am in the same boat so thank you for asking this question! Want to breastfeed but also would like to be able to express/formula so DH can do some night feeds and a few weeks down the line when we may want to go out for an evening.

I joined the boots parenting club on the boots app, and got a couple of free mam bottles. They are handy as they can be sterilised in the microwave without any extra equipment needed.
Didn't end up using them though, so I was quite glad we didn't spend money on them in the end.

Oh thanks for this, I must get signed up to that!

In the early days I understand you should feed as much as possible from your breasts. Every feed boosts your oxytocin, which is great for you and also boosts milk production. Baby with a good latch will get more milk from you than a pump would too. I had a manual pump and a single bottle (given for free in one of those baby bags) on standby as well as a few bottles of formula. We did use the formula, bottle and pump but honestly I think their minimal use is why I BF for so long. It's hard and you need to really persevere through cluster feeds and hurdles, but it IS worth it. I made it to 15 months and only gave up because I got pregnant. Really miss it now.

The oxytocin boost really is something special.

Most people find expressing difficult. My baby will literally unlatch and spray my milk all over his face, but I get shit all from expressing. Its not the same. You're also not supposed to express until breastfeeding is established (6ish weeks) as baby is better at forming supply etc. You also can't express colostrum (early milk). If you want to formula feed go for it, no judgement. But you'll probably drop the breastmilk really quickly unless you start with doing it predominantly or try expressing too early.

I found the nature bond way better than pumping and meant I could catch the milk leaking from the other boob while baby was feeding them pop it in fridge / freezer if needed for a bottle. I found bf simple and carried on til ds was 3. Stopping was more problematic than starting!

Thank you, I've had a look at this and it sounds really good, and not expensive to try it either which is always a bonus!

I've had 1 formula fed (allergies and to guess tie meant breastfeeding and pumping didn't work for me - had I been better prepared, I think it could have...).

I breastfed my second exclusively (still am at just gone 2 years, she won't give it up...). For her, I used nipple cream, breastfeeding pads, and a pump for during work.

If you really want to try your best to breastfeed, I'd really recommend watching videos of latches. Read, so you know what's normal and isn't. People say it shouldn't hurt, but my experience is that it does at first, like tiny daggers when the let down happens, and while your supply settles, they feel bruised. The positives far outweigh the negatives for me though!

If you want to prepare for both but minimise the waste, you could get Milton sterilising tablets and some ready made cartons. Bottles and powder and steam sterilisers are easy to come by quickly if need be.

Best advice I got was to pack a few of the ready bottles of first formula from the chemists in my hospital bag as they’re ideal for newborns in hospital as you don’t need to sterilise them. When baby was born with a weak suck and a tongue tie but really hungry I used them. Ultimately with a lot of specialist support I managed to bf but those little ready bottles got us through the first few difficult days before my milk came in and I could pump with a hospital grade pump.

I wouldn’t bother until baby is here. You can get next day delivery if you need bottles. I’m not buying anything apart from Moses basket and car seat until baby is here safe and well

I knew I wanted to bottle feed from the start so I had lots and lots of the pre-made formula bottles that come with a teat attached. Maybe you could get a few of them as a just in case for the very beginning because you don’t need to sterilise them etc.

I knew I didn’t want to breast feed but wanted to be organised so bought in advance bottles , steriliser, formula and mini ready made bottles for hospital. Much easier now as you can order a perfect prep and bottles etc for next day delivery from Amazon.