Introduction Bottle Immediately with Breastfeeding

Hi C.,
With my first child, I wasn't producing enough milk so we needed to supplement with formula from about the 2nd week on. I would breastfeed first and then offer her the bottle. She never had any problems with nipple confusion. Plus it is easier to get them to take the bottle before 6 weeks. We used the Dr.Brown bottles (narrow kind) and then switched to the Born Free bottles. Good Luck

I actually heard the same thing but I had to go back to work in 6 weeks so I introduced the bottle ASAP so that the baby would get used to both. My daycare provider said that even though she would take the bottle, it was what was in the bottle that made it. When she had formula in teh bottle she would not really drink it, but when there was breast milk in there she would finish off the bottle and want more!

I too went back to work soon after having my daughter. I used silicon, stage 1 bottle nipples (labeled as "Newborn") the entire time I was nursing my daughter. That way she had to work almost the same amount whether she was nursing with me or drinking from a bottle. I actually didn't have her start using a bottle immediately; however, she had some problems about 6 weeks after birth and the doctor put her on special formula for about a week. She refused for the first two feedings but then adjusted quickly. When we went back to full nursing a week later, she had no problems switching between the two.

I say it depends on the baby! Both my baby and my sister's baby were introduced to bottles earlier than two weeks, and had no problem switching back and forth. I breastfed until one month (had to stop due to physical problems--not planned!) and my sister breastfed until 4 mos, and both could eat from a breast or bottle equally well. However, I have heard stories of other babies who would not latch onto the breast after being fed from a bottle, because the bottle is easier (but I don't personally know anyone who had that problem). If I were you, considering your health and need for sleep, I would nurse in the hospital and during the day when I got home, and let my husband bottle feed at night. If the baby won't go back to breastfeeding after bottle feeding, you can pump during the day too and bottle feed yourself. I know several women who fed their babies exclusively breast milk from a bottle rather than breastfeeding, and they were happy. Find the situation that works best for you and your baby. Even if you end up switching to formula, it's not the end of the world. Yes, breast milk is best, but formula's darned good, too. Your baby will be fine no matter what you choose.

I say do what you need to do. With your fibro, you need sleep. I'm sure your baby will adjust fine and if she doesn't, then you can worry about it. Take care & congratulations on the new baby! C.

Hi C.,
I have a similar experience to many who have already replied. I had the same concern with my daughter when she was born after reading up on all the books which tell you how to be the "good" parent and no bottles or pacifiers for a month.
Because it took me ~5 days for my milk to come in, we ended up having to supplement my daughter with formula due to weight loss. While the time we had to supplement ended up being very short, our lactation consultants gave us a few options. We tried finger feeding her first (using a syringe and a little tube taped around my husbands finger). She would suck on his finger (more like mom than a bottle) and we would administer the milk thru the tube. It was a mess. We both got tired of it very quickly. So. next our lactation consultants recommended the First Years BreastFlow bottles. She started taking a bottle within her first week. My husband would feed her a bottle of pumped milk and I could get some extra rest. My daughter had NO issue transitioning from breast to bottle. At 10 months, she still nurses when I am home with her, and takes a bottle at daycare. We continue to use the same bottles with a faster flow nipple. The only downside to the bottles is there is a nipple within the nipple which equals more parts to wash.
Congrats on your little girl and supportive hubby. Good luck.

Hi C.,

While the "experts" do reccomend not doing both before this time, you have to keep in mind that that is based on text book knowledge and that your daughter is not a text book! You just have to try..I know several women that have had no problem with it, once they experimented with different nipples on the bottles. Your health is what's most important first and foremost, in order to be the wonderful loving mama that you've been given the privilege to be! So don't get caught up in what "they" say, and you do what's best for your family. Through a little time and experimentation I think you'll all do just fine! My mother suffers from Fibromyalgia, and I know the devistating effects that this disease has on the physical body. I know the sleepless nights she continues to have...So the better you take care of your self, the longer you'll last at the end of the day! I hope this helps.

A little about me:

I am a 35 year old happily married stay at home mama to 4 awesome little boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4. We are a Christian family, and we are a homeschooling family. God has blessed me with a husband that works hard in order to keep us together as a stay at home family, and I love him for that!

i have to tell you that none of my babies had nipple confusion, but that is just my story. you are going to hear ALL kinds of stories, but the bottom line is do what is best for you and baby. immediately after birth i had my babies nurse, but i also allowed the bottle b/c i, too, was back to work after 6 weeks. you are going to have to try different nipples depending on your baby too. my last baby (#3) preferred the brown nipples (texture i assume) and the cheap bottles (thank god) whereas my oldest preferred the most expensive bottle that was out there (hasn't changed since). my kids were happy to eat whether it was by breast or bottle. what grandmothers and other mothers told me was that: bottom line... you baby may or may not take to a bottle right away & they might be cranky, but no child will starve and eventually will eat how he has to. good luck!

C.,

I have fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis (diagnosed with the latter while pregnant), and not exhausting myself was extremely important to my being able to parent. I will repeat to you the trite but true saying that people told me: you can't take care of anyone else if you don't take care of yourself first. My son was born quite early and was given bottles in the NICU until he could handle being breastfed (apparently more tiring for him). He transitioned from one to the other just fine pre his due date (I really do think it's individual) but took so little milk from the breast that I then had to pump, and when I was done with pumping, it was basically time to breastfeed again. I was exhausted! So, I pumped and bottle fed breastmilk exclusively. I also practiced kangaroo care, which the nurses at the NICU had all parents do. Kangaroo care is holding your baby with just a diaper on against your bare chest and putting a blanket over both of you to keep the baby warm (at least preemies need the blanket -- not sure about term babies). With kangaroo care, the baby can hear your heartbeat and breathing patterns, and you both have opportunities to bond. For us, kangaroo care took the place of breastfeeding (though, again, I pumped and fed him breastmilk -- my freezer was stocked w/ little glass bottles!), and everything seems to have turned out just fine (my son is now 5 yrs old). Renting a hospital grade pump is key to switching to pumping only, if you choose to go this route. Please take care of yourself and know that your baby needs you to feel as good as possible. We all do the best we can given our specific circumstances, and we all have challenges that affect the way we parent. So please don't lay a guilt trip on yourself. You need to take care of yourself because having a healthy, happy mommy will do more for your baby than anything else. Best to you as you await your baby girl. Surely she is lucky to have such a loving and concerned mommy waiting for her!

Do what you need to do for your health and the health of your whole family. You need to be able to stay healthy in order to best care for her and to produce milk. Most likely your little girl will figure out the difference in nipples with no problem. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions on good bottles to try...I had very good luck with both my children transitioning back and forth with the Playtex Natural Latch. Worst case scenario might be her preferring one over the other...but chances are that hunger will win! And if she ends up getting your milk exclusively from a bottle, the important thing is that she gets the nutrients from your milk as much as possible, because you and your hubby will make holding her and cuddling her and letter her feel loved while she eats happen regardless of whether she's getting bottle or breast.

Okay, I wasnt sure what nipple confusion really meant until I attended the Breast Feeding class at the Hospital after I had my daughter. The problem with giving a baby a bottle and breast is that the nipple on the bottle lets out more milk than the breast, the milk flows much faster out of the bottle. So when you feed your baby with a bottle they get used to getting milk faster. Then, when you try to give her your breast she will get frustrated because the milk doesnt come out as fast or as much. So, the only thing you can do is either strictly breast feed or strictly pump, using both doesnt work. If you are planning to go back to work what you could do is stick to the breast while youre home then the week before you go back to work transition her to the bottle and then stick to pumping.

While nipple confusion is out there, I think that you should do what works best for you and keeps you healthiest for your baby. My son was supplimented from day one with the bottle and formula and did just fine. Breastfeeding is best, but you should not feel like you failed if you need to suppliment with formula in order for you to remain healthy for your baby. Try to rest when baby rests and don't push yourself. Congratulations on your upcoming bundle of joy.

I needed to introduce the bottle to my daughter around 4 weeks because I had Postpartum Depression and needed to sleep through the night to get better and mainly just to function. My hubby gave her expressed breastmilk during the night in a bottle, and during the day she nursed (occasionally had a bottle in the daytime if I was sore). She had absolutely no problems going back and forth. I had an oversupply of milk even though I was not nursing at night, so it really just depends on you and your baby. We also gave her a binky and she went between all of these nipples without any confusion.

It really sounds like you NEED your uninterrupted sleep to function with fibro, and there are worse things than your baby having just expressed breastmilk in a bottle formula if she in fact does prefer the bottle to the breast, if it comes down to that. Please keep this in mind and do not feel guilty or bad about however it turns out. You need to be well in order to care for your baby and family.

Best wishes!!
A.

Hi,
I have a 21 month old daughter and a 4 month old daughter. With my first daughter I had to supplement some milk in the beginning with a bottle because she had jaundice really bad and had to be fed more then I was producing. After a couple weeks of both breast and bottle (she was only 4 days when this started)I was able to go back to just the breast until my daughter was 5 weeks old. I then started pumping and giving her a bottle a few times a week in order to get breaks from her and prepare her for my return to work. My daughter never had "nipple confusion", and I was able to bottle and breastfeed her until she was 9 months old.
Lots of info, but I hope this helps! Good luck!

W.

My Little guy was in the NICU and they wanted him to get so much a day so we had to suplement a bottle with every feeding. He never had nipple confusion. I say you have to do what is best for your family. Your baby is not going to be healthy if you are not.

My advice would be wait the first week if you can until your milk has come in and the baby's latch is good to intorduce the bottle. This allows both of you to get good at breastfeeding. Nipple confusion really should be called nipple preference. A bottle usually flows faster and provides milk quicker than the breast. For the first week for nighttime feedings have your husband bring the baby to you. Nurse the baby while lying on your side and then he can take the baby change it if needed and put it back to bed. Also have the nurses in the hospital help you learn to nurse lying down so that your rest is less disturbed. Also early on going all night without pumping or feeding can cause problems with supply so you might consider, one nightitme nursing for the first month or so just to keep the milk supply up.

Introducing a bottle earlier can be ok if the baby is taking the breast well. However, a bottle is can give milk quicker/"easier" and requires a different type of sucking. If they try to nurse on you the same way as on the bottle it can be painful for the mom. So make sure they are latching well before offering a bottle. If you are uncomfortable during nursing then they do not have a proper latch yet. They are born eager to nurse but remember you and they have to learn how to nurse effectively and comfortably. The bottle requires them to suck like from a straw and breastfeeding requires them to surround the areola and use their tongue and sort of gulp. Also, the first two weeks are crucial for establishing your milk supply. Your supply works on a supply and demand method. For breastfeeding it is recommended to nurse every 2-3 hrs for the first 2 weeks to encourage your body to increase your supply. For each nursing you miss by giving a bottle you should pump. If you do no nurse during the night from the start your body will drop your milk production. If you want to breastfeed a support group for information and a lactation consultant can be very helpful. I loved my group. Be forwarned also that they have growth spurts at around 3 and 6 wks old and at 3 and 6 mths. They will want to nurse more often (sometimes hourly) for a couple of days to increase your supply. Support groups can also be great for advice about pumping at work. The nurses at the hospital should be able to give recommendations for support. Los Gatos Community hospital has a great support group.

I started bottle feeding breast milk my baby's third week. She accepted the bottle and breast and is still doing well on both. It not only helped me finish my internship but also has given me much needed flexiablity now. Our daughter is a "good eater" but also appears to enjoy getting fed by others. Don't worry, what "they" say "most babies" do doesn't have to mean your baby! Have someone else give the bottle first, make it a time of day that is good for your baby, and don't push it, just let your baby lead the way, may surprise you. Good luck, I have a lot of anxiety about that also, but it worked for us!

I returned to work at 6 weeks and we began introducing the bottle at four weeks. we did it gradually, starting with a single oz. and moving upward from there. The key seems to be schedule, expecation and follow through. You can make anything work, as long as you're willing to be consistent, safe, and smart about it.

Amrit Khalsa has a great method/schedule that worked wonderfully for our second child (we were in a different state with my first and she rejected bottle feeding at 10 weeks and never returned to it). Amrit is in El Cerrito and is a nurse/midwife and lactation consultant. Another great person to talk to would be Laura Monin (also a lactation consultant).

Good luck!

Hi! I can only share my own experience...I'm certainly no expert. I had read the same thing...however, I needed to go back to school (just a few hours a day!) a week after my daughter (now 5 months) was born, so I HAD to start with a bottle!
That being said, she was a champion breastfeeder right from the start - we gave her her first bottle when she was about 5/6 days old and she took that like a champ, too (what can I say, my girl loves to eat!)
I think the main thing to do is make sure that breastfeeding is "established" before introducing the bottle, to prevent confusion. Your hospital should have a lactation consultant on hand to discuss with you as well... but know that it can be done! Of course, as we all know, each baby is different - but it worked for us.

Unless you have a odd job, you get 12 weeks of paid leave.
I would not use bottle AT LEAST until 4 WEEKS. You need to establish a good supply and demand before you start introducing different nipples. Although my kids all came home with pacifers they didn't have any problems. They say pacifers is one way to reduce the risk of SIDS. But this is not a source of feeding, so it did not cause a problem. If you could do all the feedings, you are better off. At least for the first 4-6 weeks. So you don't feel exhausted, sleep during the day while baby sleeps. That's pretty much what they do all day long at that point anyways. If you use the NUK brand pacifer, it is the same shape your nipple will be after each feeding. Flat on the bottom and that is very similar to breast.
Good luck,
Trish

I have a 7 month old daughter and in my experience there was no nipple confusion. I had difficuly breastfeeding at first and started her on a bottle in the first couple weeks.the breastfeeding got better with some time but we continued to use a bottle so others could enjoy the feedings too. 7 months later she goes back and forth with no trouble.
Just one person's experience - but it may help you. Best of luck to you and your family.

Every baby is differant. I have 3 year old twins, and one of them got nipple confussion. This was not from a bottle, it was from a pacifier. It requires a differant king of sucking than if they were to be nursing or sucking from a bottle. My older two daughters didn't get nipple confussion. Babies have a wonderful way of adapting. You need to do what is best for your family. I would seek the advice from a lactation consultant as well, they advice they have is great. I would try and wait at least until your milk comes in before introducin a bottle.

We introduced the bottle at around 5 weeks (but I was returning to work after 5 months). I was worried about nipple confusion too, but it didn't really happen. We had to experiment with different types of nipples. You may also need to experiment with different kinds of positions to give the bottle. Sitting up in a bouncy chair, for example. Or giving the bottle from behind. I'd try to hold off on pumping as for at least a few weeks, because it could affect your supply. You might just have to see how breastfeeding is going and see what makes most sense to you at the time.

Going back to work is hard. CA has some pretty good paid time off policies, be sure to check those out to maximize your time off with your baby. Good luck with it!

I don't know where you are located, but I just saw a posting for a "Breastfeeding and the Working Mom" at Natural Resources, in SF. http://naturalresources-sf.com/class_feedingworking.html

Hi C.!

Congratulations on your soon to arrive bundle of joy!

I have a 2.5 year old little boy and an 8 week old little girl. I was paranoid to introduce both to the bottle due to what I was told about nipple confusion. However, I was having such pain breastfeeding with both that I needed to use a bottle to feed them pumped milk in order to give myself a chance to heal. With both kids, the bottle was introduced within the first week. Neither child had nipple confusion or had any issues switching back and forth between bottle and breast. I continued to breastfeed my son for a year (and he'd get bottles of pumped milk at daycare and in the middle of the night) and I'm still breastfeeding my little girl (and she gets a bottle of pumped milk in the middle of the night).

I'll never forget what a hospital pediatrician told me when I was having such a hard time getting breastfeeding started with my son (I'm sure some will argue with this - I'm just sharing what I was told)....she said that there is no scientific evidence that nipple confusion exists...it is all theory. She also pointed out that there are babies in the NICU who are fed pumped milk in bottles at first and who can successfully breastfeed when they are able to.

What's most important is that you do what is right for you and that you don't stress about it. There is nothing wrong with introducing a bottle if that's what will work best for you. Please don't let others make you feel otherwise. Breastfeeding is natural, but not easy - both you and your baby need to learn how to do it and find your rhythm. This can take a while...and being relaxed when trying to figure this all out is essential.

Good luck!

My biggest advice to you is to sleep when the baby is sleeping. I also have FM and a 2 1/2 yo girl and 2 mo old girl. I have strictly breast fed both of them (although we are trying to get our 2 mo old to take a bottle). I take a nap every day when they are napping. With both of them, if it meant that I could sleep, I nursed them in bed with me so that they would fall asleep too. It will take you at least 3-4 weeks to establish your milk supply and teach the baby to latch correctly and consistantly. My advice to you is to stick with the bf as much as possible and wait until that 4-5th week before introducing a bottle. The baby uses different muscles to bottle feed than to breast feed so be prepared for it to take a while. She also may not take it from your husband if you are nearby or if his clothes smell like you. The middle of the night isn't going to be the optimal time to teach her to bottle feed either. Try first thing in the morning when she is well rested and not over stimulated. Be prepared for her to reject breastmilk in the bottle all together. I had that problem with my first...she never took a bottle at all but started on a sippy cup at 5 months. My 2 month old rejected it too...she wants the real thing....so we are trying a little formula. If she doesn't take that then, oh well, I have the pleasure of strictly bf her too. Just listen to your body, rest and follow your precious baby's lead! I worked in pediatrics before having kids and have found that most mom's that try to get 8-10 breastfeedings in during the day only have to feed 1-2 times at night. That has helped me to get 6-7 hours of straight sleep at night with both girls. Good luck and congrats on the upcoming arrival!

We introduced a bottle at one week and our son never had nipple confusion. It was never a problem. Just be sure to use a very slow nipple. We used the Born Free bottle and I think the shape of that nipple really helped.

Hi C.,
I breastfed exclusively for a few days but needed to supplement with formula as I didn't produce enough milk. (runs in the family) My daughter never had problems latching on, in fact she was too aggressive! You need to do what you can to stay healthy, even if that means pumping and using a bottle. There is a bottle called Adiri which is the closest to a breast. You can get them at Baby-R-Us. As long as your baby is getting breast milk it doesn't matter if it is from you or a bottle.

On a different note, my mother has suffered from Fibromyalgia for 30+ yrs with intense pain and severe sleep problems. She went to a doctor here in Sacramento who focuses on the blood type diet and resetting your digestive system. My mom did this a 4-5 months ago and it has changed her whole life!!!! She is sleeping, her IBS-like symptoms and depression are gone and she has little pain. For the first time in my life, I see my mother happy and healthy without taking ANY prescription drugs. I urge anyone I know with Fibromyalgia to try it. If you want the doctor's name/number, email me. Perhaps he knows someone in your area that does the same thing.
Sincerely,
L.

I introduced the bottle to our daughter during the first week and she did great! I had no problem switching between breast and bottle. She is 7 months old now and doing great! I loved the born free and Dr. Brown glass bottles, they work much better for reducing air. Good luck

It truly depends on the baby whether they can handle two different types of nipples or not. There is no way to know for sure. Personally, I stopped producing enough milk to satisfy my son at about 5 weeks, no matter how much I pumped to try and increase supply. Then he got part breast, part pumped milk in a bottle and part formula. He did fine with both nipples and both breastmilk and formula. He was just one hungry baby! After awhile it was clear he wanted more and more formula and my milk supply didn't increase much so I just switched him totally to formula after 4 mo. and it worked fine. Even if your baby rejects the breast after awhile (some do because once they get the hang of the bottle, it is a faster flow and less work to get food and feel satisfied)and you use only the bottle it can still all be breast milk if you pump (for all the health benefits). Personally, it sounds like a great solution if your baby gets all her breastmilk from a bottle because of your health condition. She still gets the breastmilk and you will get more sleep at night and others can help when you need them to. After all, the healthier and better rested you are the better mommy you will be. I found Dr. Brown bottles to be well worth the money. This however, is a very personal choice. Good luck whatever you decide to do!

I pulled a muscle trying to vaginally deliver my 10 lb. 4 oz. son who was eventually delivered by C-section. As a result, I did not feel comfortable trying to nurse him when my husband was not at the hospital to help. Therefore, I nursed my son during the day in the hospital and the nurses gave him formula at night. Once got home, I nursed him exclusively unless we were away from home, in which case he was back to formula. I went back to work when he was 2 months old. I nursed him in the morning before work. Then my body adjusted to not producing milk during the day when he had formula from his day care provider. I did have to rush home from work or I would start leaking milk. Then I nursed him as soon as we got home and during the evening. I continued to nurse him until he was 8 months old when he figured out he could get more milk faster from a bottle. He never had a problem switching back and forth.

Dear C.,
Congratulations on your new baby! What an exciting time!
As for your question, all babies are different. I've known babies that nursed and also had the bottle just fine. I've known babies that preferred one or the other.
I nursed my baby for 3 months and because she was so little, I was afraid she wasn't getting enough milk so I tried to supplement with formula and she was just done with me after that. She liked the bottle better. That wasn't exactly what I had planned, but it made her happy and she was healthy and getting plenty to eat.
I'm no expert, but since your rest depends on it and your husband is willing to be up in the night for the feedings, you can certainly give it a try.
I know that when babies are born prematurely, they often have trouble latching on so they are bottle fed and mom pumps/introduces the breast to get them used to it. Many times, once they get a little bigger and get the hang of it, have no problem converting to the breast. Getting food in them is the main thing. Lots and lots of moms pump to have bottles ready for during the day when they are at work, etc.

I wish you the very best and a happy delivery. Let us know how things go, okay?

Hi C.,

Based on my experience I'd say go with the bottle at night...Both of my kids had a hard time taking the bottle when I went back to work because they did not get it consistently from the beginning. I have heard of problems with nipple confusion, too, so I hope that does not happen to you, but it can be very stressful if baby does not take a bottle and you are returning to work. Best wishes!

C.,

No need to worry. The fact is, while you and your baby are at the hospital they will introduce her to a bottle containing fructose water.

Being an old school mom I don't take much stock in the whole nipple confusion theory as all four of my kids were breast and bottle fed simultaneously. I did however use the playtex bottles with the natural nipple. It's more like mom's nipple and a lot less air...just remember to squeeze the air out after filling and you'll find she'll also be less colicky.

TIP: If your husband will be taking the "night shift" leave the shirt you wore that day close to the crib. He'll need it when she gets wiff of him and realizes that he is not you!!!!

Congratulations and Good Luck!!!!
CM

You have a good man if he's willing to wake with your daughter when she is born, at night.
I would for the first week or two- give on breast. Than get bottles that are like the breast and just as hard to suck as the breast.
Better to take care of yourself if it means that you are not going to be able to take care of your family. This way she won't be as mommy or daddy dependent either and can be taken care of by both of you.
If your worries come true about her giving up the bottle, than continue to pump and give. Either way she will get the best milk in the world- yours!

I had to introduce a bottle at 10 days due to my big baby not gaining his weight back. he is now 5 months..breastfeeding when with me and during the day able to take the bottle from the care provider. It worked great!.

From what I have heard as long as someone else is feeding your baby with the bottle she will not have nipple confusion. Also I have heard that it is actually good to get your baby use to a bottle within the first month for some feedings otherwise she may never want anything but the breast. Best of luck.