How Do I Introduce a Bottle to My Baby?

Feeding your baby expressed milk: Your questions answered

When can you first feeding your baby expressed breast milk? What's the all-time mode to do information technology? And should yous be concerned well-nigh 'nipple defoliation'? We respond your questions about expressed milk feeding

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When should I start giving my baby expressed milk?

If your baby is healthy and breastfeeding is going well, in that location's no need to rush into giving her expressed milk. For the first four weeks, you lot're working together to initiate and build your chest milk supply while she learns to breastfeed efficiently. While at that place is limited data,¹ it is thought that unnecessarily introducing bottles during this crucial get-go month could interfere with these processes.

But if your newborn struggles to latch or suck for any reason, so start expressing milk as soon as possible after the nascence. Read our articles on overcoming problems in the first week and feeding breast milk to your premature babe or infant with special needs for more advice, every bit well as getting support from your healthcare professionals.

How can I feed expressed milk to my baby?

In that location is a range of expertly designed feeding solutions that can help you give expressed milk to your baby, depending on your and her needs.

For case, Medela's innovative Calma teat will only let milk to period when babies create a vacuum by sucking. This ways they tin feed from a bottle using the same technique, natural language motion and jaw motion they would at the breast.^ii,3 Developed with breastfeeding experts from the University of Western Commonwealth of australia, Calma allows your babe to suck, swallow, pause and breathe just as she does when breastfeeding.⁴ Past maintaining babies' natural sucking behaviour, Calma is designed to make it easy to switch from breast to bottle-feeding and back again.

Medela also makes conventional canteen teats in two menstruum versions. And all our teats can be attached directly to the bottles you express milk into, minimising the risk of spillages.

If your newborn needs expressed milk, but you don't want to offer her a bottle until she'southward become used to breastfeeding, you could utilise a baby loving cup designed for short-term feeding. This allows your infant to sip or lap your expressed milk – be careful to avoid spills! It'due south advisable to take a healthcare professional person on hand the first fourth dimension y'all use the infant cup, to make sure yous're both getting the hang of information technology.

For babies who need expressed milk supplements in add-on to regular breastfeeding, a supplemental nursing organisation (SNS) tin be helpful. This has a sparse, flexible feeding tube that can be fixed alongside your nipple to requite your babe expressed milk while you're breastfeeding her. This allows your babe to stay at your chest longer, which further stimulates your breasts to aid maintain your milk supply, and likewise helps improve her breastfeeding skills. It tin exist useful for mums with low milk supply or with adopted or surrogate babies.

If your babe tin't create the suction needed to breastfeed – perhaps because of a disability, built condition or weakness – y'all could try a feeder designed for babies with special needs. These allow infants who tin can't suck to feed using gentle compression instead.

What'due south the best way to introduce a bottle?

If breastfeeding is going well and you've decided it's the right time to give your baby a bottle of expressed milk, follow these tips:

Accept your fourth dimension

Don't await until your big nighttime out or showtime day back at piece of work to introduce your baby to the canteen. Offset trying with a small amount of expressed milk, in a relaxed and unhurried way, a couple of weeks beforehand. Gradually build up to giving a total feed of expressed breast milk from a bottle.

Pick your moment

Ideally your breastfed babe should be alert, but not too hungry, the get-go time she has a canteen of expressed milk, so that she is as relaxed every bit possible.

Consul feeding duties

Your baby may exist dislocated or frustrated when you offering a bottle, as she's used to your breast. It might exist easier if someone else gives the first bottle, and you stay out of the room and so your infant can't see or smell you lot.

Not also hot, not too cold

Your baby may exist more likely to accept the expressed milk if it'due south around torso temperature, ­37 °C (98.6 °F).

Dip and sip

Try dipping the bottle teat into some expressed milk before offering it, so it tastes and smells of your breast milk. Then gently stimulate your baby'due south top lip with the teat to encourage her to open her mouth.

Positioning for canteen-feeding

Feed your babe on demand and cuddle her in a semi-upright position. Never bottle-feed her while she'south lying flat or prop her upward with the bottle, in case of choking. Go at her pace, with every bit many pauses as she needs – yous can fifty-fifty try switching sides during the feed.

Exist patient

Don't worry if she doesn't take to the bottle straight abroad – information technology may take several tries. If she pushes the canteen abroad or becomes upset, comfort her and await a few minutes before trying over again. If she still won't drink from the bottle, expect a few more minutes and then breastfeed her as normal. Try again with the bottle at a dissimilar time of solar day.

How much expressed milk should I give my baby?

Every infant is unlike. Research shows that in babies aged one to six months, one baby may take as footling every bit fifty ml during a feed while another may take every bit much as 230 ml. Showtime by preparing a canteen with around 60 ml, and see if your infant needs more or less. Yous'll before long learn how much she typically takes – but don't always force per unit area her to finish the bottle.

How can I ensure bottle-feeding is prophylactic for my baby?

Ever clean and sanitise your breast pump set and bottles according to the instructions, and wash your hands before pumping, handling milk or feeding your baby. Follow our guidelines for storing and thawing your expressed milk safely.

If warming your breast milk, place the milk bottle or bag into a bowl of warm water or a warmer, or run it under a warm tap (max ­37 °C or 98.half-dozen °F). Never warm chest milk in the microwave or on the stove top.

Will my baby cope with switching from breast to canteen?

Mums sometimes worry that if they innovate a bottle as well soon, their baby will get accustomed to the bogus teat and struggle to return to breastfeeding. Others are concerned about the opposite problem – if they don't get their babe used to a bottle early on she may never accept one later. Both of these problems are commonly referred to as 'nipple confusion'.

Experts disagree on whether nipple defoliation is actually an issue.^ane Certainly sucking from a conventional bottle teat that doesn't crave a vacuum to be created is less effort for a babe than sucking from mum'due south nipple, as the milk flows more freely and gravity lends a hand. And some babies do seem to accept a preference for breast or bottle, and never take to the other. Only many babies switch happily between the two.

If you're still struggling to feed your babe expressed breast milk, speak to a lactation consultant or breastfeeding specialist.

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Source: https://www.medela.com/breastfeeding/mums-journey/feeding-expressed-milk

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