parents - how quick did you introduce the bottle?

[NoCreativity]

how did that healing process go? the penis healing from circumcision seems rough, i can't imagine a newborn having to have surgery under their tongue

He cried for a couple minutes afterward and that was it. No stitches or anything. Hard to watch but very helpful with his feeding. It didn't seem to affect him after the initial snip.

 

[purbeast0]

He cried for a couple minutes afterward and that was it. No stitches or anything. Hard to watch but very helpful with his feeding. It didn't seem to affect him after the initial snip.

ah that is good to hear.

we just got back from his first doc appointment. she had no problem with what we were doing and said if it works, keep doing it and maybe try to put him on the breast as my wife is pumping and the milk has started flowing easily, to see if the problem was him getting the initial milk. it was reassuring though hearing a pediatrician tell us that it's okay to use the bottle since everyone at the hospital said not to introduce it for 3-4 weeks.

 

[rudeguy]

ah that is good to hear.

we just got back from his first doc appointment. she had no problem with what we were doing and said if it works, keep doing it and maybe try to put him on the breast as my wife is pumping and the milk has started flowing easily, to see if the problem was him getting the initial milk. it was reassuring though hearing a pediatrician tell us that it's okay to use the bottle since everyone at the hospital said not to introduce it for 3-4 weeks.

Welcome to parenting where everyone has an opinion and anyone who disagrees is a horrible parent.

 

[waffleironhead]

Welcome to parenting where everyone has an opinion and anyone who disagrees is a horrible parent.

HAHA! So true.

Just wait till you have your second kid OP, everything you learned with the first will most likely no longer apply or work.

 

[blackdogdeek]

it was reassuring though hearing a pediatrician tell us that it's okay to use the bottle since everyone at the hospital said not to introduce it for 3-4 weeks.

This depends on the hospital. At our first hospital, the nurses encouraged us to use the bottle. At our second hospital, they left the decision to us but were supportive either way.

 

[NutBucket]

The current thing is push breast feeding as much as possible.

Is the breast the best? Probably.

Will a bottle mean the end for your kid? No.

Is formula evil? No.

If your wife has to pump then so be it. Our daughter is about 5 months old. She was breast-only until my wife went back to work. Now she's about 50-50 and is eating some solids too. She has no issue going between bottle and boob. We're using the Comotomo bottles. We just stick to the 0-3month nipple so the flow rates are similar.

 

[Vdubchaos]

my wife and i had our first kid on thursday. all is well with the baby.

my wife is having trouble with him latching on so she has been using a nipple shield and it seems to be working fine. the docs also told her to pump since we're using that.

however the past few days the kid, while feeding, has been kinda whiny and fussy while actually feeding. i believe he's getting enough food, beause he's pooping and pee'ing. and my wife is producing enough milk because she is pumping some times too and producing like 4oz of milk in 5 mins. so it's in there.

Keep at it, he is suppose to be whiny and fussy, that's the definition of a baby.

It won't be easy.

My wife took the easy road our 1st 2 kids with formula....and has regretted it every since.

She was presistant with last 2 and it worked out just fine.

 

[mundane]

We are at eight months with our first child, breast fed only. It was something my wife really wanted to do, and made a strong effort to make it work. No judgement on either path - we've been inundated with often contrary opinions, and so much of the recommendations are either based on "what feels right" and/or pushing for a minuscule perceived benefit / risk reduction.

It was a real trial for the first few months - my wife needed to use the nipple shield (he grew out of it). The much bigger issue was terrible reflux. He's now on his third medication, which thankfully makes a night-and-day difference, but a) it's expensive, b) required us to go to a specialist and c) changed his bowel habits from 3-4x per day to 1-2 per week. My wife also has been told by the doctor to avoid dairy, soy, and gluten, on the off chance our boy have a sensitivity. Which has been an annoyance, but there's not much we wouldn't do for him.

We tried a number of methods in the beginning, many permutations of pumping and then feeding it in (syringe, tube leading into nipple shield, have him suck on our finger while we use the tube, etc). One evening he just wasn't eating, so we gave him some formula, and he spent the next eight hours spitting up.

It's all trial and error, and there are no solutions that will work for all babies. He's grown so much in the past eight months - crawling, babbling, climbing on furniture, biting everything with his newly grown teeth, eating solids, and smiles so incredibly big when I see him in the morning. It has been the most rewarding experience to me in the world, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It can be terribly daunting at two am, while you and your wife are doing everything you can to try soothe him, worried that you can't help. It's a lonely and helpless feeling, and difficult to obtain perspective. Do whatever works for the both of you.

 

[purbeast0]

It can be terribly daunting at two am, while you and your wife are doing everything you can to try soothe him, worried that you can't help. It's a lonely and helpless feeling, and difficult to obtain perspective. Do whatever works for the both of you.

it's funny you mention this, because i am the most impatient person in the world and everyone in my family (and my wife) will tell you that as well. but as soon as my son was born, it was like a switch just flipped and now i instantly had all the patience in the world. while it sucks when he cries and yeah the sound isn't pleasant, for some reason it simply does not bother me to the point that i get angry or upset about anything, because i know he's just a baby and that is what they do. i just hope this patience translates to other areas rather than just the kid lol.

 

[rudeguy]

it's funny you mention this, because i am the most impatient person in the world and everyone in my family (and my wife) will tell you that as well. but as soon as my son was born, it was like a switch just flipped and now i instantly had all the patience in the world. while it sucks when he cries and yeah the sound isn't pleasant, for some reason it simply does not bother me to the point that i get angry or upset about anything, because i know he's just a baby and that is what they do. i just hope this patience translates to other areas rather than just the kid lol.

awwwwe


Our little purbeast is growing up!

 

[Mxylplyx]

Ours had a bottle the day he was born. The whole concept of "nipple confusion" is a myth I think. Let them experience both early on and baby will be happy with either.

 

[purbeast0]

awwwwe


Our little purbeast is growing up!

im no longer little purbeast.

little purbeast is only 5 days old.

 

[Stopsignhank]

Welcome to parenting where everyone has an opinion and anyone who disagrees is a horrible parent.

Exactly! You know what the right answer is? The one that works for you.

HAHA! So true.

Just wait till you have your second kid OP, everything you learned with the first will most likely no longer apply or work.

OP,

Glad to read this thread, you definitely doing the right thing by asking around. Easy to tell you are a first timer though. It reminded me of this.

First baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN
confirms your pregnancy.
Second baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
Third baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing For the Birth:
First baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
Second baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember breathing
didn't do a thing.
Third baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette:
First baby: You prewash newborn's clothes, color coordinate them, and
fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
Second baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
Third baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries:
First baby: At the first sign of distress — a whimper, a frown — you pick up the baby.
Second baby: You pick the baby up when their wails threaten to wake your first born.
Third baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical
swing.

Pacifier:
First baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you
can go home and wash and boil it.
Second baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with
some juice from the baby's bottle.
Third baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Diapering:
First baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need
it or not.
Second baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
Third baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain
about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities:
First baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
Second baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
Third baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:
First baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call
home five times.
Second baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a
number where you can be reached.
Third baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees
blood.


At Home:
First baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
Second baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older
child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
Third baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.


Swallowing Coins (a favorite):
First child: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the
hospital and demand X-rays.
Second child: when second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for
coin to pass.
Third child: when third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his
allowance!!

 

[DesiPower]

Our first child never latched, it bottle from the first day, wife pumped will he was 8 month old. Second child latched but started day care at 8 weeks, that's when started bottle.

 

[rudeguy]

Our first child never latched, it bottle from the first day, wife pumped will he was 8 month old. Second child latched but started day care at 8 weeks, that's when started bottle.

you ok man?

 

[RadiclDreamer]

With our first kid, wife ended up having her gall bladder removed which caused milk production to cease about 6 weeks in so it was bottle/formula from then out.

For the second, it was no bottle for about 10 weeks and then we kept it to the slow flow nipples to better match what mamma put out "from the jug" so she wouldnt get used to a fast flow and then get frustrated. Worked out pretty well.

Breast feeding is tough, kudos to parents that stick with it, even the pumping is a chore and a very time consuming one at that.

 

[blackdogdeek]

but as soon as my son was born, it was like a switch just flipped and now i instantly had all the patience in the world.

A good friend of mine and I both had the same epiphany at the births of our first children.

 

[sdifox]

you can pump and bottle feed breast milk. feed breast as long as possible.

 

[purbeast0]

you can pump and bottle feed breast milk. feed breast as long as possible.

yeah that's our plan for now, she will still try to get him on the breast though sometimes.

and on another note, we got a mamaroo yesterday and he loves that thing to crash in after eating lol.

 

[Ban Bot]

We have 6 children, youngest is 4 months. All have been exclusively breastfed first ~ 12 months.

The first child or two can be a challenge breast feeding. It can be difficult and painful for some. There are support groups and breast feeding assistance available if desired (my opinion is very pro breast feeding but that is a decision you need to make on your own). While there are tips and a consultant can analyze your specific needs and situation honestly the major key, if you wish to breast feed, is persistence, practice, and patience. Even then someone mothers/babies this is not enough but in most cases it is.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

My wife breastfed for the first 3 months, but we started doing bottles pretty early on because she was getting exhausted having to wake up every 90 minutes in the middle of the night. The baby took to the bottles with absolutely no difficulty whatsoever, and that was three different bottle types and nipples; I've heard of other couples whose babies were extremely particular, which is why we tried three different types to begin with. My wife weaned the baby onto formula after three months because she was sick of the pumping cycle and we'd been using supplemental formula for a month anyway, but it really doesn't matter much which route you go; we have friends who breasfed for a year and others who went immediately to formula, and it didn't have a profound effect one way or the other.

 

[purbeast0]

as long as my wife can produce breast milk, we're going to be feeding him breastmilk either at the breast or in a bottle. at this point we don't plan on using formula at all.

 

[rudeguy]

as long as my wife can produce breast milk, we're going to be feeding him breastmilk either at the breast or in a bottle. at this point we don't plan on using formula at all.

Good! You'll save thousands of dollars.


And your wife's boobs will stay big longer.

WIN!

 

[Atomic Playboy]

as long as my wife can produce breast milk, we're going to be feeding him breastmilk either at the breast or in a bottle. at this point we don't plan on using formula at all.

Pro-tip: We ran into an issue of supply at a certain point, where my wife wasn't producing quite enough to meet demand (we were already supplementing, so it wasn't a big issue). But we were told early on that the best way to encourage milk production right at the beginning is frequent massage of the mammary glands and milk ducts. So, you know, rub your wife's boobs a lot; it's for the baby!

 

[rudeguy]

Exactly! You know what the right answer is? The one that works for you.

We were blessed to have a very wise but very laid back pediatrician. Looking back, it was obvious he had a few kids of his own. Whenever we were worried about something dumb, he would just say "do what you feel is best. You won't break him, I promise."

Every kid is different. Every family is different. Every situation is different. Love your kid and everything will be ok.