parents - how quick did you introduce the bottle?

[purbeast0]

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.

we were thinking of just trying the bottle out because he's already used to the nipple shield which feels like a bottle anyways. i know all the "experts" say to wait like months to introduce the bottle, but we also have 2 friends who have introduced it immediately and their kids were fine and not confused with the breast and bottle.

we have our first appointment tomorrow for the pediatrician and are going to hold out at least until tomorrow to do it, because we want to run everything byt he doc and just get her opinion.

just curious though, and i know it's anecdotal, how quickly some of you introduced the bottle to your baby. and keep in mind, this won't be formula supplementing - it will be breast milk in a bottle.

 

[Uppsala9496]

My kid didn't breast feed. She's 7 and normal.
So going to a bottle is no big deal in my opinion.

 

[highland145]

^^
Same because the wife was on PB meds. He's 14.

 

[ControlD]

We started using a bottle somewhere at around 4-6 weeks. My wife got 6 weeks of maternity leave, so right around when that time was up it was time to start using a bottle. I'm pretty sure we introduced it early enough that it wouldn't be a problem once my wife went back to work. We never did formula, but lots and lots (and lots) of bottles of breast milk.

Man I'm glad those days are past me now!

 

[KeithTalent]

Grats on the kid bro. :thumbsup:

KT

 

[Reynod]

Its best to breast feed. If possible persevere (keep trying) with the breast but if mum and the baby are getting stressed and she is sore then go to the bottle ... hey its still breast milk so WELL DONE !!

Keep in mind (for many babies) that once they get used to the consistent flow rate of the bottle it is hard for them to go back to breast feeding ... because they have to do a bit more work.

This may upset mum as she might feel a bit inadequate if she really wanted to breastfeed - so be prepared to support her in her efforts.

If she has trouble with sore nipples and mastitis, they she can express some milk under a hot shower (if it is bad) and use cold cabbage leaves (look it up) under the bra to relieve the pain.

You can best do this by helping out with the housework, making sure she rests when the baby does ... and play your computer games with the headset on !!

My wife has provided the above advice for you.

At the end of the day what she decides to do in terms of feeding the baby is her choice and you just need to support her and be there for her.

I am a psychologist and my wife is a nurse.

 

[slugg]

I was drinking beer when I was 4 or 5. Scotch didn't come until 6 or so. I think I turned out okay.

 

[waggy]

first: grats!

as for the bottle. we set out to breastfeed...err my wife did anyway. Both kids had trouble with the breast milk. They both had acid reflux so we had to switch to a thicker formula.

My daughter started with Infant AR. we had to have a prescription for it at the time and it cost $12 a can of premade. a Can lasted 1 day.

When my son got on it (4 years latter) they had the powder and cost $20 a can and it lasted almost a month.

 

[edro]

I think around 3-4 weeks, because it was my turn to feed the baby in the middle of the night.

Mine just turned 1 recently. It goes by amazingly fast.
Your life has changed forever.

I asked my mom how long until you're not worried sick about them anymore, and she said "for the rest of your life".

 

[keird]

We breast fed until our daughter started biting, which was just before she turned 1. As I recall, we started pumping and introduced the bottle around the 4-8 week mark. It's completely a logistical call for you and your wife. When does she have to return to work? Who's watching your baby?

For us it was somewhere around 6-8 weeks and we had frozen plenty of milk so I could feed her while my wife worked. I loved bonding with my kid and I really enjoyed her napping after a full belly!

 

[radhak]

I remember the days before and after our first kid, and how we used to drink up every medical report out there on what's best for the child. The debate of bottle-or-not was (and is) a prominent topic in that. And my experience is that it's a lot of hot air: in our case, we could not do anything about it because we adopted our older one as a week-old baby (abandoned at birth) - so she's only known formula-thru-bottle. Our second daughter is biological, and she was breast-fed till almost a year old.

And you know what? The older has been a perfect child, health wise - physically and mentally. She's 15, and I can't remember the last time she fell ill; she's top in sports, and in academics in her age group. The younger one, on the other hand, is a delicate darling and has had all sorts of health issues, and is clingy and anxious, et al.

Obviously there's a lot to it like genetics and all, but my point is, the bottle is not something you need to worry about. And since it's breast milk, you should not give it another thought. Do whatever makes him comfortable, give yourselves the gift of 'worry-free', and instead, enjoy your son more.

 

[gururu2]

We were never able to get ours on the bottle. She had trouble attaching for a couple weeks, but we had been advised to keep coaxing her with a syringe/tube loaded with breastmilk/formula until she began properly latching. Once latched we removed the syringe tube. After those couple of weeks she became pro.
We received so much conflicting advice and scare tactics about malnourishment and how we should go formula- the hospital even gave us free formula. Some nurses said persevere and it will happen if my wife had milk (that is key). Our daughter never got below the threshold for proper weight gain, so make sure the docs are in the loop. We had her breastfed for 2 yrs no bottle. She came off very easy- not the challenge we were expecting and is on cow milk 100% now.

 

[Stopsignhank]

My son we started on the bottle after a week. There were no problems at all. That also meant that I could help with the feeding and take the burden off my wife. In fact my wife really disliked breast feeding.

My daughter had medical problems and was in the hospital the first 30 days. The hospital said my wife could pump and she just said no.

We used the powered formula at first. Then found that boiling the water was such a pain we switched to the ready made formula. So much easier. My kids are now 21 and 20.

 

[chitwood]

We have an 11 week old.

Yes we breast feed. She also pumps when she has to miss a feeding, at which point he does bottle of breast milk. There doesn't seem to be any difference, tbqh. The only major difference is we can tell exactly how much he eats with the bottle, no such convenience with the breast.

We had to supplement with formula the first 2-3 days of his life because wife's milk had not come in yet. Kid wouldn't latch because there was no milk.

Ah well. Soon enough it will be froot loops and grilled cheese and spaghetti-o's, right?

 

[rudeguy]

My kid didn't breast feed. She's 7 and normal.
So going to a bottle is no big deal in my opinion.

I want to say lil rudeguy needed some special stuff so we had to bottle feed him right away. It was a while ago but I do remember that his mom didn't do it for very long.

OP:
Do what you and your wife think is the best. If you have a concern, ask your doctor at the next checkup. Usually your parenting instinct is the way to go. You need to do what you feel is right for your baby not what someone else felt what right for theirs.

Good luck!

 

[purbeast0]

thanks for the info.

our kid is eating the breast milk no problem. he is just very fussy when he is actually feeding from the beast. literally right after i posted this thread last night, we went to feed him. and as usual, he was just whining while trying to feed. he would latch on for about 5 seconds, then fuss and get off. then my wife would put him back on, and repeat. but this time seemed worse like he was getting very frustrated and crying more than normal.

so we said f' it and gave him a bottle, because at the end of the day, he has to eat.

and after he took that bottle, he was in a state of bliss i had never seen him in since he was born on thursday. he was like in a food coma. had not seen that ever. we burped him and he slept for 2.5 hours straight until we had to wake him up to feed him again.

my wife again tried the breast, but the same thing happened, so we gave him another bottle, and again, food coma. it was amazing.

we also noticed that he was not pooping much yesterday. he only had i think 2 huge poops, then 2 really tiny ones. so we're wondering if he simply was not getting much food from the breast. and in the hospital, they don't eat the first day, and we got him circumcised on the 2nd, and after that, it's typical that he doesn't want to eat. so i thikn at the hospital everything seemed okay because he never really had to feed there. he did feed on her breast a couple times, and it went okay, but he did fuss a little bit.

so this morning when we go to the docs we're going to tell the doc the deal. we think maybe the flow from her boob is simply not fast enough. she has no problems pumping either so she can produce milk pretty easily.

 

[NoCreativity]

Congratulations!

Our kid had some issues feeding from the breast. Found out that he needed to have his frenulum snipped (underneath the tongue). Once we did that he was able to feed just fine. Those first few days were pretty rough until we had that done.

 

[phreaqe]

I have a 2.5 month old at home. He started on the bottle right away because my wife was not producing enough. Right now he breast feeds and then supplements with formula.

My wife also has to use one of those breast shields, and he has never been able to get the latching thing working without it. We also use the Phillips Avent Natual bottles which are shaped more like nipples then the normal bottles. We found he was eat better of of those then the others, and he gets less air in him, so he does not get the gas problems he used to.

As far as the pooping this goes, the first week is kind of messed up. After the black crap came out the 1st few days, it took a few day for him to establish a pooping routine. I would not worry to much about it. As long as he is peeing regularly you know he is getting the milk, and the poop will works it way out eventually.

 

[rudeguy]

thanks for the info.

our kid is eating the breast milk no problem. he is just very fussy when he is actually feeding from the beast. literally right after i posted this thread last night, we went to feed him. and as usual, he was just whining while trying to feed. he would latch on for about 5 seconds, then fuss and get off. then my wife would put him back on, and repeat. but this time seemed worse like he was getting very frustrated and crying more than normal.

so we said f' it and gave him a bottle, because at the end of the day, he has to eat.

and after he took that bottle, he was in a state of bliss i had never seen him in since he was born on thursday. he was like in a food coma. had not seen that ever. we burped him and he slept for 2.5 hours straight until we had to wake him up to feed him again.

my wife again tried the breast, but the same thing happened, so we gave him another bottle, and again, food coma. it was amazing.

we also noticed that he was not pooping much yesterday. he only had i think 2 huge poops, then 2 really tiny ones. so we're wondering if he simply was not getting much food from the breast. and in the hospital, they don't eat the first day, and we got him circumcised on the 2nd, and after that, it's typical that he doesn't want to eat. so i thikn at the hospital everything seemed okay because he never really had to feed there. he did feed on her breast a couple times, and it went okay, but he did fuss a little bit.

so this morning when we go to the docs we're going to tell the doc the deal. we think maybe the flow from her boob is simply not fast enough. she has no problems pumping either so she can produce milk pretty easily.

Good plan sir!

IMHO and its only MHO, getting the kid on the bottle sooner is better. You can help with feedings instead of only mom, so you can bond and also help.

As a Social Justice Warrior, I offer my praise at your willingness to help your wife.

 

[ControlD]

Good plan sir!

IMHO and its only MHO, getting the kid on the bottle sooner is better. You can help with feedings instead of only mom, so you can bond and also help.

As a Social Justice Warrior, I offer my praise at your willingness to help your wife.

See, I was quite happy for the first month or so when my wife was handling the feeding chores!

Then again, I get no paternity leave so I was back to working 50+ hour weeks shortly after our daughter was born.

That being said, I was more than happy to do my part once we were both back to work.

Seems like the hardest part of sticking with breast feeding is the whole "my kid isn't getting enough to eat" feeling. We had the same fear. In 99% of the cases they are getting plenty, and the milk produced in the beginning is different anyhow (not as much volume, more good stuff in it).

 

[purbeast0]

I have a 2.5 month old at home. He started on the bottle right away because my wife was not producing enough. Right now he breast feeds and then supplements with formula.

My wife also has to use one of those breast shields, and he has never been able to get the latching thing working without it. We also use the Phillips Avent Natual bottles which are shaped more like nipples then the normal bottles. We found he was eat better of of those then the others, and he gets less air in him, so he does not get the gas problems he used to.

As far as the pooping this goes, the first week is kind of messed up. After the black crap came out the 1st few days, it took a few day for him to establish a pooping routine. I would not worry to much about it. As long as he is peeing regularly you know he is getting the milk, and the poop will works it way out eventually.

the bolded is exactly what my wife has to do, and those are the same bottles we have. it's hilarious watching him suck down the bottle lol.

 

[purbeast0]

Congratulations!

Our kid had some issues feeding from the breast. Found out that he needed to have his frenulum snipped (underneath the tongue). Once we did that he was able to feed just fine. Those first few days were pretty rough until we had that done.

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

 

[SearchMaster]

Congrats!

I have three sons. The first two breast-fed well, and were bottle-fed at nights (I require less sleep, and sleep better than my wife so I was the lucky one). No issues. The third one just did not like breastfeeding, so we went to the bottle after a week or so. He did well with the bottle.

Don't worry about the BMs unless they stop altogether for a few days.

 

[Legios]

I have 2 kids, the first didnt take mommy boob was was bottle fed pretty much from the start. The second was breast fed for 6 months with night bottles, and bottle fed during daycare after the first 3 months. Its what ever floats your boats.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Congrats!

Our first never really took to the breast and it seemed like my wife's milk wasn't really coming in. We pretty much started on the bottle with formula from the start.

Our second took to the breast but it took a while for the milk to come in so we supplemented with bottle and formula. Once the milk came in she nursed exclusively.

Both kids are healthy, fit and intelligent.