Beginning Bottlefeeding
This is a list I've compiled from my own experiences and from email
from other breastfeeding moms over the past few years. If you have other
suggestions to offer for beginning bottlefeeding of the previously
exclusively breastfed baby, please email me at ceciliamiller@bellsouth.net.
- My son hated those brown latex nipples for some reason. Judging from
the way they smelled, I guess he didn't like the way they tasted, but...
we tried *newborn* size Nuk nipples and eventually went to Avent nipples.
He would tolerate the Nuks but really preferred the Avents.
- Make sure whatever kind of nipple you choose has a single hole rather
than multiple holes so that the flow is slow. Many babies are
uncomfortable if the milk flows too fast. They may choke and refuse the
nipple again.
- Have the caregiver squeeze the nipple to dribble a little of the milk
into baby's mouth... NOT a bunch... just enough to give her a taste so
she'll know why they're sticking that strange object into her mouth.
Sometimes, after the baby realizes she's getting some nice, warm, familiar
Mommy milk, she'll latch onto the bottle.
- If the baby absolutely refuses bottles, your caregiver may have to use
finger feeding techniques (see http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/FFpreemie.asp
for details on the technique) for the first few weeks. Sometimes, after
baby gets accustomed to taking milk from a source other than Mama's breast,
she'll adapt to a bottle.
- Have the caregivers try a sippy cup, just dribbling small amounts of
milk into baby's mouth. I've read about preemies being fed from sippy
cups (that URL above is about one of them, in fact). And my son started
taking most of his expressed breastmilk from a sippy cup at about 4.5
months old so it's worth a try.
- Be sure the caregivers are heating the milk enough but not too
much. Many babies are reluctant to take milk that is too hot or too
cold.
- Take some item of your clothing - something that smells like you - to
the caregvier, and have her hold that between her and baby while she's
giving the baby his bottle. Sometimes, when the baby can smell Mama, he'll
take the bottle more readily.
- Have the caregiver hold the baby in the position you use while
nursing. Often, the baby will associate that position with
feeding and catch onto bottle-feeding. Holding the bottle near the
caregiver's breast may help, but some folks are sort of squicked out by
that idea for some odd reason.
- On the other hand, if the caregiver is already holding the baby in the
position you normally use, have her try something slightly different.
Maybe baby is mad because, when she's held that way, she expects a Mama
breast.
- Have the caregiver offer the bottle at a time when baby isn't
ravenously hungry. She may be more likely to experiment with something
new if she hasn't already gotten to the "starving" point. Once she gets
that hungry, though, all she wants is Mama... and she doesn't realize she
can get Mama's milk from that funny-tasting, funny-feeling object they're
offering her.
- Try to feed when baby starts getting drowsy or when she is just
beginning to wake up.
- Some babies seem to adapt best to the bottle when sleeping. Have the
caregiver just pop the nipple into his mouth when he's asleep, and often
he'll take in a couple of ounces that way and become more forgiving of the
dreaded artificial nipple.
- Encourage nighttime nursing during this trying time. Lots of babies
just reverse-cycle in the early months, choosing to sleep away the day and
nurse all night. My son did this in the early months after I went back to
work.
- Mom should not be the one giving the bottle. That can
be really confusing to the baby (and to the mother, who may let
down).
- Obviously, dealing with a reluctant bottlefeeder often requires a
bit of trial-and-error. Don't be afraid to try anything you think may
work. You know your baby best!
Breastfeeding and the Working
Mother
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© 1998 Cecilia Mitchell Miller, unless
otherwise specified. All rights reserved.