Okay, ladies, I've got another question for you gurus.

I want to primarily breastfeed this new baby, but I would like for him to also accept a bottle for when I want to leave him with his dad or grandma, etc. What's the best way to get him to be able to switch back and forth from the breast and the bottle?
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There's a lot of print devoted to this baby issue. And yet I've never heard of a mom that had extreme problems with bottle confusion. I suppose there is a slight learning curve, but a relaxed approach and attitude helps. Just my opinion of course, your experience may vary. Good luck!

Here's a good link on preventing nipple confusion from askdrsears.com:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T022400.asp

By the way, my little one (18 months) has never taken a bottle and I was able to go out and wear her in the sling and then when she was older, I just went out and came home before she was hungry again.

I believe you are supposed to wait a month because it's really hard to undo nipple confusion.

Hmm... maybe it depends on the nipple... and the baby. I didn't have a problem with either one of mine--switched from bottle to breast from day one (we had to supplement a bit). We used the Avent brand nipples/bottles.

for me the key was introducing the bottle early, but not too early. Generally around 3 months was good for us, especially since I knew the need for a bottle wasn't going to be often. I wanted until 7 months with my last and he would have NOTHING to do with a bottle. In general it was fine, but when I went to the hospital with ghall bladder problems he wsa mightly cranky for the husband!

I had the best luck with the avent bottles (Target now carries a cheaper knock-off from circo), for some reason my babies never did well with the traditional, thinner bottles and switching hitting.

Meg

Meg

I am having lactation problems with my newborn. There seems to be very little milk for the baby and I need to supplement the baby's supply with powder milk. I wanted so much to breasfeed. I heard about some herbal pills,Shatavari (Osparagus)and read about it a bit. I wanted to know if anybody has ever had recourse to such pills in cases of lactation failure. Please help.

How old is baby? If we're talking less than a week old then don't worry, your colostrum is ALL he needs and your milk will come in. what are the signs that he's not getting enough? How many wet dipes? How many dirty dipes? Weight gain?

The more you supplement the less milk you will produce. There is no real way to tell how much milk your baby is getting without the help of a serious scale and qualified LC, and that is even an estimate. Pumping is NOT an accurate measure of how much milk you are making.

"There seems to be very little milk" - the size of a newborn's stomach is about the size of a peanut. This is just the beginning of the eating worries...you're talking about a baby. Babies eat very little very frequently, every 1 1/2 hours or so during the newborn phase.

You need to nurse baby to increase your milk supply. The only way to effectively increase your supply is to nurse more, plain and simple.

The only things I have used herb-wise are fenugreek and mother's milk tea and neither made a difference.

Make sure you drink 10 glasses of water a day, feed baby on demand for as long as baby desires...if that baby's mouth is open they need a breast in it, that's my philosophy!

Meg

Please don't get hung up about this - if you need to switch to bottle feeding then do so, with a clear and happy conscience. Remember, any distress, difficulty and upset will communicate itself to your child, so a happier, serene, calmer feeding time is best for both of you. And if it has to be with a bottle, so be it. You are not a failure if you put your baby's health, well-being and serenity first, are you?
All this bulls**t about 'Breast is best' is just that. Bulls**t. I breastfed my first for three months, until my milk dried up. She was very happy and content to switch to a bottle, with no problem.
My second had a cleft palate (very slight and mild, no big deal) but breastfeeding was both a struggle and an ordeal from day one.I persevered for two days, and then this three-day-old baby was switched to a bottle, again, with no problem at all. She thrived,and was calm and content.

Both girls are now bright, vivacious, well-adjusted, intelligent and clever adults. No difference at all between the two.

It's not bull****, it's very important to some women. I dont think it means anyone is a failure if it doesn't work out...but if a person really wants it to work out they need to make an effort, as they would in any other venture.

If you make the switch to formula, so be it, there is no need to feel bad about it or grieve or cry, time and life are too precious for that, I learned that the hard way.

HOWEVER, if a woman REALLY wants with all of her being for it to work out the effort needs to be taken.