You work hard to get breastfeeding going well and feel like you have finally arrived. Now the time comes and you'd like to have some freedom to leave your baby for an hour or two to do something by yourself or with your husband or friends or perhaps the time has come to return to work. You plan to have someone give your baby a bottle for you. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, as many of you might have experienced it, it is not always so easy. Many breastfeeding babies refuse to take a bottle...from anyone. Now what? Babies do not ever have to take a bottle; the majority of babies in the world don't drink from bottles.
But what do you do when you want or need to leave your baby?
What are the alternatives to a bottle?
1. Sippy cup
2. Regular cup
3. Frozen breast milk from a spoon, like ice cream
Some tricks and tips if you have to introduce bottle feeding:
• Never force the nipple into the baby's mouth. Breastfeeding babies are in control of their feedings, rightfully so.
• Tap just above the baby's upper lip and ask them to open wide.
• Sit the baby on your lap facing away from you when offering a bottle, perhaps looking out a window.
• Try using a nipple shield for a few feedings and then offer a bottle.
• Soak a latex nipple in breast milk for several hours before offering it on a bottle. Do not put it in the dishwasher.
• Play a game with the bottle, teasing the baby with the nipple/bottle.
• Keep it completely stress-free.
• Offer the bottle before the baby fully wakes up.
• Offer the bottle for the first feeding in the morning.
• Let the baby play with a bottle along with her other toys. Have a little bit of breast milk or water in the bottle. She will likely chew on it, if she's old enough, and start to associate drinking from the bottle.
• Some babies will drink a bottle of warm milk; others will drink it cold.
• Offer the bottle once; do not push; if baby does not drink, wait a day or two before trying again.