breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

I am breastfeeding and have not yet given my ds a bottle (he is 2 1/2 months). When did u add in the bottle? Did u still feed him on you also? What is a good ratio for bottle/breast? My family keeps saying I need to get him on q bottle. I like the bond of feeding him and feel like wed be missing out on bonding with a bottle. Any advice? Is there any negatives to not bottle feeding? Thanks!

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

You don't have to give a bottle if you don't want to. If you choose not to , however you won't be able to go out for long periods of time. My twins took a bottle right away. I tried introducing my second DD to a bottle around 2 months or so and she wouldn't take it so I didn't force her. Started giving her a sippy cup at around 6 months. Now at almost 11 months she is great with the cup. She still breastfeeds, but I'll never have to wean her off a bottle, which is great.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

My guy is 10 months and never has a bottle. I don't plan on ever giving him one.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

You absolutely don't NEED to give him a bottle. I chose to around 2 months to make sure he would take one in case I was ever in the predicament that I couldn't nurse him for a feeding or two. My niece babysat one night and he had no issue taking two bottles from her. We had gone out for his brothers birthday.

I am also going back to work at the end of the month so he needs to be familiar with a bottle. I didn't want to wait and see what happened if he didn't take one.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

I gave DD a bottle at 2 weeks simply bc I knew right from the start that I did not intend to be the only person responsible for feeding her. I wanted DH to be able to share the experience and I knew that even though I wasn't going back to work, there would definitely be times that I would want to leave her home with someone and I did not want the stress of always having to worry about being back in time to feed her.

Luckily, DD was a champ at BFing and I never had any issues (she is 7 mnths now and still EBF) She had a pacifier at 3 days old and the bottle a week or so later and it never interfered. My pediatrician said if it works for me then go ahead. I know most people will tell you that introducing the bottle too early might compromise your ability to breastfeed, but I honestly think you need to look at your own situation individually and see if it works for you. Give it a try, see how it goes. If you feel it is not working, skip it for a little and try again later.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

DS got the bottle at 6 days old, not by choice, but because he was home and I was still in the hospital. I began pumping at that time. I was able to breastfeed and bottle feed for his first year.

You don't have to give a bottle at all. It's your choice.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

Only when I returned at work at 3 months. He has no problem transitioning between the two, but we've never offered him a bottle when I'm home, he only bfs then. I'm giving him pumped bottles, and it's nice to be able to leave a bottle with DH or my mom if I need to do something. Before I did this, I was so worried he would be starving if I ran out for even 30 mins.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

DD is over six months and never had a bottle. I hate pumping and am with her anyway.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

ITA - you don't have to give a bottle unless you're going to be away from him for long stretches of time. I went back to work pretty quickly, so I had to pump and introduce bottles at about 4 weeks.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

DS got a bottle at around 4 weeks because my milk supply wasn't keeping up and I had to start supplementing formula. Now at 9 months he gets nursed in the morning when he wakes up and right before bed. All other feedings are a bottle of either formula or pumped milk. You do not need to give him a bottle though- if I was able to EBF I may not have.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

Don;t listen to family and friends! It is the worst when you have all lil busy bees buzzing in your ear telling you what to do..I feel a lot of people DO NOT help with breast-feeding and make you feel like you are starving your child!

I agree with others you don't NEED to give a bottle...it is really up to you!

I did something different with each of my three kids and it worked with each of them..

This DC (#3) I didn't offer a bottle until about 3 weeks. I started to pump in the morning (after my first morning feeding session bec I was at my fullest) and she was usually hungry shortly after I pumped so I fed her a bottle at the next feed just to give my breasts a lil break. But only did this bec I was pumping 10-13 oz and only offering 3 oz...so I felt good knowing I was banking 10ish oz a day for the future.... Then I nurse the rest of the day!

This routine has helped me store over 60 bags of 5 oz in my freezer and she is about 8 weeks old right now! It works for us and I think it will help when I am ready to miss a feeding. I feel confident that she will be ok if I DO leave her with my DH for a feeding or two in the future!

But just know that this works for ME and might not work for others! You do what you are comfy with just make sure in the beginning you don't miss a feeding all together make sure you pump when you offer a bottle in the first 2-3 months! YOu would hate to mess with your supply!

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

DS had a bottle of breast milk at 2mo and then the occasional one here and there after that. He NEVER had formula.

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

I did right away, but I don't believe in nipple confusion and neither does my ped. Having said that my son hated all the bottles I had and I was FREAKING out since I had to leave him at 1 week old for a whole day. We had tried Tommee Tippee and Advent( my daughters favs and she was bf) then playtex drop inns, cheap evenflow, breastflow, and Dr. Brown's. Out of the blue I found one of the fee smilac nipples from the hospital put that on a Medela bottle and he took it! Even now at 2.5months that's all he'll use except maybe a Medela nipple. I'm so glad I did it sooner rather then later because my Grandmother was very ill and died when he was 3wks old and I was gone much of a week with being there with her and my mom when she passed, funeral arrangments, and then the funeral and burial. He also takes a Wubanub paci and loves them since he is a snuggler and snuggles with the animal We have a giraff, elephant, and a monkey. It's adorable to see

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

Re: breastfeeding moms- when did u start giving you dc a bottle instead of just ur breast?

I started ds on a bottle when he was just shy of 4 weeks old. My dh wanted to help with the feedings and I had to go back to work at 10w so I knew that he'd need to take pumped milk 2x a day when I was at work. Just like with the paci, there wasn't any nipple confusion at all. He's 2 now so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure that dh bottle fed him 1-2x a day when I was still home. When he did those feedings I made sure that I pumped to make up for it/keep my supply up.