Is it too early to introduce a bottle?

[gml24]

My baby is now five weeks old, and she has been breastfeeding from the start.  I hadn't planned on giving her a bottle until she was three months old, but now it's looking like I might have to introduce it because I have to have dental surgery next week, which will be an all day thing.  I'm just worried that if I introduce the bottle too early, she'll figure out that it's easier and will start refusing to breastfeed (I'm paranoid because this happened with my son when he was born).  I've been pumping and freezing milk, so I won't have to give her formula.  I'm just wondering if any of you have some experience with this, and how your baby reacted at this stage when they had a bottle?  

[filbert143]

I did breastfeeding and bottle feeding pretty much from birth.  When I wasn't able to breastfeed, my hubby fed her breastmilk with a bottle.  They say that anytime after 2 weeks is adequate time to introduce a bottle to avoid "nipple confusion".  You might want to try now, just in case your baby doesn't like the feel of the bottle and refuses.  As with any change, I'm sure there will be an adjustment period.

As for prefering the bottle, I'm sure you'll be fine.  You are what your baby has known and is comfortable with.

Good luck!

[DollChina]

I started to have DH give the bottle when my ds was 5-6 weeks old.  You don't want to do it too late.  Maybe try a little once every couple of days and see if your baby will take it.
My ds took it and we would try a few times a week before I went back to work when he was 8 weeks old.

[nalla]

My dd would not have anything to do with the bottle. We tried  to give it to her, but all she wanted was me. We introduced the bottle to her at 5 weeks old. But my son started out with the bottle because he was in the hospital after he was born. When he was 3 weeks old I was able to start to nurse him and he did fine. He went back and forth with me and the bottle the whole time I nursed him.
I would go ahead and try it. Don't get discouraged if she doens't take it right away. Just keep trying. Our Dr. always told me that if they are hungry enough they will eat. I never went that far only becasue I never HAD to give a bottle. One tip, I wouldn't recomend you giving the bottle. Have your DH give the bottle and don't let the baby see you. Go into another room. That way she won't see you and demand you. And give the bottle before she is starving. Good luck and hope you don't have the troubles we did. (but I probably gave in too early)

[sam2]

I think 5 weeks is about right. I recently made the same mistake that you did with your first and introduced a bottle within the 1st week.  Now she prefers the bottle and I want to breast feed.  Do you have any suggestions?

[nalla]

Do you give your baby formula or breastmilk in the bottle? Try nursing and squeezing some of your milk into her lips so she remembers that there is milk there. If I were you I would just keep trying. She will probably realise that mom is better than the bottle.

[gml24]

sam2-all I can say is just keep trying.  Unfortunately when this happened with my son I gave up too easily and just ended up bottle feeding exclusively.  I still regret not being more persistent with breastfeeding, which is why I'm so worried the same thing will happen with my daughter.  Don't give up, if it really isn't working, try talking to a lactation consultant, your baby might just be having trouble latching on.

I never even thought of the possibility of waiting too long to introduce the bottle, but that makes sense.  I think I will have my dh start trying to give her the bottle in the next couple days and see how it goes, I definitely want her to be somewhat used to it by the time I have my surgery.

[rubyolivia]

I am not a mom (yet....5 more months) but I was a nanny last year. The little one I watched was 5 weeks old when I started keeping him. He HATED the bottle, but then got used to it and would go back and forth with no problem after about 2 weeks. I came to find out that me feeding him (pretty much a complete stranger) was the first time he'd ever had a bottle. So my best advice would be to make sure the bottle is introduced a few times before the day of your dental surgery! :) Also, with the baby I watched, the doctor recommended giving 2 oz. of pedialyte between feedings if the baby was fussing a little too early. This too could be a good way to introduce a bottle, that way it is a different liquid than milk. Just an idea...I know when we started giving pedialyte is when he started accepting the bottle a little more! :) Good luck!

[AnnieBrooke]

Here are my suggestions, based on my son who has gone easily from breast to bottle and back again practically since he was born (they started him on a bottle in the nursery in the hospital on Day 3 of life).  

1.  Use a "slow flow" nipple.  I use the Nuk shaped ones (very much like a flattened human nipple) and the slowest flow (the package is generally marked for newborns).  One reason babies prefer the bottle is that they don't have to work so hard to get the milk out as they do with the breast (sometimes this is not true -- when you have a sudden letdown, the poor little darling is gulping as fast as possible to keep up, but usually the human nipple is a slower way than the bottle).  So if you stay with a slow-flow nipple the baby won't get any ideas that bottles are so much better.

2.  The baby doesn't mind, so if you can stand to, only feed cold from a bottle.  My baby book says babies can be fed from a bottle either cold or warmed, only suggesting that you be consistent whichever way you go.  It's a lot easier if you do feed the bottle cold, and (for me this is the big thing) it also gives the baby a reason to like the actual breast a little more, because it's warm.  My baby avidly drinks cold formula from a bottle, not seeming bothered in the slightest that it isn't heated.  Sometimes we will get the bottle out of the fridge a while in advance of the feeding just to let it be at room temperature rather than fridge temperature, but he is much less worried about it than either dh or I seem to be.

Anyway, my baby drinks from the breast, from the bottle warmed, from the bottle refrigerated, breast milk from the bottle or formula from the bottle, so as you can see it's possible not to get them stuck on one thing.  Good luck!!!

[gml24]

thank you so much for all the suggestions, I think I'm going to try out most of them.  Anything I can do to make this a little less stressful!

[myproblem]

If you wait until she is 3 mos. she may not accept it. If she is really good at breastfeeding, then it is okay to try a bottle now. I did it at 4 weeks with my 1st, and 2 weeks wth my 2nd. I just had to squirt a few drops of ilk in their mouths to get them interested. Both accepted it, and had no problems going back and forth. I made sure to get a slow flow nipple though so the bottle would not become more appealing than the breast. I use Dr. Browns Level 1 standard shape nipples. The are soft silicone.

[myproblem]

Try a super slow flow nipple when you do  give the bottle. Also, let baby get pretty hungry, but not ravenous. Then offer your breast before the bottle.

[sam2]

Thank you all for your comments the past two days have gone really well.  I think the key is to not let her go too long before feedings and then she doesn't get so crazed.  On Sunday, too many visitors and they kept holding her and somehow she went about 5 hours between feedings which is way too long for an infant under 7 lbs.  So I kindof rouse her by changing her diaper and then get he to eat a bit sooner and try to do this every 2-3 hours and this is working better.  Definitely going to buy the slower flow on the nipples so when I introduce the bottle in a few more weeks (not going back to work until June).