With my first two children I supplemented. I did not exclusively breastfeed. I did more so with my second, my son Noah. I breastfed until I returned to work, however, he also received formula. If we went out he received formula or when I left home he also received formula. He received breastmilk while at home when we were together. Unfortunately, I did not get educated on lactation nor did I have the support that I needed. My son Noah has allergies and asthma which makes me wonder if I breastfed him instead, would he still have these health problems? Research suggests so many health benefits for breastfed infants. This time around with my last child I decided early on that I was going to breastfeed and pump once I return to work.
During our hospital stay I requested a lactation consultant because I wanted to be successful and have all questions answered. She noticed that we had given our son a pacifier. The lactation consultant warned that nothing but the breast should be given until breastfeeding has been successfully established which is a minimum of 4 weeks, this would prevent nipple confusion and supply issues. She also recommended to hold off on the bottle and to pump 2 weeks prior to my return to work date. I listened to the expert advice and was very strict about it.
Unfortunately, at 3 weeks postpartum I suffered an appendicitis and required surgery, thus, had to "pump and dump" and my son was forced to receive formula in a bottle. Initially my husband said he had trouble but then quickly took the bottle. We used the Similac Simply Smart bottle which I had purchased prior to my son's birth. Although I was determined to breastfeed I wanted a bottle that was good for both formula and breastfeeding. The bottle has a inbuilt mixer, does not leak, is shaped like the breast, BPA free and reduces colic.
(Image Source: Cafemom)
Shortly after this episode I decided to buy a Medela pump so that I could store milk incase any other emergency happened. Formula did not agree with my son's digestive system. At around 5 weeks old my husband tried to give him a bottle but he didn't take it too well so I purchased 3 bottles from Amazon, the Comotomo, Adiri Nurser and Lansinoh mOmma.
Gabriel immediately took to the Lansinoh mOmma. Although it doesn't look like the breast, it feels like it to the baby because when your baby is latched, the nipple and areola are in the baby's mouth all together just like the Lansinoh bottle. Gabe was unable to latch to the other bottles.
(Image Source: Amazon.com)
From that point forward he received breastmilk in this bottle with no issues. I was finally able to leave the home! I was able to get things done but usually my husband would call me and tell me to come home to feed the baby, he didn't like to give him the bottle unless I was going to take a very long time (mistake #1). Gabe received the bottle about 1x per week. At 9 weeks old my husband and I decided to go out for dinner. My mother in law watched the kids and called us after 1.5 hours to let us know Gabe was crying and refusing the bottle. Perplexed, I naturally assumed she was doing something wrong. The next day my husband tried to give Gabe the bottle and sure enough he refused and that started our crazy bottle buying experience.
At 13 weeks old now here are some of the bottles we tried:Similac Simply Smart, Lansinoah Momma, Adiri Nurser, Comotomo, Gerber Nuk, Born Free, Playtex Ventaire, Playtex Nurser Drop in, Tommee Tippee, Dr Brown, Mimijumi, The First Years Breast Flow, Avent, Medela Original, Medela Calma and I feel like im forgetting something?????
We even tried a finger feeder, doppler, syringe and sippy cups (Nuk and Playtex)
The Mimijumi is the one that we solely practice with now. It seems to be the only one that he does not gag on. At first the nipple was hard so I emailed the company and they sent me a softer one that they just changed. The bottle does tend to leak if not placed on correctly which can be hard to do. He is doing better , however, he is still not taking the bottle.
I have left the house for 6 hours and the only way for him to receive some milk is the syringe. I have extended my maternity leave by one week and will go back when he is 14.5 weeks old. Today he is 13 weeks old and although some progress has been made I wonder if he will ever take the bottle. Fortunately for me, our daycare is 5 minutes away so I will be able to nurse him on my lunch breaks, we will also try to start solids at 4 months old, which is right around the corner.
I had no idea that this was a possibility, that a baby would refuse a bottle. If you are planning to breastfeed and return to work, give a bottle every day from 4 weeks and on. Even if the baby will prefer the bottle over breast, it is better than to have your baby starve in daycare or to be stressed out like I am. The sucking reflex goes away from 6-12weeks old so introduce the bottle BEFORE this period. Sometimes I think nipple confusion is overrated! I wish you lots of luck with breastfeeding and if you have ANY questions, shoot. :)
Besitos
Lisa
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