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Welcome to the place where you can easily access TONS of FREE Breastfeeding information and GAIN valuable insight on best tips, how-to’s and “ need to know” about all things breastfeeding related.Please enjoy this All About Breastfeeding podcast with Lori Isenstadt, IBCLC on Babies Bottles Daycare.

Listen now to our breastfeeding podcasts to hear mothers share their breastfeeding stories. Hear interviews with well known authors pediatricians, midwives, doulas and others who eagerly share their knowledge.

 Episode 66 Babies Bottles Daycare     .

Today we are going to continue with learning how to make the transition from a new mother home on maternity leave to the mom who is returning to work or to school. This information is all Part of my 5 part series in which my goal is have taken you through all the “need to know” in order to make this transition as smooth as possible.

In the first show Part 1 – We focus on what you need to do to begin the process. We talked about How do you figure out when you should pump, how much to pump and what to do with your milk once you have pumped. In Part 2 – we focused on Choices – Choices in removing your milk – differences in the pumps, why you might choose hand expression, we talk about choices in storage containers and I also share lots of tips and tricks on how to make pumping convenient and comfortable for you.

In today’s show, Part 3 – We take an in depth look at bottles and nipples and how to figure out which are best for your baby. We will also be spending time talking about one very important component. Your caregiver. Who will be watching your baby while you are gone and how you can share this info with them.

The first thing to tackle is The Bottle.

The first things I am going to do is Bust a few Myths.

1. A majority of babies are not going to drink 9 oz of milk, so there is no reason whatsoever to purchase bottles that are 9 oz. Buying smaller bottles will save you a lot of room and money.

2. There is no one BEST bottle or nipple for breastfeeding babies. The marketing companies sell us
stories that we think sound reasonable and we buy into it. Think about this. If there truly were a bottle that most babies
preferred, they would be flying off the shelves and all the other companies would go bankrupt.

3. There is no one BEST nipple for breastfeeding babies. The marketing and advertising companies make it seem so, make them seem so attractive by buying into the biggest pain points that parents have which are: searching for that one bottle that will cause: less air, less gas, less fussier colicky like symptoms. searching for a bottle that is just like moms breast – that will be more like a breast so they will go back and forth with ease, able to control the flow like they can at the breast.

4. When you get a chance, go to allaboutbreastfeeding.biz/podcast and click on episode 66 and you will see in the show notes pictures of different bottle nipples and then I want you to take a look at those nipples and circle any of them that are just like your breasts? This is silly. See what I mean. In this instance also, if there truly were one bottle that rose way above the rest, they would be flying off the shelf, the others would go bankrupt, right?

To further showcase this insantity – that the bottle or nipple looks like moms breast and nipple….. take a look around,, at other mothers breasts…… look at the variations in bra sizes. WE are not all alike.. our breasts come in very different sizes and shapes and so do our nipples. So,, a little common sense goes a long way here….. if we come in all different size and shapes… how then can 1 bottle look just like us.

My reasoning for bringing this all up is to downplay the marketing tactics about whichever company says their is the best for all babies and switch your focus to find the best for your baby. You may have 5 friends who swear by one particular bottle, and this does not mean it is going to work well for your baby. And why is this anyway?

It is helpful for you to realize that one of the common reasons you hear such variations from friends and family about which one is the best is because why? Take a minute and think about why some babies might do better with one bottle/nipple over the other? Well, the answer is because babies mouths are different from each other. If a baby has a higher palate, he may be more comfortable with a different nipple in his mouth. If a baby has been use to a large soft breast and a mom with a long and stretchy nipple in his mouth, he may not like one that has a very narrow base and a very short nipple. Some babies might have a stronger gag reflex than the next baby and they cant handle a nipple that extends so far.

Perhaps your baby objects to the texture or the taste of the nipple. Perhaps they have been using a pacifier and would prefer one that is similar to the shape of the pacifier.

This is why every mother is correct when she tells you the bottle and nipple that is the BEST. It is because it is the BEST for their baby.

So, where do you start?

Learning how to provide upright and paced bottlefeeding is a great place to start. Whatever bottle and nipple you do choose, your baby will do best when he is placed in an upright position. I see some babies being held in such a way that their eyes and belly button are facing the ceiling and the bottle is being held in a vertical position. Once baby partially opens their mouth the nipple is placed in babies mouth and even with the slowest of flow, the milk is going to come into your babies mouth with relative ease and little work on their part. The flow will be really fast and they will have to gulp to keep up with the flow. I usually say this is like going to one of those all you can eat restaurants, piling the food on and shoveling it in really fast. The tendency to eat a large volume and eat very fast happens. Because of this, the tendency to overeat is very strong.

So, sit your baby upright, similar to how you would be sitting if you were drinking from a cup or water bottle. Wait for your baby to open nice and wide to receive the food. Wait for your baby t draw the nipple into their mouth rather than pushing it past their lips. In a mostly horizontal position, place the bottle in your babies mouth having just enough milk filling the teat. You may have to til the bottle or your baby just a bit as the volume gets way low, but this will happen at the end of the feedig and for a very short period of time.

While not the same thing, This helps your baby to have more of a suck, swallow, breathe pattern they do at the breast.

Now comes the paced part of the feeding. Particular with newborns and infants, it is very helpful for the person feeding the bottle to be look for your babies natural pause and then pace the feeding for the baby as they may not do this on their own.

You see at the breast, the baby paces on his own… sucks when want the milk swallows what he took in and breathes in between. With the botle, the milk flows so easily there is no natural pacing. So, you need to do that for him.

Start off by watching your baby closely and see if you can tell when he would naturally take a break. Then remove the bottle from his mouth or tilt the bottle down so the milk stops flowing. When your baby makes motion to begin sucking again, tilt the bottle back up or place the bottle back in his mouth. I am a fan more of tilting the bottle so the milk flows away from the nipple and this is how I like to pause the feeding. However, some babies, man they just guzzle so voraciously and quickly that I find I need to take the bottle out of their mouth, sit them upright and give them a minute or two before offering the bottle again.

Halfway through a feeding is a nice time to offer a break, burp and switch sides. Similar to what usually happens at the breast.

You will find links to this information and videos in the show notes.

Which bottles you want to choose:

1. a nipple that has a wide base that slopes gradually toward the nipple

2. the nipple that has the slowest flow and start with that one.

3. a short nipple as most women’s nipples are short.

4 a round nipple is preferred rather than ones that have flattened tips or sloped tips.

5. soft, thin material that is easily compressible.

The nipple that has a wide base vs. no or small base, is least like a breast and their is not much to help your baby keep their mouth open wide while sucking.

The nipple that has the slowest rate as this helps to minimize babies expectations at the breast. Some bottle companies have the packages marked slow flow or say newborn, but you will have to spend some money to check out the different ones. Some that say slow flow, the milk just heavily drips out when placed upside down.

While some women have nipples that are longer than average, shorter ones are the norm, so this is the best place to start.. with a short nipple,, unless, of course, yours are much longer than average.
Same thing goes for the shape, most nipples are rounder and few have a flat tip to them.

In the absence of knowing if your baby has any allergies, As far as what they are made of, there seems to be the potential for more allergies to latex so silicone is the preferred one to start with.

You may be wonder why or be frustrated that I am not mentioned bottle and nipple companies. I have been an IBCLC for a long time and the pump companies change their models and the bottle and nipple companies change their styles and shapes. I could give you one brand today and a 6 months from now that same company is not making a wide based slow flow nipple anymore. This is why I have you thinking in terms of the size and shape and material and flow, rather than a specific brand.

If you go the show notes, I will have a few pictures of the difference between a wide based and little to no base nipple so you can see the difference.

As with many things with babies, some take to the bottle really easy and show little preference, other babies are more picky about which nipple they use and others are pretty darn stubborn about not taking a bottle. If your baby has no oral or sucking issues, it is likely that with some work and consistency, they will take the bottle. Of course, if you are really struggling, you know what my advice is going to be. Seek the assistance of an IBCLC who can help you figure it out. The information gained will be valuable, particularly if your baby absolutely, no matter what you do,, refuses to take the bottle. Your IBCLC can give you some good information on how to work around this.

Your caregiver: Whoever will be caring for your baby while you are gone, will need to know this information that you are learning today. The key points you will need to know and want your caregiver to know:

1. It is recommended that you begin offering your baby a bottle at least one week before you return to work. This will give you an idea of how much milk your baby averages per feeding. If your baby is very young, less than a few weeks, it is likely that your baby will gradually want more per feeding until he has worked his way up to between 3-4 oz per feeding.

2. While some babies may take less per feeding, and some may take more, 3-4 oz, it is helpful to know averages.

3. It is very important for your caregiver to not feed your baby on a schedule and to wait for your baby to show signs of hunger. This might seem common sense to you, but some of the larger daycare centers run on a schedule and may want to put your baby on their schedule.

4. You will want to be sure they understand upright and paced feeding. Also, some caregivers like to practice what I call the “clean plate club.” and work hard to encourage your baby to take the full bottle. At the breast, your baby controls not only the flow, but the volume. You want this to continue with the bottle. If your baby feeds to much too fast, this can be a set up for major difficulties. The result will be that your baby wants a lot more food at a much quicker rate.

5. Since this is not going to happen when you are breastfeeding, it makes the transition more difficult.

6. It is not the bottle so much that makes transition between breast and bottle difficult. It is the flow and the pace and the volume of the feeds that can frustrate your baby when going from breast to bottle.

7. If your daycare provider is telling you that your baby is wanting quite a bit more milk than you think he should be having or find that he has when he is with you or much more than you pump, the first thing I would do is review how they are bottlefeeding techniques. It is very easy to overfeed babies with bottles and then they start wanting more than they would have naturally taken at the breast. This is a setup for great stress for mothers, when you realize you just can’t pump enough to satisfy your babies needs.

8. I encourage you to give yourself about a week at home before you have to return to work. Experiment when home with your baby. Offer upright, paced feeding with pauses and breaks for burping and see how long it takes your baby and the volume that they need in order to appear full. You are likely to find that your baby is quite happy with less when they are taking in the milk in a steady but leisurely fashion with breaks.

There is always so much to know. My hope is that I have narrowed things down for you and given you enough tips to get you started. The real learning comes in once you have returned to work or school and you get feedback from your caregivers about how your baby is doing with the bottle, the volume, the temperature, etc. It won’t take long until you find what works best for your baby.

Next week is Part 4 until then.. bye bye

Contact info: allaboutbreastfeeding.biz/contact ,    Facebook 

Keep scrolling down for images of nipples and a very good video on paced feeding

 

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Wide based nipple and sloping

Wide based nipple and sloping

Really wide based and sloping

Really wide based and sloping

Not wide based nipple

Not wide based nipple

Long nipple and no base

Long  nipple and no base

Flat tip

Flat tip

Flat tip and no base

Flat tip and no base

Poor nipple and fast flow

Poor nipple and fast flow

Most like Mothers, I think not

Most like Mothers, I think not

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