Though it is always preferred that baby should be given breastmilk directly from the breast of the mother but in some cases, breast milk has to be fed through the means of a bottle. This generally requires an expertise in pumping and knowledge of certain things by doing which bottle feeding with breast milk can be a success. Bottle feeding is a tough thing to do especially at first but most mothers tend to get a hang of it eventually.

Tips for Bottle Feeding a Baby

 

The following are some of the tips and suggestions for successful bottle feeding a baby with breast milk:

  • You must remember that most experts recommend feeding your baby breastmilk through a bottle between the times when you baby is 3 and 6 weeks old.  Initially, your baby doesn’t require the bottle everyday of the week and just once or twice a week is enough to start with.
  • You must also keep in mind to pump your breastmilk each time your baby has a bottle and even if you already have some breast milk stored in the freezer, you must milk some more so as to let your body make more of it for your baby to feed on.
  • To let your baby be comfortable with a bottle, you can give a bottle to him a few days in advance before bottle feeding. Give the bottle to your baby to play with as a toy so that he can get familiar with it and feed on it comfortable when the time comes.
  • Most babies do not take the bottle as long as they know their mother is nearby, so whenever the time for the first bottle feed comes, ask someone else to give the bottle to the baby and you try to move away from the room at the moment.
  • The baby must be held upright at the time of feeding as this allows the baby to control the flow of the bottle and stop in taking the milk when he is full.

Pumping Breastmilk for Bottle Feeding

Pumping is surely one of the most important things to get right as far as bottle feeding is concerned and hence you must be aware of how to pump breastmilk correctly. The following are some of the best ways to pump breastmilk:

  • To prompt the letdown of the milk, you can take help of a picture of your baby or a blanket or cloth that smells like him. This can be done when the baby isn’t around you.
  • Investing in a high quality pump is an advisable thing to do as it goes on a long way and is very comfortable to use.
  • While feeding the baby with your breastmilk through a bottle, you must hold your baby close to you and maintain an eye contact for him to feel connected to you.

Remember that pumping breastmilk so that you can bottle feed your baby with your own milk has many advantages. It means that you don’t necessarily have to be around your baby every time he feeds in the initial few months.

Photo Credit By: kidspot.com.au