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What's a realistic length of time to make it before pumping breastmilk and giving to db in a bottle (ie, when will I be so exhausted that I'll need to do that)? I don't want to introduce a bottle any earlier than I need to and my dh is fine with me EBF'ing. TIA.
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lol. you will be exhausted on day 1, but just wait until db is born to decide this stuff.
[ Reply | Options ]^meaning, seriously, don't set up rules/expectations for yourself, just see how you and db feel, and go from there.
[ Reply | Options ]lol? thanks, I appreciate the condescension but that wasn't very helpful. Was simply looking for some general timeframes...ie, 4-6 weeks or 4-6 months.
[ Reply | Options ]what i'm trying to tell you is, there is no "right" way, no rule, no expectation that is worth setting for yourself. best of luck.
[ Reply | Options ]ITA as well. My 1st db was early and only 4.5 lbs and we had to give him formula the first couple of days b/c my milk took over a week to come in. I was so upset about it at the time b/c it was contrary to "my plan" but in hindsight it was best for db. With db #2 we didn't have to do that but we still introduced the bottle with pumped milk right away (at 2 weeks?) so I could sleep.
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OP: Guess I wasn't clear - how long did those who EBF'ed wait to introduce a bottle, especially those who are very committed to nursing exclusively? Not looking for rules or guidelines, simply what's worked for moms who planed to EBF for at least 6 mos. TIA.
[ Reply | Options ]first night, db got a bottle of formula, so I could sleep. Continued this except after 5 days used pumped milk instead of formula
[ Reply | Options ]I nursed my dds for other one year each. INtro'd bottles to each of them at just under 2 weeks. You have to keep giving bottles ...2-3 times per week. DH like dot do it once or twice on weekends and once or twice during the week after work.
[ Reply | Options ]bte, highly committed to nursing and my kids *never* had fomula. For the sake of my exhaustion, dds never had a bottle. It was about their health and flexibility. God forbid something happened and my babby needed to be bottle fed with no chance to practice. This also helped dh to feel connected to the baby.
[ Reply | Options ]NP: My friend wound up having to have an emergency appendectomy only a few weeks after delivering her baby, so I actually thinking introducing a bottle at around 1 month or so is a good idea just in case of an emergency of some sort -- we did that and dh gave dd a bottle 1X a day (I pumped while he did it) and that way as dd got older, we had the option of giving a bottle now and then as needed.... (I only wish I'd introduced putting breast milk in to a sippy cup at around 7 mos or so, to avoid having a hard time getting RID of the bottle!)
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I am pg and just did breastfeeding class. They recommended introducing bottle between 4-6 weeks. Later than that and they might reject it. Also said to pump after morning feeding to start collecting breastmilk for bottle. Always pump at the same time as db is getting bottle in order to maintain supply.
[ Reply | Options ]Mom of 3 dcs-bf each a year. Ideally introduce bottle w/in 3-6 wees, once latch is secure. But you really can't do more than wing it--every baby and situation is different--you could end up having to supplement via tube or even formula. The most important thing for me was to check latch each and every time at the beginning--even off a little one time can leave you very sore!
[ Reply | Options ]With both kids, I began pumping very early on (around 7-8 wks) for many reasons. I knew I was going back to work, and wanted to build up a supply in the freezer, also wanted to let DH handle some nighttime feedings, and wanted the flexibility of having a stash of frozen breastmilk in case I was not around for a feeding. #1 took to the bottle very well from the beginning; #2 hated the bottle, but in the end she didn't have much choice so she adapted, albeit grudgingly!
[ Reply | Options ]np: neither of my kids ever took a bottle. I did EBF. You don't need to give a bottle ever, if you don't want. Especially if this is your first child, you can nap on when s/he naps, so you can keep nursing at night and not suffer. I'm not saying bottles are bad - I'm just saying that if you want to EBF, it is perfectly feasible to do it w/out giving bottles ever. Just see how it goes and see how you feel about the whole thing.
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Assuming you never have to spend any unexpected time in the hospital/on meds you don't want to pass on to the baby. I think even if you bf it is prudent to have baby know how to use a bottle and remind him once/week or so. This was easier to do for my first than it was for my next 2, and I was sorry when my 3rd db wouldn't take a bottle and I was in the ER w/ back spasms.
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OP: Thanks, I want to EBF, no bottles, but people seem to think it's insane when it really it seems very possible (although tiring for sure). My dh and I aren't going to be going out for more than 2-3 hours anyway in the first few months of db's life without db. Thanks for the encouragement!
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if BF goes well in the first couple of weeks, you can introduce the occasional bottle pretty much right away. w #1 we had latch problems which led to supply problems so db took bottle on day 5 and was still able to EBF once problems got sorted out. w #2, bf got started well and i think first bottle was no later than 2 wks old and at 12 weeks still EBF and db takes bottles pretty frequently - 1-3/day depending on what's going on.
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