How to feed the expressed milk?

I am expressing milk using a pump. Usually we try to feed the LO through a syringe or spoon.. but this takes so much of time and she is not patient to take completely. So today we introduced her the feeding bottle and she finished 2 oz milk in 5 mins.

But my concern is will she refuse to take my breast after getting introduced to bottle? She is 40 days old.

Please suggest as to how to feed her the expressed milk and if it is the right age to introduce her to the feeding bottle.

Thanks in advance,
Vidyaa

Medicinal dropper, syringe, spoon feeding (yes, it is time consuming, but that's how we did it). But your child is very close to 6 weeks, right? I would think a bottle is ok, but the only problem is you do not get new born nipples or small holed nipples here. (At least that was the state 3 years ago). Go for a drop in bottle, more expensive, but you can avoid colic. If you are doing Avent or Medela feeding systems, they may have newborn nipples too.
I would really push for the newborn nipples, otherwise, your child may end up overfeeding. The nipple lets in air and milk into the baby's mouth and the baby is forced to swallow because her mouth is full. This triggers another mouthful from flooding her mouth... so the child drinks too fast and gulps too much air.
Seat her up or have her head raised, pace the bottlefeeding to as long as nursing would take her. If she bfs in 20 min, then bottlefeeding should also take 20 mins. Hope that helps

krithika, I am using medula pump and the nipple is given with it... Not sure if that is for new borns.. how should i find it out... Is one drop per second is ok? Or should i search for new born nipples?

I too feel she had the milk so fastly... her mouth was full and was also leaking out her mouth...

Actually Vidya, when you tilt the bottle upside down no milk should flow out. If it is dripping then it will flood the mouth when the baby makes the swallowing action... not sure if what I say makes sense.
The drop in bottles should work, not sure if Medela markets them in India, but we spoke to somebody at the Eekaduthangal address and found their advice useful
Phoenix Medical Systems Private Ltd
No. 32/4, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai
Ekkattuthangal PO
Chennai 600 097
Phone: 044-22251178

I saw Avent drop ins and newborn nipples at Mothercare/Mera Toys (not sure where), so a call to them maybe useful before you go there... I am not entirely sure about their BPA-free status, that is another question you may want to ask them.
From all that I have been reading Playtex is the best. If you are going to be working or bottle feed at least a few times a day, I would consider investing in Playtex or Avent, especially the drop-ins.

Hope you find the information useful.

Hi Vidyaa,

At such a small age, you can only bottle feed. In the hospital the nurses did use syringe, but I didn't use it at home. I am not aware of the other methods. I gave only one formula feed per day.

I faced the similar problem which you mentioned about baby not taking the breast after bottlefeed sometimes but continued with feeding bottle. Infants mostly get confused with the breast and the bottle. The reason being that the jaw muscles and the sucking technique used for both is different.

In bottle the milk just flows whereas at the breast the baby will have to suckle for the flow. Infants feel at ease with the bottle once they get used to. I used bottle till about three months and then switched over to bowl and spoon. It becomes much easier to sterilize and helps in weaning too. Also if you switch over to bowl and spoon your LO will still BF, but in bottle they usually stop taking BF after sometime due to confusion. This was my experience.

I changed the nipple every fifteen days. You get good silicon nipples, I do not know the brand but one was gifted to me. Then I purchased the one available at the medicals. The nipples should be soft, in case they are hard, then again your LO will not take the bottle also make sure that the nipple hole is small.

hi vidya,

i'm also expressing like you and using medela. its good an i'm using nuk orthodontic nipples for my newborn. and she is comfortable with switching between breast and bottle.

Originally Posted by VidyaaJ

I am expressing milk using a pump. Usually we try to feed the LO through a syringe or spoon.. but this takes so much of time and she is not patient to take completely. So today we introduced her the feeding bottle and she finished 2 oz milk in 5 mins.

But my concern is will she refuse to take my breast after getting introduced to bottle? She is 40 days old.

Please suggest as to how to feed her the expressed milk and if it is the right age to introduce her to the feeding bottle.

Thanks in advance,
Vidyaa

Vidyaa,

I used Avent bottles and avent nipples for my 2months old DD, 3yrs back. It worked really well... I used them for formula feed and my expressed milk feeds. I changed nipples every 3weeks. Though avent nipples are costly, i didnt mind changing them every 3weeks. My DD refused my breast over bottle confusion and i managed to pump and feed her expressed milk till her 6months. Moreover due to chickungunya my supply too was low. But I have seen babies who do really well both with BF and bottles. You try switching between them... say for abt 2weeks... and if u find ur DD doing well, she is latching on to u with the same eagerness, then fine...

We used bottle only for milk till her 1yr. Then slowly switched to tumblers/cups. But from her 4months, when we started juices, water, etc, we used only bowl n spoons... This way my DD understood that bottle is only for milk and other liquids she started getting used up with spoons. Slowly we practised tumblers/cups for other liquids by her 9-10months.... Only coz of this, I feel we could easily withdraw her feeding bottles and switch to tumblers completely. Otherwise if we practise every liquid thru bottles, then withdrawing would be a lenghty process.

My DS is 8weeks old, but not yet started bottles for him till now. Am ex-BFg him. No plans of working this time :)

I always think, from the time we start using the bottles, we need to really plan for the withdrawals too at later stages. Otherwise I do see 3yr olds still with feeding bottles... :D

Hope I am not writing too much, but i thought this might help you... :)