Nipple confusion?

Question

What were your experiences with switching back and forth between bottle feeding and breastfeeding? How early is too early to introduce the bottle? I plan on breastfeeding but also pumping that way when I'm not able to or it's not conveinent to breastfeed, I can use the bottle. Will my baby really not take my breast after having a bottle?

Answer 1

Some babies will not take the bottle if you gave the nipple, but I was lucky my son gets both he doesn't care, he only wants to eat. Try to introduce the bottle to the baby, there are some nipples that are almost equal to the natural nipple, so it will take a while but you'll see is going to work. Go to babycenter.com, is going to help you a lot.

Answer 2

Many babies are very versatile and can take bottle and breast together quite easily, however some babies will outright refuse the breast because the bottle nipple is so much easier to get milk from (and it comes much faster)

For this reason, most people don't recommend introducing a bottle until baby is at least 6 weeks old. Personally I have found in talking with other mothers that the earlier a bottle is introduced, the earlier (in all) the baby weans. Whether this is what you want or not, is up to you. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding to the age of 6 months, and continued nursing to 2 years and beyond.

Answer 3

I began introducing the bottle after about 2 weeks, because I had to go back to work after 6 weeks. I know from experience that some babies that don't ever get a bottle in the first couple months may never take one (which doesn't work well if you ever need a babysitter). So offer it at least occasionally if you plan to have to use a bottle occasionally. Also, some babies won't take a bottle from Mom because they're expecting the breast, so let Dad try. This can also be a sweet bonding moment between Dad and baby.

Answer 4

Here is my experience. I have 2 boys 8 and 9 years old. At that time I was told to make sure that my entire areola was in their mouth and to feed on one side for 10 mins then switch. This turned out to be a huge nightmare and I had to stop nursing after 3 months with both kids. I think it was due to all the fidgetting with them. Now I have a 3 1/2 month old daughter and I feed her on one side for as long as she desires and then the next time I use the other side for the entire time. I don't fidget with her latch as long as it doesn't hurt. I also pump because I work for 3 hrs a day away from home. My husband feeds her the bottles. we began her on the bottle from just him as 2 weeks and found that the platex nipples for the drop in bottles to be most like the breast. We have had no nipple confusion issues. I have a friend with a baby and when she we went back to work at three months her son would not take the bottle at all. I say work with your baby and start early with the bottle but have someone else feed the bottle so your baby knows the breast is always from mom. Your baby will tell you what he/she wants to do. Read your baby. GOOD LUCK!!!! Enjoy your baby.

Answer 5

I would suggest waiting 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle. This will allow you to get breastfeeding established and get your milk supply in. If all is going smoothly, you can try giving a bottle around 4 weeks. If you get off to a rough start nursing then you might want to wait the full 6 weeks before offering a bottle.

Only one of my three kids ever took a bottle, but we had no problems with nipple confusion and he nursed well beyond the first year.

It is important to wait a few weeks early on though, since they don't come with little labels on their heads that say, "prone to nipple confusion" or "I could care less, just feed me!"

EDITED TO ADD:
There are honestly babies out there who DO have problems going back and forth between the two. I have worked with them as a breastfeeding counselor to try to get their babies back to the breast and latched on correctly after offering a bottle too early. Like I said before, it's too bad they don't come with little labels on their foreheads so we know which ones will have a hard time before we offer a bottle.

Answer 6

I breastfed for 14 months and pumped 3 times a day at work for all but 7 weeks of those. She never had nipple confusion. My lactation consultant said that by the time she was 4 weeks, nursing had been firmly established and we could try to get her used to the bottle. She said don't wait too long because she might refuse the bottle, but don't start too early because she might refuse the breast. We used Avent bottles, and I used and Avent pump. I was very satisfied with both. When this baby is born I am going to use the same again. I never gave her the bottle myself because I wanted her to only associate me with the breast. So, my husband started testing the bottle for us at 4 weeks. My first week back to work (she was 7 weeks) my husband took his vacation and said she had no problems with the bottle. The next week when she started daycare she was an old pro.

Answer 7

my first child- I waited a month to introduce bottle...she never took it.


my second child- I did it right away, then he got nipple confusion and I had to go to a lactation consultant to get him feeding again- and I was using the expensive bottles that are shaped like the breast!

my third child- waited about a week untill he had breast feeding down. only feed by bottle twice a day to keep it from becoming too
regular. he bottle fed until about 6 months. If u dont keep a reguar balance of the 2 they forget and chose one or the other. Most almost always choose one or the other eventually anyway- so be careful which one you want that to be.

Answer 8

I know this answer my mom had a hard time with me when I was born I have heard her talk about this to a lot of new mothers if you start the baby on your nipple and I would wait a good 4 weeks first be4 tring the bottle my mom did not get the chance to nurse me cause the nurse at the hospital spoiled me with the bottle right off the bat so I could not lack on to my mom at It really flustered my mom!!! she even cried but as long as you start baby on your nipple it should be fine it is harder for baby to go from bottle to nipple that for nipple to bottle but as long as they learn how to do the hard one first the mom's nipple they will do fine going back in froth hope that helps good luck!! and congrats!!!!

I think it would have been a good thing for me if my mom could have nursed me I think it is the best thing for the baby!

but the hospitol messed my mom up and gave me a bottle with in an hour of being born

Answer 9

I didn't have a problem. I breastfed until I returned to work, and pumped during the day so that the babysitter could feed her during the day. When I returned from work, the first thing I'd do is to take the baby and breast feed her. There wasn't any confusion for her which was good because as a working mother it allowed me to "breastfeed" her much longer than I would have.

Answer 10

well to be able to breastfeed you need to sit down and feel comfortable with your baby with this I mean that it doesn't
hurt you and the baby it's not moving around because he is uncomfortable. Brest feeding is easy and convenient for new mothers because you don't have to go around carrying your diaper bag around with clean and sanitized bottles, water, formula, plus diapers and all those things. For me personally if I would of had more information about it I would of continue breastfeeding my 2 kids but there was a lot of pain involved and a lot of crying because they were hungry. So just try it and if it makes you feel comfortable continue doing it it's what's best for the baby.