i cant believe it! there is loads of posts about breast feeding and i cant find 1 about bottle feeding. i think it would be usefull to many mums who decided to bottle feed. the best way to hold baby whilst feeding....the best bottles on the market......easy tips and tricks.. share your experiances on this post i find if i put my baby half way between sitting and laying whilst feeding he does not get as much wind as if he was laying lower. i also have found that bruin bottles with the squeezy sides to reduce colic are fantastic and he hardly get wind at all
My baby is now 9 months, for the first 4 months had colic. I started off bf but it did not work out so had to use bottles. Katie used to get confused at first with sucking as she was used to the breast and would howl and cry, i had to make the teat bigger so that more fluid goes down her.
I use the Avent bottles, their airflowt eats are supposed to reduce colic, but i don't think that it made any difference. I find that they do not wear very well, they now look quite worn, ive had them for about 8.5 months.
Hi glitteremma I have posted on here about bottle feeding in the past, but like you said, there is not much discussion, it is mostly BF. I use the Dr Brown anti colic bottles for my daugter, I used them when I Stopped Bf which was early on and they were great. I used Dr Browns with my son also as he developed bad colic at about 5 weeks old. My daughter didn't seem to suffer, and I think it was down to the bottle. They can look a little clinical and some older members of the public have asked all sorts of questions about them, and think they look very strange. But as they work well at doing the job, I think they are great. At first I used tommee tippee close to nature, but I found them really hard to get in a good position to feed her where the bottle could still be at a good angle.
As you say glitteremma, holding baby at a semi upright (45 degrees)angle then this can help to reduce the ammount of wind.
But As I have found, all these things only help a little. My son was terrible with wind no matter what I tried, yet my daughter would (if allowed) down a whole bottle and then let out a huge burp at the end.
I will say one thing that does get on my nerves when discussing bottle feeding on here, is that alot of people who have not bottle fed their babies think that we
1. Leave them to cry until the 4 hours is up. 2. Neglect them at night when they cry, so they will realise they won't get fed. 3.Pump them up with as much formula as possible. 4. Never let her sleep when she is 'due a feed'.
As well as all the other rubbish on here.
Bottle feeding is just how a baby eats, it doesn't interefer with anything else in the baby's upbringing.
1. My daugter is fed any time she wants. 2. If she cry's in the night, I attend to her needs, I do not ignore her in the hope she will vry herslef back to sleep, just because I need MY sleep. I attend to HER NEEDS and not my own. 3. She eats as much or as little as she wants. Bottle fed babies can say no aswell!!!! 4. She sleeps when she want's to sleep, if she was hungry, she wouldn't fall asleep in the fist place. If she falls asleep mid feed, I give her the rest of the feed when she wakes up. (This only works as I make feeds up fresh from the kettle when watere has cooled a little)
I don't understand why just because a baby is bottle fed, they are just assumed to be living in and being brought up in a totally different way to a breast fed baby.
I don't know how other bottle feeding Mums feel, that is just my opinion. And I am not going back to saying that we are made to feel bad, and are doing the wrong thing, I am past that.... but you other mum's need to see that it is just not as black and white as the baby is bottle fed so everything else is as follows.
Hi Hysteria - I do hope I have never implied that I think like that about bottle feeding mums! (Cos I don't.) And as I do bottle feed expressed milk occasionally (or rather, my husband does), so I'll be reading this thread with interest too.
I've used the mothercare own brand bottles, and while they've been fine for our needs, some of the teats are starting to go now - after 9 and a half months of infrequent use, so I wouldn't really recommend them.
No I don't think I have seen you speak about bottle feeding myms like that Nickycky just that a few mums on her who only bf do think that we are a monster who inflict all sorts of unnecessary harm on our babies. Non of which are even part and parcel with bottle feeding.
The letting a baby cry themselves to sleep is rediculous.
Yes if I am lucky my daugher will fall asleep with her night time feed, but if not, I DO put her down awake, but if she got upset I wouldn't let her cry herslef to sleep. She would have probably thrown up everywhere by then for a start! I just don't understand where some mothers get such strange and outrageous preconceptions from. Unless they have simply read or heard about one or two babies being treated like this, and assume that they all are.
I know that all the mothers on here are intelligent people, so I don't understand how they can be so narrow minded about it all.
I totally agree with you, I could not put it in a better way. There are some on these forums who do get very santimonious regarding bf, and do seem to look down on mums who bottle feed. They tend to think that we are are uncaring and do not have our children's health at heart, which we do. I am sorry that my body was not able to do what its supposed to do, i ve got to deal with it put my baby on bottle and move on!
No i do not have 4 hourly feeds, i tend to feed on demand, at first every 2 hours and night feeds too as and when Katie needs it! Formula is not poison, it should not be provided on prescription as suggested by some bf advocates. Formula is there, when bf do not always work. Gosh if i had to have it on prescription Katie would have had to be without milk until(as my milk was not sufficient) i saw a doctor to provide us with one. Oh dear what a hassle.
We must be very careful here pigletmania. When discussing BF we must be reminded that the reason we were unable to BF was because we didn't have the right support/ support network. That is what I get drilled into me, and makes me feel worse. I will admit that some of my family were quite unsupportive, but I feel I was unable to BF simly because I couldn't seem to do it. I hate how I get told if for making mum's to be and new mum's see Bf in a bad light. But there a good and bad things to everything, and I didn't find BF easy at all. I know that is is the best for a baby nurtitionally, but when it comes to a bay's needs, being fed is on the list among's many other things like sleeping, being loved and cared for, being happy and warm, and many other things. I bottle feed and that is only a small part of my daughters life. She is very happy and healthy, not a heavy baby, but heavy doesn not mean healthy.
Anyway, A little question, my daugher has started sucking her thumb lots more, I read from dr spock this could mean she is not having enough time with the bottle, do you think it is worth giving her more feeds and decreasing the ammount? I don't want her becoming too dependant on the thumb as I was a thumb sucker until I was 12, and then told I needed a head brace!! I don't want to disturb her feeds as she seems happy, and when I think about it, she will be starting solids soon, so she will be all over the place again.
Yes i really do agree Hysteria, its because we did not get the right SUPPORT that we could not breast feed, not that not all women are not physically able to. Very narrow minded, i cannot do anything if my milk dries up despite demand feeding and pumping. Also we get quoted WHO statistics, that state 98% of people should be able to bf, if you cant you not trying hard enough. Basically we should persevere despite our babies health being at stake as someof the mums on these forums have done e.g Olive.
How old is your baby? I am no child expert but if your baby is happy with the feeds than that is ok. I think that a baby will give signs when they are ready for solid food e.g. taking an interest and wanting what you having, able to hold food in mouth no tounge thrust, able to sit up straight etc. As for thumb sucking, i think that babies like something to suck on, wether it is a dummy or thumb, if he/she is older than it might not be a good idea. Having said that, i know some adults who suck their thumb, mainly i think for comfort!
i hope that this helps, i know that i am rambling a bit. it is always interesting to read these forums.
Oh yes, and there are some that quote the FACTS about the benefits of bf and against bottle feeding. Oh and i have resolved my breastfeeding issues(as commented by CM in controlled crying section) by putting her on the bottle lol
I totally agree with what you are saying about preserving, I did this for 4 weeks following the birth of my son, and it simply wasn't enough. I was advised to give him formula to encourage some weight gain as he was still loosing weight! When I introduced the formula he was a lot more content and started to gain weight.
It is difficult at that point to see what is best to do, especially forst time around. I had a baby who was becoming more ill each day, and being told that if I would give him some formula instead of keeping on trying him at BF then he would have never become so ill. At fist I didn't want to think that my body had failed me as my midwife was so helpful, and my mum kept reassuring me that when he was really humgry, he would feed. I think it took me those four weeks to realise that he just wasn't able to do it. I still don't understand, as I thought that all babies would do it eventually, and maybe if I had left it a bit longer, he may have eventually fed. But he also may have died. I know some people don't usually let it get that far (I didn't with my second) and sometimes that maybe the best thing to do.
As for the thumb sucking, she certainly enjoys it. I'm not too concerned as having spoken to people and done some research, there really is no need for concern until the child's second teeth are starting to come through. And usually they have stopped well before then. There are always exceptions, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. I have however, explained to people in the family not o take her thumb or fingers out, as I have learnt this can make her want t suck even more. In extremes dr spock says it can give the child a complex about it too, and the child may think it's wrong and become embaressed by it. That is from a psychological point of view though. But all the same, I have explained to people to let her suck whenever she want's, it's her comfort.
ahhh ladys im so glad this thread took off i have enjoyed reading your replys, my baby has also started to suck him thumb, its not problem as he has been trying to keep it in for ages now and i think he was getting annoyed haha , now he feels proud i recon and he starting to ignore that dummy that daddy bought home lol as for colic.... we had a awful time with it but now he tends to just let up one big burp
i know what you mean i was told only to feed the baby every 4 hours but i soon realised that was a rediculous idea........ he varys....3 hrs some times its longer... but hes never hungry or upset... infact right now hes giggling with daddy on the sofa... and hes due a bottle it does annoy me how bf is constantly forced as the only thing otherwise you have failed... to be honest i never actually liked the idea of it untill i got pregnant then i really wanted to do it i was upset once i tryed and it was too difficult (they say its natural) but with a c section and other things it was not easy) THANK GOODNESS FOR BOTTLES
i looked at the list of things you put down and yes it does seem like people think that.... as far as i can tell my baby is not bothered by using a bottle and it wont affect him one bit. i think what bugs some women who breast feed is that although its easyer because you dont have to wash up bottles... its nice to have a break and let some one else be the dairy queen may be they are slightly envyous lol when i feed him his milk i dont think oh no hes not getting any goodness because i have read the ingrediants on the pack and they are all there even the prebiotic care!!! woo hoo i think its good if you can bf but its not the end of the world and i totally hate it when its the gps first question ... how do u feed him!!! not oh how is he
Yes i agree glitteremma. Even though the pro bf advocates on these forums (not mentioning any names)say they don't intend to make us feel guilty, they do! They make me feel like i am doing my baby some kind of injustice. They quote as i mentioned the FACTS and statistics without acknowleding the mothers personal experience or accounts. How ridiculous to suggest that formula should be put on prescription, what if we need milk now and cant find a doctor to prescribe us formula. That means our baby goes without milk until we can find a doctor to prescribe it. What if its over the weekend! Yes mabey the support was not as good as it should be, however there are other factors as well which should not be ignored. I feel that some women are not able to bf, its biology
I have a couple of friends who bf and they are not like some on this forum. It does give bf a bad name, instead of encouraging women they can put them off.
You girls are naughty!! I PML when I read the topic for discussion here!! I am surprised that no-one else has been along (not mentioning any names??!!)
I bf my second daughter for longer than my first. But then was advised to switch her onto soya formula....and it is a pain when you get near the weekend and you realise that you are running out, because you can't buy it in the shops!!
I am not sure how long I would BF for as I didn'g get as far as you, so I don't think I will ever know. I suppose I would do is as long as the child was happy, but like you say, maybe not past 2. It is just a comforth then. Getting a breast out for a 2 year old to me seems a little like laziness, I am willing for people to tell me otherwise, but isn't it then just a quick fix. If they get upset and they are simly fed, then surely there is a reason other than being hungry. If is is for comfort, then they don't need to be fed.
actually some of the women on here i would never like to meet. they seem like seriously nasty people who think they can control EVERYONE their children better not dissagree with them lol on the other hand some of u are really nice and dont go out of your way to harrass people HYSTERIA1983 your on the cool side lol i agree with u on most things hee hee not to say i cant get on with people i dissagree with, but i only tend to dissagree with people who talk rubbish
as a new mum i didnt realise untill today, that there actually is a feeling of buggy rage (just like drivers go crazy) so do other mums with buggys.... its like its a competition to get through the isles first, if you give way to anyone including other fellow buggy pusher DONT expect a thank you! if you say thank you dont expect a smile or even aknowledgement well thats the general experiance i have had.... also the ammount of old ladys that want to look at your baby! ha ha even if your pushing them in the shop or walking or in the bank! bless them
some man gave my 3 month old baby a 50p in asda !!!!!! ha ha ha put it in his hand and he held it but i took it off him cos it would end up in his mouth! that payed for my cigs lol (joke( i dont smoke ) its in his money box which i am determined wont be touched till he is 18 were doing well...... i take it you all have invested your ctf vouchers..... where do u reccomend?
Yes i certainly agree with you glitteremma. When i had Katie it opened up a whole new world of fellow mums with buggies. I think that it is sign of the times that people don't say thank you in general or please. If the parents don't say it, their children are going to learn from that. I don't drive, i find that some bus drivers can be quite rude especailly to mums with buggies hurrying them up etc.
I am probably going to get lunched by the coffin dodgers lol, but i find that some elderly people who have those mobility scooters seem to think that they have a god given right to space in a shop over everybody else, woe betide if you have a buggy he he he
I could ramble all day and night about the topic but don't want to bore you all on these forums. well i am off to bed now so tired
I am on the same level there with you girls. I find it very inconsiderate in shopping centres where I need to use lifts to get to another floor. The anount of people that use then is rediculous, as most of them are perfectly capable of using the stairs or lift. Also younger people are just as bad, I know from how I felt when I was young, if I saw someone struggling with a pushchair, I thought so what.... They don't have a right to take over footpaths. But I have slowly learrnt that it is difficult out there with a pushchair. There does seem to be a bit of a race to get about with the pushchair, that is why when I needed a double buggy, I went for a phil and teds tandem pushchair, it is brilliant and takes up less room when out and about than my urban detour from mothercare.
