The transition from breast to bottle is a moment to anticipate, and is not always easy.
In fact, some babies will take the bottle easily, while others may take longer or even never accept it in some cases.
This is because a bottle is not natural and a baby used to his mother's breast may have difficulty adapting to this new way of feeding. In addition, the bottle does not have the smell of the mother and the baby may therefore have difficulty understanding what it is. If your child seeks the breast and shows an urge to suck, he may be having difficulty making this transition.
It is therefore sometimes essential to anticipate this transition from breast to bottle, which is not always an easy task, especially when the mother is going back to work and entrusting her baby to a nanny or to the nursery.
Milk production can also in some cases be insufficient for some mothers (see our article how to restart lactation ) and require supplementing breastfeeding by introducing a bottle of milk.
All these factors make it sometimes essential to succeed in giving your child a bottle. Since each child is different, it is up to you to find the most appropriate way to make him accept this famous bottle!
However, here are some tips to help you make this transition a success!
While the breastfeeding mother's body generally adapts to the baby's feeding needs, by restarting milk production when necessary, by increasing feedings, the decrease in feedings caused by the introduction of the bottle can also reduce the mother's lactation. Indeed, some mothers will be very successful with the breastfeeding/bottle combination for months while others will see their lactation decrease as soon as the bottle is introduced.
Why switch from breastfeeding to bottle feeding?
A woman may be pushed to stop or reduce breastfeeding for various reasons, which may be professional, personal or medical.
First of all, you are going back to work soon and you are wondering how you will be able to feed your child from a distance?
Please note that it is entirely possible to continue giving your breast milk to your baby.
You can therefore express your milk the day before or the same morning and store it in the refrigerator in plastic bags dedicated to storing milk. Make sure that the temperature of your refrigerator varies between 0° and 4° and do not leave it for more than 8 days! It is also possible to store it in the freezer, at a temperature of -18° for 6 months.
In fact, it is the ideal solution for planning ahead and building up milk stocks before returning to work.
Remember to note the freezing date and quantity on the storage bag to monitor the expiry date and facilitate defrosting. For this step, it is not recommended to heat it in the microwave, you can defrost it for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator or place it in a bowl of hot water. Note that it is forbidden to refreeze your milk under penalty of seeing bacteria develop there and thus spoil your milk, but above all of poisoning your baby.
You must now anticipate your absence by getting him used to drinking your milk in a bottle at least once a day, in daddy's arms where he will not seek the breast.
You may also want to stop or reduce your breastfeeding, for personal reasons: fatigue, lack of time and/or organization to express your milk for the nursery or other childcare and wish to introduce industrial milk.
You may also be pressured to stop breastfeeding prematurely for health reasons.
In fact, your baby may not gain enough weight and may need to introduce industrial milk.
To do this, be sure to check your child's weight very often, and if you realize that he is not gaining enough weight then the question of introducing the bottle to supplement your milk with industrial milk may arise. It will increase the nutritional intake and therefore ensure the proper development of your baby.
Often, this lack of regular weight gain comes from a sucking problem on the part of the baby who quickly tires at the breast and does not drink enough (very common in children born prematurely). Indeed, drinking at the breast requires much more effort than drinking from a bottle.
When to start this transition?
You should not start this phase too early if you want to continue breastfeeding. If you are on standard maternity leave, you should start this transition at the end of the 2nd baby's month. At the beginning you will introduce a bottle every 3/4 days. Avoid giving him the bottle in the morning because this feeding allows the breasts to empty, which are full during the night.
If you are able to keep your baby close to you for longer, you can delay this time to maintain good lactation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the child is at least 6 months old so that he or she can benefit from the benefits of breast milk for as long as possible.
The introduction of the bottle will depend above all on your personal and/or professional plans… But you should know that the more you replace breastfeeding with bottles, the more your lactation will decrease. These factors work in a correlated manner.
What if your baby refuses?
It is not impossible that your baby shows signs of refusing the bottle, this could come from the milk offered or from the contact of the teat in the mouth that he simply does not like. Or the fact that there is no longer the smell, the touch and the contact with his mother.
Start getting him used to it by filling the bottle with your breast milk. This way, fewer changes may suit him better at first. This will help you determine what is causing his refusal.
Many babies do not naturally drink from a bottle and they need to learn to know, tame the teat and become familiar with the bottle. You can also test with another container; some babies refuse the bottle but have no problem drinking from a glass. This solution also depends on the age of your child at that time.
Your baby will probably cry more than usual during this transition phase because breastfeeding has become a pleasure for him and he feels reassured when he sucks. Calm him by rocking him or singing him a nursery rhyme while giving him the bottle. Condition him by putting him in a relaxing atmosphere, for example, with classical music in the background, during the breast or bottle so that he associates the moment of the bottle with a moment of relaxation comparable to breastfeeding.
In any case, you must accept his refusal and not force him; weaning must be gentle, slow and adapted to your baby. It does not matter if he takes time to get used to the bottle.
And in any case, good luck to the mothers who have to go through this! It's not always an easy time.
If you have any secret tips and want to share them with us, send us an email at contact.neuviemeciel@gmail.com