Bottle Feeding and Bottle Refusal
Introducing a bottle for baby has become quite a contentious issue. I for one will always promote trying breastfeeding first but even with that, having the ability to share feeding responsibilities or just to have the option of bottle feeding is awesome. I usually will tell families that want to have the bottle as an option to introduce the bottle at least once a day as soon as mom and baby are comfortable with breastfeeding and have a good rhythm going. This way, we are still working with a newborn’s reflex to be adjustable when feeding and their generic sucking reflex. Introducing the bottle after 6 weeks of age is a lot tougher without that super strong sucking reflex. Though the research isn’t great on which bottle/nipple shape is best, I usually try to have families find a bottle/nipple that mimics either mom’s nipple or matches baby’s palate. If little dude or dudette has a short palate a long nipple will be super uncomfortable. The size of the nipple hole should allow for ease of getting the milk without the milk just leaking and streaming out of baby’s mouth. In terms of special venting or degassing bottles, research is also not great for their usefulness. Babies who are bottle-fed will often ingest more gas than when breastfeeding, so to remedy this, we should keep them upright a little bit longer than after a breastfeeding session to help get some air out with gravity’s help. Even if you don’t hear or feel a burp, air will get out if the baby is in more of an upright position.
Let’s say we still have a baby who is refusing the bottle or we are starting with a late bottle introduction that can be a bit trickier. It often comes down to us kicking out the person who is doing the breastfeeding for a day or two. Of course, baby will prefer to breastfeed if that is what they are used to and refuse a bottle. So sometimes a little bit of breastfeeding deprivation in the form of a spa day/weekend for mom may be the thing to get over that hump, as there is then no option of breastfeeding for baby.
If that does not work, there is no written rule that says milk or formula can only come out of a nipple or bottle. They make little feeding cups with small spouts for babies that can also help with feeding when a kiddo is refusing a bottle.