As a breastfeeding mum, sometimes you may need to delegate feeding your baby to someone else. This may be so you rest or return to work outside the home when your maternity leave ends. Delegating means your expressed milk needs to go in a bottle.
Adanna, like most new mums preferred to breastfeed her baby. She planned to do so for 6 months. However, having to go back to work and life schedules were forcing her to consider the bottle feeding option .
Now here’s the problem; Adanna’s son hates being fed from the bottle!
A baby’s bottle teat is also known as a nipples. It is the part of the bottle that goes into the baby’s mouth during feeding. It comes in different shapes and sizes in order to suite your baby’s needs.
The nature of your baby’s bottle teat is just as important as the food you’re giving them. It goes directly into his/her mouth and if the texture is strange or the flow is different from the way milk is let out from your breast, your baby is sure to reject it.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as selecting the right bottle teat.
Bottle teats are made mostly from silicone or rubber. Each of these materials has its own unique features.
Rubber (or latex) is a natural material which is softer and more flexible than the silicone option. Rubber teats are stronger, more water absorbent and effective. In addition, the softness of the rubber material makes it easier for your baby to adapt to it. However, the rubber teat tends to break easily.
On the other hand, the silicone teat is clear, firm and more resistant to temperature. Furthermore, it is more stretchy, durable and able to retain more liquid as compared to the rubber material.
The silicone teat can undergo several rounds of sterilization without developing cracks. Silicone is relatively inert. There a chance that your baby may be allergic to latex.
Choosing bottle nipples/teats for your baby when you are baby shopping could be a bit confusing as a new or expecting mum.
A baby who’s used to the ease and fast flow from a particular teat may fuss whenever you then want to breastfeed directly. This is termed nipple confusion.
For mums who want to breastfeed exclusively, please note that it’s best to wait to your comfortable with latching and breastfeeding is established before introducing bottles and pacifiers. This usually takes 2-4 weeks max.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Despite all these measures your baby may still refuse the bottle. Some babies just don’t like bottles and that’s totally normal. Read our guide on alternative ways of feeding your baby .
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