https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:28:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52664 Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:30:30 +0000 Red 52664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We introduced it @ 4 weeks and used a wide nipple to avoid nipple confusion. Like @Mamadopt mentioned, it's more about nipple preference cause it's easier for babies to get milk from standard nipples. If you're going to start soon, I would use a wide nipple just in case. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52662 Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:21:58 +0000 MsMini 52662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I plan on introducing 1 bottle every day or 2 right away. Although I have a year mat leave, I don't want to be stuck in a position where my baby refuses to take a bottle. I work in NICU, and most of the babies end up getting a bottle, and as long as the mom does her work pumping to establish supply, the transition to breastfeeding goes perfectly well 97% of the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52657 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:56:01 +0000 EmmeBaby 52657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also feared Nipple Confusion so I didn't intro the bottle (Husband did) until 1 month. LO took the first bottle but rejected all others. My husband calls it "needle to the throat" -- we kept trying but failed. I would try it now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52534 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:07:24 +0000 Andrea 52534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Within the first week, I also saw no nipple confusion or preference with my LO. I think it is a lactation consultant scare tactic as other PPs have said. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52516 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:27:46 +0000 chopsuey 52516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started pumping at the hospital and introduced the bottle at the hospital on day #2 too. My LO stopped taking a bottle at around 2.5 months so she's been nursing exclusively since then. she's 9.5 months old! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52505 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:36:37 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 52505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We waited until about a month with both bottle and paci. He had no issues with either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52493 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:06:11 +0000 owlmom 52493@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO had trouble latching, so we introduced bottles in the first week. Now at 3 months, she happily eats from a bottle and straight from the source. I have several friends who waited too long to introduce bottles, and their babies never have been good bottle feeders. Make sure you pump when you give your LO a bottle, especially early on when establishing your milk output. It's great to share feeding responsibility with your SO, and you'll be tempted to let him do a bottle feeding at night with milk you pumped earlier in the day while you sleep, but that can impact your supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52490 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:55:32 +0000 L2sweetpea 52490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started pumping when LO was about 3 weeks old. It took a little it to gain anything substantial. I would feed one side and pump the other. This really helped boost my supply.<br /> We didn't introduce a bottle until LO was 6 weeks. She had no issues taking a bottle. Only my husband gives her the bottle though...I never did. I wanted her to associate me with the breast not the bottle. Now I has given a bottle while out (LO is now 4 months) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52488 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:40:32 +0000 miranlee 52488@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks goodness! I'm happy to hear all of this from everyone. I'm still going to wait a week longer, but now I won't feel so bad about introducing a bottle so "early." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52481 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:05:19 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 52481@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What many people term nipple confusion is better termed nipple preference. If you make bottle milk really easy to get by using a fast flow nipple, then the baby may prefer that because they don't have to work so hard to get it.</p> <p>I think lactation consultants really try to scare us into not using binkies, bottles etc. In talking to many of them at work, I get the sense that the overriding consideration is to not lose anyone to bottlefeeding because breast is best. So hardline stances are easier to promote and understand for most folks.</p> <p>I do the same thing in peds when I telll parent<br /> s not to cosleep. There are a ton of caveats to tha<br /> t, but the AAP recommendation is "no cosleeping" so that people are the safest possible.... But if you really drill down in the data, some cosleeping can be protective.</p> <p>Ultimately you have to do what's best for you, but in my experience I've seen maybe two babies with true problems switching from bottle to breast and both of them had physiologic reasons for the issue. Anyway. Good luck. I hope you find hat it goes smoothly. Sorry for any iPhone typos. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52480 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:02:15 +0000 Maysprout 52480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I introduced at 2 weeks. Baby did fine. She has an obvious preference for the boob but that wasnt really apparent till she was several months old and had learned to have opinions. But she never refused the bottle. She prefers spoons most though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52475 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:37:40 +0000 Mrs. Bee 52475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>if i had no problems breastfeeding, i'd still introduce the bottle right away. nipple confusion does exist for some babies, but i know many more moms that have problems with baby rejecting the bottle than the other way around. in fact... olive still fights her bottles every day even though she's had bottles pretty much every day of her life!</p> <p>if i were you, i would introduce it now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52473 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:35:21 +0000 Nskillet 52473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mamasopt thanks for posting this!!! This is what id like to do as I seriously dont believe in nipple confusion!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52472 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:30:40 +0000 prettylizy 52472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mamadopt: I'm so glad to hear this, I want LO to be happy to take a bottle when I'm not around, and I was hoping to start asap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52471 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:17:55 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 52471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Short answer for us was "not soon enough". We should have been doing it from minute one, but we waited a couple of weeks and she refused the bottle all the way until she got to solids. Sometimes we'd get her to take a couple of ounces when I was gone for a long shift, but basically we tried never to go to long with me away, because the bottle was so unreliable for us! Early and often... Your baby won't get confused! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-start-pumping-and-introduce-a-bottle#post-52469 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:53:22 +0000 miranlee 52469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is only 1 week old so i am breastfeeding for now but i am anxious to pump so that DH can share in the feedings. I was planning on waiting at least two weeks, though my midwives recommended four weeks so my milk supply is stable. </p> <p>When did you start? So far she is taking to breast and pacifier pretty good. Will introducing the third nipple just be chaos? </p>