Breastfeeding journey with a bottle backup - need advice

6d ago·1 min read

My wife is struggling with supply and we're introducing bottles of pumped milk. The problem is my 2 month old takes the bottle way easier than nursing and I'm terrified she'll refuse the breast completely. Has anyone dealt with this? We're only doing one bottle a day right now but the lactation consultant said we might need to do more. Feeling guilty about even suggesting formula as a backup option.

5 comments106 views

Comments(5)

DDerek M.New Dad4d ago

The good news is supply often bounces back once she gets more comfortable with the pumping schedule. It's stressful when it's happening though. Keep tracking how much she's pumping and watch the baby's wet diapers. That's the real metric for whether supply is okay.

JJoey M.New Dad4d ago

Pro tip: keep the bottle at body temperature and sometimes babies take it better if mom is in another room. Sounds weird but my wife being right there made our baby want the breast instead of the bottle. Once she stepped back it worked better.

OOmar S.Regular6d ago

Totally normal and honestly you're doing great introducing bottles as backup. My daughter eventually figured out both, just took patience. Your wife's doing hard work so make sure she knows that.

TTyler K.Regular6d ago

This happened with us too at that age. The bottle is way less work for baby so they prefer it, but keep offering the breast even if it feels discouraging. Supply usually evens out around month 3-4 when things click.

BBen M.New Dad5d ago

Bottle strikes are rough. One thing we found is that it matters what bottle you use. Some babies get frustrated with certain nipple flows. We had to try like three different brands before our kiddo would actually drink from one without losing it.