Introducing A Bottle
Many nursing mothers wonder whether they should start replacing some breast feedings with bottle feedings during this period, with the eventual goal of weaning the baby entirely. Your decision about when and how to wean your baby should be based on your own desires, as well as on practical considerations, such as the need to return to work.
Some pediatricians recommend the introduction of an occasional bottle perhaps one a day as soon as the mother’s milk supply is well established. That way, the mother can be separated from the baby for more than a few hours at a time should the need arise. In addition, a baby who gets used to a bottle early in life can give up breast feeding more readily later on. It’s important to emphasize, though, that there is no single correct approach; whatever choice the parents make, the baby will be fine.
If you do decide to taper off breast feedings, the process may be easier if you do it gradually. The mother will be less uncomfortable from breast engorgement if feedings are eliminated over a period of weeks. Likewise, a baby who typically has trouble adapting to change will do better with a gradual than with a sudden switch in feeding practices. Such a baby may also adjust better if you don’t try to wean to a bottle and introduce solid foods at the same time. Two big changes at once may be too much to handle.
A number of mothers continue breast feeding on a limited basis as their babies get older. Some working mothers, for example, nurse only once or twice a day and have no need to express milk during the work day once the reduced breast-feeding schedule is established.
As infants become more aware of their surroundings, they may gradually lose interest in nursing and manage, in effect, to wean themselves. Some, however, become strongly resistant to weaning. If you have a baby who is reluctant to give up breast feeding, try the following strategies.
1. Break the routine. If you have always nursed in one particular rocking chair, try nursing in the kitchen, bedroom, or baby’s room.
2. Nurse the baby for a brief period, then distract her with a toy or a game. After a play session, try giving a bottle or cereal again.
3. Combine bottle or cereal feeding with an activity the baby particularly enjoys, such as shaking a toy that makes an interesting sound.