Hi! I have just over three week old twins and have been nursing them. I have just started introducing bottles of EBM and need to know what equipment I need to make things easier. I have a handful of Born Free bottles (4 small ones) and so far they have no trouble taking them and fast too! We are sitting a bottle in some boiling water for a few minutes before giving them. I am pumping using a double medela pump and sterilizing using an avent sterilizer which a friend gave me. I don't mind spending money to make my life easier - bottle warmer, new born free sterilizer etc. Any advice out there? I have a feeling bottles may start overtaking nursing since I find it very overwhelming and exhausting so I want to be prepared. Thanks in advance! -Kats
Just a few tips here: 1 - you don't have to sterilize bottles etc except for before you use them for the first time - I never did. Just wash them in warm soapy water after each use. 2 - get a good drying rack. This is the one we like 3 - Get lots of bottles so you don't have to wash after every feeding. 4 - Not sure why you have to warm up the EBM? - It's good for 8 hours after pumping (at room temp). I always just left mine on the counter and used it up all day. I pumped and gave bottles of EBM for 6 months. So PM me if you have any more questions. Cary
It sounds to me like you have what you need - good pump, good bottles. Personally I don't think a sterilizer or bottle warmer are necessary. We just sit a bottle in warm water. And I wash them in the dishwasher. You can put them in boiling water occasionally if you really want to know they are sterilized, but generally for healthy full term babies, sterlizing isn't necessary and exposure to that small amount of household germs is fine. You might want to pop over to the breastfeeding forum - you'll get wonderful support there. And most of us over there will tell you that BFing is much easier than pumping/bottles. It seems harder now in the first weeks/months, but once you and they really get the hang of the nursing, the feedings will be easier and so much faster than pumping, making bottles, washing bottles, etc. The more you introduce the bottle, you might find that the nursing gets harder. It's easier for them to get milk out of the bottle, so they might start to prefer it if you give it too much. So you might want to be careful getting them in too much of a bottle habit, unless that's really the way you want to go. But we always did both - it was nice for me to know i could get a break and someone else could feed. You'll find the balance that feels right for you. congrats and good luck.
I breastfeed one baby and pump for the other (she has boobie issues..lol) tip #1 get LOTS of bottles to express into. I don't know how often you pump and for what your reasons are (stocking up, letting someone else feed..etc- makes a difference to see how much you are going to be doing it) Any of the standard bottles fit the medela pump. When I warm the milk up (after being refrigerated- I pump all day long) I just use a bowl and warm tap water. I use the same bowl and keep it on the right side of the sink and when it gets close to feeding time, I go ahead and set a bottle of milk in warm water and it's usually got the chill off by the time baby girl is ready to eat. I use the dishwasher for bottles- so no need for a dryer/sterlizer.
QUOTE(caryanne07 @ Apr 9 2008, 10:23 AM) [snapback]713583[/snapback] Just a few tips here: 1 - you don't have to sterilize bottles etc except for before you use them for the first time - I never did. Just wash them in warm soapy water after each use. 2 - get a good drying rack. This is the one we like 3 - Get lots of bottles so you don't have to wash after every feeding. 4 - Not sure why you have to warm up the EBM? - It's good for 8 hours after pumping (at room temp). I always just left mine on the counter and used it up all day. I pumped and gave bottles of EBM for 6 months. So PM me if you have any more questions. Cary I agree with everything Cary said. I also pumped for six months because neither of my girls would latch on. I did buy a warmer because at first I was pumping more than my girls could take so I froze some and refrigerated the rest. I used an Avent warmer (still do) and like it a lot. If you can breastfeed, do so! It's way easier than pumping and bottle feeding (at least that's what I've heard). Good luck - and congrats on your twins.
Not sure if I read it right but you shouldn't warm EBM in boiling water - it sort of refeats the purpose. I just put a gladd in the microwave until to is luke warm and put the bottle in that. Ours will take a bottle cold too. Be sure you really want to switch to bottles if you start giving them a lot. It really is easier to BF IMO. The feelings you are having about BFing are completely normal but be aware that it won't stay that way forever. Unless you really want to stop BFing and be stuck pumping and then giving a bottle (twice the work) or paying for formula I would stop giving bottles as much as possible. If you want a break have a bottle time - one a day at night for example. It will take some pressure off you and give you a break. With just one bottle a day if you decided to go exclusive you could (IMO), I did! PM me if you want to keep BFing but just need some support! Either way those babies will grow up way faster than you think. I can't believe we are at 6 months!
Thanks a million for your replys. I am just finding BF so hard these early days. I BF my dd for a year and she never took a bottle of any sort (terror!) and I have to say overall I really enjoyed the experience but this is SO MUCH HARDER. I will try to stick at it and just give a bottle a day for the moment. My mum who is here was all about heating up the bottles since I was refridgerating them but I think I will take your advice and keep them at room temp. Thanks again!
