Breast is certainly best, but any new breastfeeding mom will admit that the task is extraordinarily demanding at times. It’s perfectly acceptable and recommended that a bottle be introduced as soon as a week or two postpartum, so long as mom feels confident her baby has established a successful breastfeeding routine.
In the recent few years, pros in the field - doctors, nurses and lactation consultants – tended to err on the side of caution and advised new mothers to wait a while, warning that early introduction could cause nipple confusion. Breastfeeding moms, on the other hand, can attest that once the baby has successfully mastered the skill of breastfeeding, it’s good to transition some reinforcements into the equation. And more recent professional reports on the subject actually recommend doing so sooner versus later as well.
The timing of an established breastfeeding routine can vary from one baby to the next, but most tend to fall within the following schedule. Week one consists of waiting for mommy’s milk, and then making up for lost time once it has arrived. The second week is spent getting into an established rhythm. Some babies go several hours between feedings, while others seem to never break away, leaving mom utterly exhausted.
Depending upon how soon a rhythm is established between mom and baby, the period of time between the second and fourth week is often the best point at which to give the bottle a whirl. Doing so any sooner may have an adverse effect and postpone the successful integration of baby and mom into the breastfeeding process. And, waiting too long could work against mommy by producing a baby that is set in his ways, and before too long wants nothing in his mouth aside from his mother’s nipple (this has, unfortunately, happened to many babies of breastfeeding mothers).
Getting a new baby accustom to taking milk from a bottle is important for so many reasons. First, if mom is planning to go back to work after maternity leave, her baby must be able to receive nourishment from another source, and she must become best buds with her breast pump if she wishes to continue nourishing her baby via her own natural components. The sooner both of these tasks can be accomplished, the easier the transition back to work will be for everyone. But more importantly, the sanity of mom lies at stake! Teaching that new baby to take mommy’s milk from a bottle eases the demands on the new mom, enabling her to get the occasional much-needed baby break. Not to mention, it provides the baby an opportunity to bond with not only daddy but other care givers as well. Waiting too long to begin this process may result is mommy having way more time on her hands than she bargained for with that new little bundle of joy!
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