It is very difficult to know where introducing bottles too soon will affect an individual baby but generally it is a big problem in getting breastfeeding working well. One research study I read said that 95% of babies (that is 19 babies out of 20) will encounter problems if given bottles in the first three weeks of life.
It is important that your baby learn to breastfeed well before bottles or pacifiers are introduced. Some babies learn to breastfeed very quickly and others take more time. Obvious if your baby is one of the quick ones to learn to breastfeed the introduction of don’t have a big effect. But if your baby is having problems breastfeeding then introducing bottles will just complicate everything.
As your baby is still so young and things aren’t prefect yet it would be best to assume tat your baby isn’t breastfeeding in the best way yet and avoid bottles if possible.
Dr. Jack Newman believes that if the baby is latching on to the breast then the best way to supplement the baby is with a lactation aid aid and not cup feeding. A lactation aid allows you to supplement the baby at the breast. Remember that babies learn to breastfeed by breastfeeding not by cup feeding.
There are instructions for using a lactation aid at,
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/5.html
here is also a video on the web page
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml
Under the title Lactation Aid.
(In this video Dr Newman just uses the tube and puts it straight into the bottle. This works just as well as the SNS (Supplemental Nursing System) that Medela sell but it doesn't look as nice. Obviously for Medela to sell them to mothers more design had to go into it!)
If you want to buy a supplementer ask for "Supplemental Nursing System" or a SNS.
There is a picture of one at
http://www.meridianhk.com.hk/special_feeding_main.html
Medela also sell the feeding tube #8F and you can just get this and use the same method as Dr. Jack Newman if you want.
You can get them from Meridian or Celki shops in Hong Kong
Meridian Hong Kong Limited
Head Office
21/F., Tins Enterprises Centre, 777 Lai Chi Kok Road,
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2328 2662 Fax: (852) 2358 0263
Email :
contact@meridianhk.com.hk
The secret to cup feeding is not to remove the cup from the baby’s lips when you are feeding her the milk. Just tip the cup slightly so a small amount goes into the baby’s mouth.
I, personally, find the Medela soft cup feeder much easier.
http://www.meridianhk.com.hk/special_feeding_main.html
This is the same as spoon feeding the baby but it avoids the spillage. And again the secret is to not remove the feeder from the baby’s mouth as you feed.
Try to get someone else to cup feed the baby for you. As this will relieve you and allow you to pump during the time the baby is feeding.
It is normal for cup feeding to take a long time. After all your baby would be breastfeeding for a long time if she was getting all her milk that way. The fact that the baby gets her milk very quickly when bottle feeding is one of the reasons that baby’s have difficulty learning to breastfeed and bottle feed at the same time.
The usual recommendation is to delay introducing bottles until the baby is 4 to 6 weeks old, or at least two weeks after all breastfeeding problems have been solved.
Best wishes,
SARAH