Rewind to when Daxton was 1 week old and having latch issues. Since he lost about a pound due to not eating enough, we had to supplement a bit with formula. As someone who wanted her baby only to experience the goodness and amazing benefits of breastfeeding, I was devastated...but that is another story for another time. Anyways, he took a bottle with no hesitation, no preference to me, nothing. He just took it and chugged it down. We used the wide neck Dr. Brown bottles I received at my shower. I had done a lot of research on bottles and got feedback from others and those seemed to be the best bottles for everything such as gas, spitting up, and even breastfed babies. This obviously proved to be true when my new baby took to it so willingly.
Fast forward 6 weeks when I had my postpartum check up and left Daddy to hang with baby. Since breastfed babies eat every 2-3 hours, it was inevitable that he would have to give Dax a bottle while I was out. So Dad got a bottle ready and
This stressed me out. How come my baby decided to dislike the bottle that he seemed to enjoy just a short 6 weeks ago? Well, I decided to try out some more bottle and nipple types in hopes of finding the right bottle.
Bottle's We Hate:
1. Dr. Browns - with more research, I found that these really aren't that great for breastfed babies. Look at the nipple...unless your breast is shaped in a 90 degree angle, this bottle is not going to work for a breastfeeding mother (with a picky baby).
2. Avent Natural - nipple was a little better shaped, but way too long. Dax gagged every time we tried this one.
3. Avent Classic - shaped similar to the Dr. Brown wide neck bottle nipples so this one did not work either.
4. Nuk Orthodontic - the one bottle I thought he would take because the nipple has a flat part at the tip, it is shorter, and the milk comes out to where it would hit the roof of their mouth rather than the back of the throat. Nope. Still fussed and wouldn't take it.
5. Playtex Drops-Ins - I tried both the silicone and latex nipple with this one. He seemed to play with it a little more but still could not get him to suck it....or put it past his gums and his crazy pushing tongue.
7 nipples total. What a waste!
SO. I did more research. Researched bottles and best nipple shape for breastfed babies. This is when I found that Dr. Brown wide neck nipples and others similarly shaped are actually the worst for breastfed babies...go figure! I also stumbled across this gem of a website: http://www.babygearlab.com/Baby-Bottle-Reviews
Complete with reviews on multiple types of bottles including ratings for nipple softness, ease of cleaning, the vent system, etc.
The #1 bottle on the site is made of stainless steel (this reasoning put it at #1), really not something I was interested in so I went to the #2 bottle, Tommee Tippee. I thought about trying this one, but the nipple was still pretty firm and reviews were 50/50. So I played around the idea of the #3 bottle, and finally decided to go for it based on the raving reviews by breastfeeding moms.
I introduce to you, Mr. Right. (or Comotomo)
Cute, right?
This bottle is a little on the expensive side, I paid $12.99 (free shipping) on amazon for one 5 oz. bottle. Call me crazy? No, because this bottle is amazing!
The whole bottle is made of silicone, giving it a almost human like feel, and yes it is squishy. The nipple on this bottle is the widest out there giving it a rounded breast like shape, making it so baby can latch on naturally. Since this bottle is made the way it is, you do not have a lip to get the last drop of milk around as it is straight in the inside all the way to the nipple. The nipple is also the softest on the market making it more realistic for baby as they don't have to try and suck out of something much harder than they are used to.
Basically, it was designed with the breastfeeding mother in mind and mimics breastfeeding making it easy for baby to switch back and fourth between mom and bottle without nipple confusion or adjusting the latch for each.
It is also dishwasher safe which will be great when I go back to work and am having to wash bottles like crazy.
The bottle was delivered Saturday and we tried it out for the first time yesterday. He did the same thing he did with the other bottles and played with the nipple a bit, but I knew it was going to be different when he pulled it deeper into his mouth and sucked a bit. We took a small break and then went back to trying it, as I did not want him to get too hungry to the point of crying otherwise the bottle was out the window for that feeding. He starting sucking a little more and eventually pulled the whole nipple into his mouth and latched on as if he had done it before...well he has, just not on a bottle!
I did not force the bottle into his mouth, nor would I ever, as doing so will just make him mad and I'd rather him not hate having to be bottle fed because it was forced. I had the bottle filled with a single ounce so if he did not take the bottle the milk would not be completely wasted. To my surprise, he drank the whole ounce! I was incredibly proud of him. Since it was only an ounce and he eats probably close to 3, I did feed him more afterwards and he switched back with no issues.
Needless to say, I felt a little stress go away. I had no idea what I would do if I could not get him to take a bottle. I couldn't go back to working hoping he would be starving enough to take a bottle from whoever will be watching him. I would never put him through such a horrible thing. Just having him cry because he wouldn't take a few of the other bottles was difficult. (Can you tell that I don't believe in letting a baby cry? He should never cry because he is frustrated with eating...among other things.)
Although it is expensive, it is totally worth it to have my baby content with eating from a bottle. And it is definitely worth my peace of mind knowing that he won't be miserable while I am working. I just hope that the 2nd kid takes these in the future...I refuse to go through this bottle charade again!
Next: to find a paci, or not to find a paci.......maybe his fist will do just fine!
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