
There are many reasons that your baby may need formula or breast milk fed through a bottle. Some parents initially feel guilty using a bottle. If this is the case with you, know that babies bond with their parents and other caregivers with every bottle they take. One benefit of bottle feeding is that moms can get more sleep. After all, they are recovering from the herculean feat of giving birth and others can share in nourishing the baby. Below are tips for bottle feeding your baby:
Different babies are different
Some newborns will want the equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner. That is, they may take 2-3 ounces at one feeding. Others have had enough to eat after a small snack of half an ounce. Your baby will tell you they’ve had enough by pushing the bottle out of their mouth or using the bottle as a pacifier (non nutritive suck) rather than sucking hard enough to draw out the liquid (nutritive suck). Do not panic if your baby is a little gaggy when they first learn to drink. Remember, they spend 9 months getting nutrition through an umbilical cord and are inexperienced with sucking and swallowing.