Bottle Feeding/ Breast Feeding

Hi J.. You've got plenty of good advice here, so I'll just add one note. Try not to transfer the breastmilk more than you have to. If you can pump directly into the bottle you will feed from, that is best. Some of the good fats from the milk stick to plastic and so you'll lose those good nutrients & calories when you transfer it. Also, it's just a pain to clean up after all those bottles. I liked the playtex drop-ins because you could pump right into them, they can be recycled and you can freeze them--plus, no clean up!

Evenflo bottles work with the Medela pumps (which ROCK, by the way) and they're BPA-free and inexpensive.

My Pump in Style by Madela fit my Dr Brown bottles. It just all depends. But yes, I pumped into the Madela ones that came with the pump & then poured it back into my Dr Brown's b/c it held more milk.

Hi J.,

Another member metioned that it depends on the pump you have and that is true. If you find that you don't have enough bottles that will fit with your pump here is an idea for you:

Use bottles that you know will fit for pumping, and then pour the breastmilk into the bottles that don't fit with your pump...that way the bottles that don't fit are still being put to good use, and you don't have to spend more money on getting bottles that fit. Hope that makes sense. The only downfall is that you will have to clean out your 'pumping bottles' before you need to pump again.

Hope this helps ;)
Jody

It really depends on what pump you'll be using. I found with the Medela pump I can use almost any type of bottle...gerber, medela, evenflo.

With the avent bottles, you have to use the Avent Isis. Not to say you have to use the bottle you pumped in, but when an emergency occurs and you find yourself having to go looking for spare parts (bottles, steam bag and tubing like I did 4 years ago) I thanked my lucky stars i was using a Medela pump in style and that i could go cheap on the bottles since they fit.

Ooooooo, before I forget, contact HR to make sure they have a mother's room for your use. I worked for a company that had one with a sink and a microwave (I could wash my supplies after I was done and sterilize them for the next round...very helpful). Medela has a sterilizing microwave bag i swear by. Only need 2 ounces of tap water and 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave. Used it for the 4 year old and now my 3 month old.

You might even find it easier to pump into the bottles and transfer them into milk storage bags. If you have access to a freezer at work you can freeze them. Much easier to transport home and you won't be in fear of the milk going bad.

Sorry if I'm rambling...just remembering what i did with my first 2 kids when i went back to work. This last one is a little different as I telecommute now.

It depends on your pump. I use the Pump In Style and cheap Gerber bottles fit on it. I used the Advent bottles to bottle feed though since my children like their nipples the best. You'll probably store some milk in bags (to freeze) anyway so I wouldn't worry to much about the bottles. The only reason I used the Gerber vs. Medela ones were because the Gerber ones held 10oz. each and I usually got 12-18oz. per session and didn't want to change out 4 bottles instead of 2.

hi J.! i also went back to work after 3 months and was still nursing. i pumped every 2-3 hours while working and used whatever bottle that would fit with the pump. i had a medala pump at home...but i kept a smaller pump at work. i used all different brands of bottles. when i got home i would transfer the milk into the breast milk freezer bags and store in the freezer. when i was at work and my son ate during the day...he used the playtex bottles that you drop the bag in. my mom had him while i work and she would obviously thaw the milk (not in microwave...it takes nutrients out of milk) and then drop the freezer bag into the bottle to use it. that way we didn't have to buy the playtex bags too. it worked out quite well and was very convienient for everyone. good luck to you! you can do it! i nursed for a little over 16 months and was working full time after being home for 3 months! best of luck! :)

I bought a Gerber pump (manual) and it came with 2 bottles. Then the hospital where I delivered at gave me a Medula pump (also maual). The medula didn't come with a bottle but I had received several at the baby shower and one of those fit it. However, after pumping, I always poured the milk into a playtex drop-ins bag to store it. My daughter liked the playtex bottles best and so do I. So it may not matter what kind of bottle you pump into. Like with me, your child might dictate which type of bottle you'll ultimately use to feed her/him.

To answer your question whether there are certain bottles made for breast milk... no. But there are certain bottles shaped more like the breast than others. Your child might like one shape better than another. My breast fed children liked the playtex with the drop-ins when I was away. And I liked them the best too.
As for certain bottles for pumping... yes they have to fit on the pump. Your pump should have come with them... but I also had some similac storage containers I would use with my medela pump too since they fit perfect.

Good Morning J., Congratulations, your going to be an awesome Mama for sure, you've already tapped in to a treasure trove of Informed & helpful Mama's & Grand Mama's. You can use primarily any type of bottle you choose for your breast milk. What will pretty much determine what you use it how your baby takes to it.
All the bottles you mentioned have different types of nipples and that will be the deciding factor.

What will definitely help you J. is before you do go back to work force is to get your baby used to a bottle once in a while. Maybe let Daddy feed in the evenings or something, cause sometimes mama's just need to rest and a break sometimes. Then you won't need to worry over much about switching to a bottle while your at work & your baby will be adjusted some what to be a help for your Child's care provider.

With a bottle they will still suck in some air so Gas drops are a plus to have on hand also. Which ever one you choose give it several days of trials, they may not take to it the first time but keep trying. Our daughter in law pumped and froze her breast milk in little pre-measured bags, so I just had to get a few out each day to bring home with me. When I fed the baby I let her know so she pumped at work at that time also. Worked pretty well to keep her milk coming.
Drink a lot of water and fluids J. it is amazing how much that does help with milk production. She stored them in a cold thermo bag with several of the frozen cooler bottles. She felt funny storing them in the Frig at the office.

God Bless you and your husband, I pray your pregnancy goes smoothly, delivery is easy resulting in a beautiful strong healthy Blessing from above.

Have a Wonderful Easter SONday
K. Nana of 5

Medela and Born Free are two companies that their products are completely BPA-free, so I would stick to either of those companies. Since you are going to use Medela pump, it may be easier for you to use their bottles as well. My baby was not fussy about which bottle he had (took to the first one I tried - 'like natural nipple') but some babies are picky.

The advent are great because the opening is big enough to accomodate milk that has been frozen in ice cube trays.
Good luck.
V.

the bottle usually doesn't matter but some babies are picky with nipples so you will probably buy different types trying to figure out which nipple your baby prefers. I knew I was going to bf and bottle feed from the beginning and even used formula when I wasn't around because I didn't do well with pumping and all 3 of my babies drank formula in the hospital if I was asleep and did fine with bf and bottle. I think the earlier you introduce the bottle within a few days of birth the easier you will have with getting them to use it without any problems. Some say no way because they need to get used to the breast first but all 3 of mine learned the first day how to do both and none of them fussed with having to use a bottle at times, they ate when they were hungry and didn't bother them whether they were drinking breast milk or formula. They used regular bottle nipples too so we got lucky there as well.

You have gotten some great advice already. The one thing I will say is it easier to wash and keep things orginized if you only use one type of bottle. Whatever that one type is you will need several (4-6) of those bottle. Otherwise it just turns into a hunt for this nipple with this collar and this bottle. Alot of companies give out single bottles for free (sampling), hoping you will buy their bottles.

You can use any type of bottle to pump into with the Medela pump, you just have to buy the adapters. I had both the Avent and Playtex bottles and found the adapters at Babies'R'Us in the Nursing section of the store where they have all of the accessories. The adapters worked out fairly nice, there is just one trick to the Playtex adapter if you are using the Playtex Drop-Ins. You put the first adapter ring on the bottle, then put the drop-in, and then the adapter that connects to the pump. Then when you are finished, you have to move the bag around. It became a bit of a hassle so I didn't use the Playtex bottles to much to pump in to. But, if my Avent bottles were all dirty, I would pump into the Medela bottles that came with the pump and then dump the milk into the Playtex bottle and store it that way. I also found that if you are in a bind and forget your bottles (which happened to me on more than occasion) the cheap Wal-Mart bottles with the narrow mouth fit the pump perfectly and they worked nicely to store the milk. Then I could either transfer the milk when I got home or just use the cheapie bottle. Fortunately, my kids weren't very picky on their bottles for the most part so I could keep changing the brand on them without too much trouble.

You've got two issues to look at: (1) Compatibility with your pump to pump into, and (2) compatibility with breastfeeding so that your child will go back & forth between BFing and bottle feeding.

For (1), andything compatible with your pump (you mention Medela - I think pretty much any narrow-necked bottles will work with that, or you can get an Avent adaptor that will work with the wider-mouth Avent bottles.

As far as (2) - the bottles the baby will actually eat from, you will probably want some kind of wide-mouthed bottles, because eating from them will be more similar to BFing and should make the transition back & forth easier for baby. There are a number of brands - Avent, Dr. Brown's, and Born Free are ones I know of, but I'm sure there are others.

Any bottles will do for breast milk. You are giving your baby the greatest gift in the world by breast feeding. You should start to pump before you go back to work to start to build up your supply of stored breast milk. Dont worry if you do not get a lot of breast milk pumped at first. Baby sucks much different than the pump and gets all that the baby needs. A good quality pump is one key to successful pumping! Breast milk storage bags are a great way to store a lot of milk in the freezer. I have nursed 9 children and have been involved with La Leche League for years. If you need any help or have any questions just drop me a line!

You don't have to have specific bottles or the bottles that match your pump. Use whatever bottles/nipples your baby likes. I pumped at work for 10 months, and used the bottles that he liked and it worked just fine. Using what he liked seemed to make it smoother when changing back and forth between bottle and breast.

Here's what worked for me: I would pump directly in to the Medela bottles, then put those bottles in the fridge. I bought extra Medela bottles so that I could have 3 or 4 at daycare and take 4 with me to work. I used the Medela soft flow ortho nipples and fed directly out of the Medela bottles. I continued to collect breastmilk in the fridge. Every time I got an extra 5 oz collected, I would transfer the milk in to a freezer storage bag and freeze. It really depends on if your baby will take to the nipples, but I found it was easier to pump, store, & feed all out of the same bottle. Breastfeeding is a lot harder than most people think. I encourage you to stick it out as it is very rewarding in the end. Good luck!

I pumped for awhile. You can use any bottles with the pump. Good luck!!