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The Different Ways to Feed Your Baby

There are pros and cons to breastfeeding, which is why many mothers weigh the choice of bottle-feeding their babies. For some baby bottle reviews, the attached link will prove useful. It will help you to, as a mother, decide on which bottle is best for you and your baby. There will be a choice of different teats and sizes, for example. A baby also needs to feel comfortable with the way feeding takes place. For those who are happy to obtain the milk from their breast but prefer to feed it by bottle, this provides the best of both worlds, as formula milk does not provide the same protection against diseases, infections, and conditions, as natural breast milk does. So, we shall discuss the alternatives bearing this in mind.

Breastfeeding

It is a case of balancing feeding your baby the natural way with the problems that breastfeeding can result in for the mother. These can include discomfort, milk that leaks at times that is either inconvenient or embarrassing, the embarrassment of feeding your baby that way in public, the inconvenience of breastfeeding in public because of needing special clothing, including special types of bras, and being able to keep up with what your baby consumes.

For these reasons, many mothers decide that bottle feeding, and often using formulas, is more for them. The next section will consider it further. It should be noted, however, that the embarrassment can be taken away by expressing milk at home, while still allowing for the nutrients of breast milk to benefit the baby.

Bright portrait of a mom breast feeding baby over window lighting.

Bottle Feeding

Bottle feeding is a conveniently portable way of feeding a baby. A bottle can be made up in advance ready for when you are out and about and in places where breastfeeding is either not practical or likely to cause you difficulties. There is still a stigma attached to it happening in public. It seems that this is more because of the embarrassment felt by others than from the person breastfeeding. Although, embarrassment can work both ways. Sometimes, people claim that it is just easier to relent and bottle feed in these circumstances.

There is an interesting article on making formula for those under 12 months old that you might find of interest if you feel that you just do not want anything to do with producing milk via your breasts. It is a personal choice and balanced against the benefits it might provide your baby. Breast pumps can have their problems for a mother trying to express milk, but formula feed can cause digestive troubles for a baby by way of gas and constipation. So, it is swings and roundabouts before even making it to the playground.

Newborn baby girl taking feeding bottle in her mother's arms

Combination

There is a call for breastfeeding and bottle feeding to be used in conjunction. Breastfeeding at home, and then bottle feeding when out, for reasons mentioned above.

The facts are that it is possible to combine breast and bottle, using formula or expressed breastmilk. It is best if you can, though, to wait until your baby is at least 8 weeks old, as sooner may affect your supply of milk because of you not expressing it regularly enough.

In conclusion, feeding bottles definitely have their uses because they allow for milk to be bottle-fed, or expressed and then bottle-fed. There will be circumstances when breastfeeding is not perhaps appropriate or suitable. There is not always anything that can be done about this. So, it is useful to get a supply of feeding bottles ready for the newborn and to have a means of sterilizing them to protect the baby from infection. An advantage of feeding bottles is that you always know how much milk your baby has had.

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