Why I choose to provide information on bottle, formula and pumping just as much as breastfeeding
We know that breastfeeding rates are low in the UK; it’s why Instagram pages, services and resources like mine exist to help better prepare women to improve their breastfeeding experience.
But why do I go into great detail about pumping, bottle and formula feeding too?
Through my clinical experience, I recognised that at some point in a woman’s feeding journey, either out of personal choice or circumstances, she may need to pump, bottle feed or give formula.
I found that when this happened, they were given no guidance over the following:
Breast pump types
Nipple shield sizes
Teat styles and flows
How to prepare formula
How to bottle feed correctly
And by not having guidance with the above, if they chose to breastfeed predominantly and this was just a short term intervention, their choices and experiences had a negative impact on their breastfeeding journey OR if they chose to bottle feed exclusively, they didn’t adopt the correct technique which caused issues such as reflux and colic. Examples of this are if babies are admitted with jaundice or weight loss that requires treatment so may need to give top ups, if they need to pump to give these top ups for any clinical reason, if they choose to give a bottle to get help with the feeds, if they want to pump occasionally to have breastmilk to give to the baby via a bottle and so many more reasons and examples!
I’m going to quickly break down the reasons why I think it’s crucial, as a feeding specialist, to provide this information to parents.
Breast pump types: certain brands are better than others due to the accessorises and spare parts they sell that can impact how effectively women can extract milk. If women are using a pump that doesn’t sell their nipple shield size or doesn’t allow you to replace a part that can wear over time, this can affect how much milk is extracted effectively and cause a reduction in supply.
Nipple shield sizes are crucial to go over and understand how to measure and get the right size as majority of the pumps (actually, ALL pumps if I’m honest) sell the incorrect nipple shield size for most women- it tends to be too big. Again, if women do not use the correct nipple shield for their nipple size, it can have a negative impact on how much milk they extract and in turn produce.
If a mum chooses to combi feed, the style of teat is crucial to reduce nipple confusion and allow baby to maintain the skill of breastfeeding. Also, it well help reduce common issues related to bottle feeding such as reflux and vomiting. A common misunderstanding is that if the teat is shaped like a breast, baby is more likely to take the bottle/less likely to favour the bottle over the breast. However, this is not true. The bottle industry is so saturated with different styles, different brands, different claims so it’s important to understand what each style is like and how it can affect feeding your baby.
How to prepare formula and how to bottle feed correctly- I have seen mums receive no guidance in preparing formula and giving bottles as many assume this is easier than breastfeeding. However, there are common mistakes parents can make when making up formula and informed decisions they need to make around bottle feeding that are not being discussed. For example, formula prep machines, putting the water first and then powder, responsive bottle feeding to mimic breastfeed, preventing overfeeding and so much more!
For me, it really doesn’t matter how you choose to feed your baby or what circumstances led you to feed your baby; rather, it’s more important to me you make the right, informed decisions around feeding your baby to ensure a positive feeding experience.
