Bottoms Up: The Truth About Bottle Feeding

When I first learned that I was not able to breast feed I started thinking about what I needed to do to bottle feed my baby. I always thought I would bottle feed so I was completely unprepared to bottle feed. My mom said when I was born you were supposed to warm the bottles in the microwave and sterilize the bottles regularly. Before we left the hospital we learned that was not how it was done now.

I even found contradictions in the articles I found. One article said it was important to boil all parts of the bottles before the first feeding. The second article said that sterilization was not needed unless you are unsure of the safety of your water. Both articles agreed that after the first feeding, washing the bottles with soap and water is all that is needed.

I believe that sterilization is important before the first feeding. I was concerned about what was on the bottles. I wanted to ensure that there were no harmful chemicals on the bottles before I fed Lillie.

One of the articles covered how to heat the bottles. It said to run warm water over the bottle or use a bottle warmer to warm the bottle. Using a microwave can cause hot spots in the formula and can scald the baby’s mouth. It also says it is fine to give the baby a room temperature or even cool bottle. The baby will get used to whatever it is fed.

I agree with not using a microwave because it gets too hot. I have a bottle warmer and it boils the water around the bottle. This method has to be watched carefully because it can make the milk too warm and can also cause hot spots. I have started just giving her a room temperature bottle and she tolerates it just fine.

The ratio of powder formula and water is very important. Too little powder can limit the amount of nutrients for the baby. Too much powder can cause dehydration and even seizures.

I learned this after I mixed the formula wrong. I thought I put less water so after the formula was mixed it made the amount that I wanted. This left Lillie a little dehydrated. Now when I mix her formula it comes out about an ounce over what it is supposed to be.

Finally, one article talks about how much to feed. It says the baby should eat one to two ounces more than the number of months old the baby is ever three to four hours. For example: if the baby is 2 months, the baby should eat three to four ounces every three to four hours.

This is where we disagree. My pediatrician told me to take her weight and divide it in two and that is the number of ounces to feed every four hours. My daughter weighs twelve pounds so she is eating six ounces every four hours. The key was to increase by a half ounce at a time.

Nutrients and feedings are very important. It is the key to her development. These articles and the advice from my pediatrician have really taught me a lot about her nutrition and the proper way to feed her.

Citations:

Papandrea, D. (2008, June). Bottle-feeding primer. Parenting. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from EBSCOhost database.

Onderko, P. (2010, February). Spotlight on bottle-feeding. Kid Nutrition. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from EBSCOhost database.

Picture Citations:

Bottle Feeding 1. (n.d.). How to bottle feed a baby. My Child Health. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://www.mychildhealth.net/how-to-bottle-feed-a-baby.html

Bottle Feeding 2. (n.d). How to bottle feed a baby. My Child Health. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://www.mychildhealth.net/how-to-bottle-feed-a-baby.html