The Breastfeeding Collective
491 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 301 M5N 1A8 Toronto, ON, Canada

Posted @withregram @doctorjackiend . #fullmoonwisdom #youareenough

...and parenting during a pandemic doesn’t make it any easier. Posted @withregram @moomysmilk How you feel about parenting is about being able to accept incongruity. It’s about the radical notion that two opposing ideas can coexist at the same timethat you can love your kids to the ends of the earth while simultaneously hating a lot of the day-to-day slog of [parenting]. A [parent] can sometimes chafe at the lifestyle but still love [their] family.... Words by: Liz Krieger . . . #parentingishard #thedaytodaygrind #youdonthavetolikeit #isitbedtimeyet

Adding to our last post on paced bottle feeding, here are some other helpful tips for those who have concerns about the possible impact of bottles on chest/breastfeeding: Choose a slow-flow bottle nipple, often labelled "preemie" or "newborn". Wait for your baby to open their mouth widely before inserting the bottle. Allow them to take in as much of the bottle nipple as they are able. Choose a bottle nipple with a wider base. This can help the baby keep the mouth wid...e open during the feeding (like they need to do at the breast/chest) . Also: bottles marketed to breastfed babies don't necessarily provide benefits beyond what we've described here and sometimes they are problematic in ways regular bottles may not be. They also tend to be sold at a premium price! #bottlefeeding #bottlesforbreastfedbabies #infantfeeding #lactationsupport #themoreyouknow #torontolactationconsultant #informationoptionssupport #thebreastfeedingcollective

Paced bottle feeding is a technique that helps to slow down the flow that comes from a bottle. The bottle flow is then more similar to flow from the breast/chest, thereby reducing the risk of fussiness at the breast/chest and refusal to latch (see our last post for more about this). Drinking more slowly also helps babies to realize when they're full (their brains have a chance to catch up with their stomachs), which helps prevent overfeeding. How to do it:... 1. Hold your baby in a semi-upright position (vs laying them down in your arm/across your lap). 2. Allow the baby to take the bottle nipple into the mouth, keeping the bottle relatively horizontal. You want to keep the nipple only about half full for the duration of the feeding. Some babies benefit from having the nipple totally empty for the first few sucks so they have to wait a moment for flow to begin. 3. Sometimes it's worthwhile to also have the baby take short breaks during the feeding. You can do this by tipping the bottle down a bit so the nipple empties and the baby takes a few sucks without getting anything before returning to the half-filled nipple. You could also slowly rock the baby back and forth while feeding, causing the same changes in flow. Look out for our next post for other helpful tips on bottle feeding a chest/breastfed baby! See more

For some babies, switching back and forth between breast/chest and bottle can be difficult. These babies are not "confused", but rather have developed a preference for the fast and consistent flow that comes from a bottle in comparison to the variable and (sometimes) slower flow that comes from the breast/chest. When this happens, the resulting chest/breastfeeding challenges (fussiness at the breast, refusal to latch, etc.) can be stressful and sometimes difficult to reverse.... Of course some (maybe most) babies are happy to go back and forth, without issue, but whether or not this is the case is difficult (if not impossible) to predict. This is not meant to scare you or dissuade you from using bottles. We realize that it is 2020 and there are so many reasons why you may want or need to feed your baby with a bottle. We are sharing this information so you can make the best informed choice for you and your baby. #informationispower If your baby needs to be supplemented and you're concerned about bottles or if your baby takes a bottle and has trouble returning to the breast/chest, find a skilled and non-judgemental IBCLC to work with. Stay tuned for a post on paced bottle feeding - a technique that can help reduce the risk of baby developing a preference for bottles. See more