Do I need to have bottles on hand when baby is first born if I expect to breastfeed exclusively?

[Anonymous]

I apologize if these particular questions have been discussed recently, but I was just working on my baby registry and am going crazy from all the baby bottle choices.

Would it be reasonable to just wait until after the baby is born to figure out bottles and pumps, etc.? I expect to breastfeed exclusively for the first four months but I don't know what kind of problems I will encounter. If everything goes smoothly with the BFing at the beginning, will I even need any bottles? When I eventually starting pumping, do pumps work with all bottle brands or do they only attach to a certain type of bottle? Also, it looks like stores sell both dishwasher racks for bottles and steam sterilizers - which is better?

[Anonymous]

I didn't use bottles at all until after the 4 week wait. And then, it was only once/week or so to get my baby used to them because I was going back to work. I did have my pump when I first came home and I was glad I did because I was so engorged I had to pump just so my baby could latch on.

I pumped into the medela bottles that came with the pump, but I've heard that you can use others (there may have been a thread about that recently).

I handwashed all of my bottles, so I don't know anything about sterilizers or dishwasher racks.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I think it's better to have the pump before the baby comes -- mostly because it's such an odd-looking contraption that it's nice to be able to read the instructions, figure out how to use it, get the parts sterilized, etc. before the baby comes and you are bleary-eyed with exhaustion and completely engorged. Even though I EBF DS, we had some bottles from the start and gave him a bottle of pumped milk every day or so starting when he was just a week or two old. We thankfully had no latch issues, and I wanted to make sure that he would take a bottle so I could have a break every now and again, and to make things easier when I went back to work. As far as which bottles fit which pumps, I had a Medela Pump In Style Advanced and I used the Playtex Drop-Ins, which fit onto the pump with an adapter ring that came in the newborn starter set. You can also just pump into the bottles that come with the pump and pour those into bottles to feed the baby, etc. As far as cleaning/sterilizing, I recommend the Medela microwave steam sterilizer bags. They're relatively cheap and very easy, and you can't say that about very many baby products these days. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

I planned on EBF but got four bottles and a manual pump. Unfortunately, I had problems from the very beginning and had to rent an electric pump and store milk for the next feedings. So the bottles got used almost immediately. I would have a few on hand.

[Anonymous]

I'd also say wait on the pump. I also needed to rent a hospital grade pump to up my supply and in the end it didn't work. If I had bought a pump beforehand it would have been throwing money out the window. Wait until after the baby is born so you know what your situation is. If you need one immediately send someone out to buy one for you or order it online (usually cheaper anyway).

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend having a couple bottles on hand. You never know what is going to happen with breastfeeding. It can be a challenge for some babies and mothers. Even if you do buy a pump you can return it if it is unopened. I ended up having to rent a hospital grade pump and then returned the purchased one easily. Being familiar with pumps and prices is a good start.

[Anonymous]

I rented a pump and eventually bought my own (smaller Medela Swing as I work from home). I needed the hospital grade one at first. I use the Medela bottles and their storage bags which allow you to pump right into the bag. I use the Adiri bottle at home and the Medela ones on the road. This is for when I am away from DD or DH wants to feed her. The Adiri can leak so I use it at home only...DD really likes it better.
The Medela steam bags are GREAT!

[Anonymous]

Absolutely! You should expect the best with breastfeeding but prepare for the worst. At some point you will use them either for expressed milk or formula if you ever go that route within the year. Some ppl have issues in the beginning and need to supplement. It is good to be prepared bc that last thing you want to worry about coming home from the hospital is bottles. Although they should give you some free formula with attachable nipple in case you need it.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. You also dont know how your delivery will be and if you can have DH do a feeding, you might get a chance to get a much-needed time to recuperate.

[Anonymous]

I would not have bottles on hand. If you're committed to exclusively breastfeeding, you will not need them. If you end up having problems breastfeeding, a bottle can easily be procured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not have bottles on hand. If you're committed to exclusively breastfeeding, you will not need them. If you end up having problems breastfeeding, a bottle can easily be procured.

It's not so fun going out in the middle of the night, though, to get one with a screaming newborn.

[Anonymous]

I had to start pumping in the hospital since my son had lost so much weight by day 3 (I was there 4 nights total b/c of c/s). Anyway I recall they sent me home with a bunch of Medela storage bottles, formula samples, and the tiny nipples that attach to both of those. I used that for supplementing (both what I pumped and formula) for the first week or two at home. Agree w/ PP's who say to wait on buying the pump-- I rented the hospital pump for the first couple weeks. I had NOTHING in the house to prepare me for bottlefeeding.... So after about 2 weeks or so, when I unfortunately gave up breastfeeding (and I had the BEST of intentions, but it was a miserable experience and my son was not gaining weight), we had our first family outing to Target where we stocked up on bottles, and helpful accessories like the Munchkin bottle brushes, dishwasher basket, and bottle drying rack. I found those items to be essential, but it was fine to wait until we actually needed them before buying them. On the other hand, if you like to be super-prepared, it can't hurt to add those items to your registry... more than likely you'll need them eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not have bottles on hand. If you're committed to exclusively breastfeeding, you will not need them. If you end up having problems breastfeeding, a bottle can easily be procured.

It's not so fun going out in the middle of the night, though, to get one with a screaming newborn.

I wasn't thinking it would be done in the middle of the night, nor with a screaming newborn. I'd think the writing would be on the wall (breastfeeding not going well, etc.) so preparations could be made while in the hospital or shortly thereafter during the daytime, by your spouse or friend.

[Anonymous]

It might not be a bad idea to have one and some formula on hand. You don't need much. You never know what can go wrong - your car could break down when you run out to the store for a minute, you could end up in the ER...

You don't need to register or buy any specific bottle - any one would do for an emergency.

[Anonymous]

If you plan to pump then extra bottles (there are usually bottles that come w/ the pump though) would be helpful.

If you plan to switch to formula (or need to supplement or combination) than, yes, extra bottles again would be helpful. But having formula on hand (even a trial size container from the ped. office) is a good idea - you just never know.

Plus, even if you don't use bottles right away you can just keep them on the side for later or re-gift. They don't take up much room.

Also, some moms prefer to use bottles when transitioning to whole milk (whereas others prefer just to sippy cup).