Formula Feeding

Only you, with the help of your healthcare provider, can decide whether to breast or bottle-feed your baby. Take time before your baby is born to explore your feelings. Try to imagine what your life will be like when the baby is a month old. Will you be returning to work? Even a few weeks of breast-feeding will give the baby extra protection against many infections, help digestion, and possibly decrease allergies. If you start with breast-feeding, you can switch to bottles. But you can’t always switch from bottles to breast. It is easier for a baby to suck from a bottle than to nurse from your breast. If the baby has not been suckling, your breasts will not be making milk. If you do choose to bottle-feed, keep these things in mind:
* Use infant formula. Don’t give cow’s milk until the baby is at least ten months to one year old.
* Be aware of the different kinds of formula. The most expensive is the ready-to-feed kind. The nurses may give you sample bottles in the hospital. You can also buy ready-to-feed formula in cans. Liquid or powdered concentrate that you mix with water is less expensive to buy. It is very important that you mix the concentrate with the right amount of water. Too much water, or too little, could make the baby sick.
* If you prepare bottles ahead of time, be sure to store them in the refrigerator. Follow the directions on the formula label.
* Warm bottles in a pan of warm water. Check the temperature of the formula by shaking a few drops on your wrist. It should feel warm, not hot. Never use the microwave to warm a bottle. The microwave can create “hot spots” of formula that could burn the baby’s mouth and throat.
* Always hold your baby while giving a bottle. Keep her in an upright position. Leaving the baby alone with a propped-up bottle is not safe and can lead to ear infections and tooth decay.
* Keep the bottle tilted up. This keeps the baby from swallowing too much air.
* Burp a newborn baby often. Burping brings up air the baby has swallowed.
* Let the baby decide the feeding schedule. Some babies will eat four ounces all at once. Others may only take an ounce or two, but will need to eat every two hours. If the baby isn’t hungry, don’t force him to eat