Since I'm home usually every day of the week but one, Madeline hasn't had a lot of bottle usage experience. When it comes to eating, she loves to breastfeed. Her dad does pretty good with her when I am gone, but it's a struggle sometimes to get her to eat out of a bottle.
A couple weeks ago I had to work and Paul was having an emergency at work and couldn't get home for his usual Daddy/Daughter day with Mads, so we had a close friend watch Madeline. Our friend, also a new mom of a sweet girl 12 days younger than Madeline, is someone we trust and takes care of babies as a nurse for a living so I had no problem leaving Madeline with her.
She ended up watching Mads for longer than I thought she would have to (8 hours), and in the entire time Madeline was with her, she only took in about 4 ounces of breastmilk. It was a good experience because it got me thinking... If we ever have to have someone watch her again, she needs to be able to take a bottle from them or get nourishement in SOME way.
So a couple weeks ago I went out and got some new nipples for the bottles we have and a sippy cup (per a friends suggestion) just to see if Madeline might prefer that. The new nipples are a bit much for her. A lot of the milk still ends up on her face and bib because she likes to nibble on it rather then drink from it. The sippy cup? She loves holding it but when she bites on the nipple of it too much milk comes out and she is turned off... but regular cups? She loves 'em! I don't know what it is, maybe it's because mommy and daddy drink out of them. Yes, it's still messy - babies are messy it's just part of life - but she actually drinks from them! I'm just happy if she's getting nourishment so any way we can get the stuff down I am all for it!
Paul still tries to use the bottle and does a good job, but there is ALWAYS a way if that gets hard, and that thought gives me some peace of mind.
If anyone ever tells you that you HAVE to do something a certain way, just remember that with babies ands kids it's OKAY to think outside the box.
Oh, and don't hold the camera while video taping them drink from a cup cause they could choke.
2 comments:
Honestly- you are one of the BEST moms I know. You are not afraid to listen to your instincts and do what works BEST for your baby! I love that about you and I love reading your blog for that very reason. That's all..... :)
Aww, Kam, thank you so much for saying that! That made me happy.
You're a great mom too. It's so nice to see and read about your experiences with THREE girls, you're a super woman!
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