Sometimes, breastfeeding doesn’t go smoothly right from day one. Many factors can thwart your learning curve with positioning and latching, and or interfere with your body’s natural ability to produce enough milk. Some examples include difficult birth circumstances, neonatal jaundice, prematurity, mom-baby separation, and tongue-tie, to name a few. When breastfeeding problems arise in the early days, most lactation support professionals agree on these three strategies, in order:
- Feed the baby (well nourished, well-hydrated infants breastfeed better)
- Build and protect the mother’s milk supply (if baby isn’t latching well and often, mom needs to pump)
- Keep practicing at the breast – positioning and latch almost always improve with practice. Seek good help!
This post focuses on step one. See our post on milk supply, and our post on positioning and latching for further help with steps two and three.
How to feed without using a bottle: There are several alternate or “non-bottle” methods of feeding expressed breast milk or formula to infants, to ensure their nutrition and hydration needs are met while breastfeeding problems are being resolved. Supplementing baby resting skin-to-skin on the breast without using a bottle helps minimize “suck/nipple confusion” and keeps baby’s learning orientation focused on the breast. Infants learn very quickly where their milk comes from, so we want to keep them as close to the source as possible! Supplementing with a feeding tube while baby is latched on the breast logically seems the best way, but if baby isn’t latching well or even at all, that may not be possible. There is no solid evidence that favors one method over another. We recommend you use the method that works the best for you and causes the least amount of stress for both you and baby. Be sure to ask your doctor, pediatric dietitian or lactation consultant for advice on how much milk your baby needs per day of life, based on their weight and nutrition needs. Hopefully all of the following feeding methods are only temporarily necessary.
Non-Bottle Supplemental Feeding Methods:
- syringe feeding
- feeding tube at the breast
- finger feeding (using a feeding tube)
- cup feeding
- spoon feeding
This downloadable PDF: Guidelines for Non-Bottle Infant Feeding describes what you need and how to use each of these strategies. Consider viewing this short, excellent video showing a mother supplementing with a feeding tube at the breast.
Many breastfeeding issues can be resolved quickly with timely, quality support. If you are experiencing difficulties breastfeeding in the early days, the sooner you get help the better. Please contact us, if we are not already working with you!
DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.