Bottles for the Breastfed Baby

Blue or teal? This was a question I would ask myself as a NICU nurse. Which nipple should I put on the bottle that I was about to feed to the preemie in my care? Bottle choice in the NICU was even easier. I didn’t have one. Whether the baby was on formula or Mommy’s breast milk, there was only one bottle that we used. So when I got pregnant and went to do my baby registry I was more than overwhelmed when I first walked into the baby “stuff” store. There was an entire wall of bottles and nipples. At that point I threw my hands up in despair and went to my car. I quickly phoned a friend. She calmed me down and promised to come with me next time so we could sort through all this “stuff” together. I breathed a sigh of relief. A shopping companion would always make everything easier. When Maggie came with me next time, she shared her Mommy expertise and helped me select things for my registry that were best for my situation. I would be a working Mom so I needed storage for my breast milk. I needed bottles that were easy to clean. And I needed enough bottles and nipples to get through 24 hours of feedings. With knowing the right questions to ask I was able to narrow my decision down to the bottle that would work best for my family. I often get asked, “What bottles are best for breastfeeding Moms?” My answer always is, whatever will be best for your family. The most important part of your bottle as a working breastfeeding Mom will be the nipple. You don’t even have to ask blue or teal. You just have to pick the lowest flow (slow) or smallest number (0 or 1). Most breastfed babies will stay on this “slow flow” nipple the entire time they are breastfeeding. Eventually you may move on to faster nipples (medium flow or bigger number). But for now, keep it slow as your new baby gets used to using a bottle as you prepare to go back to work.