Breastfeeding is a very demanding job for mothers that sometimes we need a break. Whether it’s just to take a shower or meet up with a girlfriend for lunch, it’s great to have a helping hand when it comes to feeding your baby with a bottle. Every day I pump extra milk so that my husband and mom can help me when I need to run errands or need a little me time. It’s such a huge help to me and they love the bonding time with Kaia, so it works out.
While Kaia is bottle-fed with our favorite bottles from Dr. Brown’s, we want to make sure baby is comfortable during feeding times with these best positions:
Cradle her
Place baby’s head in the crook of your arm. Make sure she’s in a semi-upright position. Never feed baby when she’s lying down- the formula can flow into the middle ear, causing an infection.
Sit her up
Sit baby on your lap so she’s in a more upright position. Let her head rest on your chest or in the crook of your arm. This position works best for babies with painful gas or acid reflux.
Place her in your lap
Place baby on the top of your lap, with her head resting on your knees and her feet on your stomach. This is my husband’s favorite position, because he gets to make a lot of eye contact with her.
Tilt the bottle
Tilt the bottle so that the milk completely fills the nipple. This decreases the amount of air that baby will take in, causing less gas.
Use the Dr. Brown’s Gia Pillow
Using the Dr. Brown’s Gia pillow, it will keep her head slightly elevated and is really helpful when your arms are tired and need a break. Never prop the bottle up and leave her eating unattended.
Our favorite bottles that we use with Kaia are from Dr. Brown’s, especially their new Options Bottles which I have mentioned in the past here. The nipple venting creates a paced flow and provides a feeding experience similar to most nipple-vented bottles. It helps with feeding problems, digestion and preserves vitamins. I also like that I can attach these bottles to my breast pump, making less bottles for me to wash.
Let me know if you have one that works for you that I didn’t list above! Poor Kaia scratched her eye right before feeding time and her eyes are all puffy here. We took her for her 2 month check-up and she’s in the 95 percentile for weight and growth. She weighs 12 pounds and 13 ounces and 24 inches long. Kaia Sage is one big baby!!
