Bottle feeding and reducing wind
Nurturing the Nurturer postpartum doula insights
Bottle Feeding: How to aide digestion and reduce wind
Breastfed babies are used to controlling how much milk they take at each feed. They come off the breast when they’ve had enough.
However, when babies are fed from a bottle, they have less control. It’s easy to overfeed a baby as they will tend to take more milk than they really need at each feed.
Breastfed babies are also used to being able to control the flow of milk as they feed. They may find it quite stressful feeding from a teat with a fast flow. The baby may look like they are very hungry and gulping the milk down. However, they might just be swallowing fast so they don’t choke.
One way to avoid both of these problems is to pace the bottle feeds.
This information is relevant for Mums and carers. Anyone feeding a baby with a bottle can use paced feeding techniques.
It applies whether you are feeding expressed breastmilk or formula to the baby. In both cases, prepare and offer feeds in small amounts.
What is paced bottle feeding? Paced bottle feeding is a method of feeding your baby that mimics breastfeeding. As the name suggests, it involves pacing your feedings to allow baby to be in “control” of, process, and recognize his own “satiety,” or feeling of fullness. Baby is going to eat more slowly and work harder to get the milk (like they would with breast-feeding) as opposed to typical bottle feeding.
- Baby is angled more upright
- Caregiver tickles baby’s lips with bottle
- Nipple is then put into baby’s mouth
- The bottle is held horizontally, which slows the flow significantly, try keeping the nipple full
- After 20–30 seconds of feeding, the bottle is tipped downward or removed from baby’s mouth to stop the flow of milk (creating a similar pattern as in breastfeeding)
How to bottle feed the breast-fed baby: Paced bottle feeding These tips are designed to replicate breast-feeding for breast-fed babies while mum’s away, but they can absolutely be helpful for formula-fed babies too! When should baby be fed? Whenever baby is hungry. A schedule can be helpful as a loose guideline (for example, feeding baby every 2–3 hours), but look for feeding cues first and foremost instead of going by the clock.
Some signs baby is hungry include:
- Smaking lips
- Sucking fists
- Rooting (baby turning with mouth wide open toward any object that touches her cheek)
- Acting fussy or restless
Baby position Hold baby in an upright position, as opposed to laying down. This helps baby to control the flow of milk better. They don’t have to be at an uncomfortable 90-degree angle, but only slightly reclined so that the bottle isn’t pouring down into baby’s mouth.
Offer the bottle horizontally Lay the bottle nipple across baby’s lips (nipple pointed up) when baby starts rooting and opening his mouth. Let baby draw the nipple into his mouth and close his lips on the base of the nipple. Baby essentially is going to “latch” on the bottle nipple like he would a breast. Once he’s latched on, keep the bottle horizontal. This allows baby to control the flow of milk better. This also helps the bottle to last the entire length of a normal feeding, usually 10–20 minutes, rather than baby gulping a bottle down in 5 minutes.
Baby learns to recognize when they’re full because they are not filling their belly before the signals of satiety can reach their brain You may also consider not allowing the milk to reach the nipple of the bottle for a few minutes while baby sucks. This mimics the letdown of breast-feeding and can help reduce the chances of nipple preference. Babies at the breast will pause and take breaks often throughout a feeding. Baby’s caregiver should encourage pausing while bottle-feeding as well. If baby gets tense or starts gulping, lean them forward to allow the milk to flow away from the nipple to give them a break. If they pauses on their own, great!
Switch sides Just as mum does while breast-feeding, move baby from one side to the other halfway through the feeding. This helps baby avoid a side preference, and allows for new views and eye contact, which is excellent for their development. Also after burping allow baby to relax and lie down after the halfway mark for 10 min. This will help digestion.
Ending the feeding One big drawback of bottle feeding is the risk of over-feeding. Look for cues that baby may be getting full, such as:
- Slower sucking
- Eyes wandering
- Falling asleep
- Hands are open and relaxed
When you think baby’s getting close to being full, remove the nipple from their mouth by gently twisting. Offer it again, and if they accept, give them about 10 sucks, and repeat until they refuse. This will help teach them the feelings of satiety and reduce the chance of over-feeding. Likewise, don’t coerce baby into drinking the last few drops of milk in the bottle. If they fall asleep, they are finished (an exception being newborns who may need to be awakened in the first few days to feed).
Benefits of paced bottle feeding Breast-feeding is the biological design, so it makes sense that we would want to recreate this dynamic as best we can when bottle feeding. Paced bottle feeding has many benefits, which will help your child both in the short and long-term. Baby avoids being under- or over-fed. If the caregiver is in charge of when and how much baby eats, baby is not likely to get the correct amount of milk. Paced bottle feeding helps baby be in charge, just like when they are at the breast. Less stressful for baby Babies can become very stressed when laid on their backs to eat from a bottle. When baby swallows milk from a bottle, the negative pressure forces more milk out of the bottle. Baby has to keep gulping to avoid choking. Paced feeding gives baby the time and space to eat at his or her own pace. Avoid colic Proper feeding techniques and a good bottle can minimize colic-like symptoms. When milk pours into baby’s mouth, as happens with conventional bottle feeding, baby gulps to keep up, ingesting air in the process, which can cause gas. Easier pumping for mum If baby is being over-fed, mum needs to continually pump extra milk to replace the milk that’s being fed. Sometimes this leads to muma believing she has low milk supply. When baby is in charge, it’s much more likely that the amount mum pumps is exactly what baby needs. Supports breast-feeding relationship Using a feeding technique that resembles breast-feeding is a great way to support the breast-feeding relationship and avoid a bottle preference. We are learning that babies don’t struggle as much with “nipple confusion” as with “flow preference.” If you are consistently giving a breast-fed baby fast-flowing bottles, they will probably prefer that easier, faster milk versus the breast. May improve health later in life One reason that breast-feeding is so great is that it allows baby to eat at his own pace, allowing him to learn his body’s cues for satiety. Studies have found that bottle feeding plays a large part in teaching overeating. Therefore, paced bottle feeding may contribute to healthier eating habits in the future. Will paced bottle feeding make my baby gassy? When I first saw demos of this feeding method, I instantly thought of baby getting gassier. However, many lactation consultants say that air isn’t what causes gas. It’s more due to baby’s immature nervous and digestive systems. If you notice an increase in gas, switch to a breast-shaped nipple bottle, which is slow flow. Also, try holding the bottle more horizontally so that less air interferes with the feeding.
Final word on paced bottle feeding Whether you’re going back to work full-time, part-time, are exclusively pumping, or feed formula, paced bottle feeding can be a great way to support yourself, and especially, your baby.