Page 50 - What to Expect

Going home

Many bottle-feeding mothers worry that they are not going to be able to
bond with their baby. Giving plenty of love and cuddles when feeding, just
like a breast-fed baby, is a good way to start!
Remember that a bottle-fed baby can be fed by more than one person. Not
only does this give you a rest, but your partner and other family members
may enjoy feeding the baby.

It is important to stop, sit down and rest while you are feeding and enjoy
your baby. This is really important in the first few months of having baby at
home and adjusting to life with a full-time child.

Feeding in general

When you take your baby home you may have to feed him more often
than you would feed a full term baby, as his stomach is a lot smaller and so
can only take little amounts.

It is important that you hold your baby in a comfortable position when you
are feeding. Support baby’s head and neck with one arm and rest baby’s
body on your lap - at first you may need a pillow on top of your lap until
he grows bigger. This is a good time for eye contact with your baby and for
gently talking to him. If your baby is a particularly spilly baby you may have
to be quite gentle with him during and after a feed. Sit him up slowly or
the last feed may come back at you.
Remember to alternate which hand you hold the bottle in for feeds (just
like alternating left and right breasts when breast-feeding) so your baby
sees your left and right side.

Your baby may have a bowel motion (poo) after every feed if he is breast-
fed. They are usually yellowish and soft. Some breast-fed babies pass a
bowel motion 14 times a day and some only pass one in 14 days. Both
are normal. If baby is formula fed the bowel motions will be regular, soft,
brown, and have a definite shape to them. If your baby passes hard tiny
round raisin-like poo or has frequent watery ones, you should go and see
your GP or practice nurse as it may be a sign of something else such as a
tummy bug or constipation.

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