Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Product review--Breastflow bottles


The lactation consultant recommended we try switching Ru over to these breastflow bottles by learning curve. They are supposed to be more like the actual breast, so will help Ru learn to suck properly.

They must not be too far from the mark, because the first time we tried them Ru could not get ANYTHING out. I watched Brian try and feed her and he got the exact same frustrating results as when I tried to nurse her.

Fortunately with our mouth training she now handles these bottles like a pro, and is making some progress towards breastfeeding. (altho today when I tried she latched on for a good 10 min, then fell asleep. She woke up 10 minutes later and was hungry enough to take 3 oz from the bottle, so we aren't ready to give up the pump yet!) I certainly think the bottles are helping, and I hope as this new way of sucking becomes automatic she'll get it even when sleepy and I'm trying to nurse her.

One negative, these suckers are the first bottles we've dealt with that leak. One out of the three we bought is worse than the others. I'm not just talking about a drip here and there. Yesterday I set one down on the table when Ru was done, the bottle still had 2 oz, prolly close to an ounce trapped in the top. Instead of draining back into the bottle, it drained OUTSIDE the bottle and made a puddle on my computer desk. Ick. But that was a bit of an extreme case and the leaks are worth it for the success we've had. There's no problems at all unless you turn the bottle back upright, then down again.

They also are a hassle to refill if she's hungrier than we anticipated. You have to force the milk back out of the nipple part down to the bottle, and you still always make at least a small mess when you open the bottle. But that's predictable so we just do it over a burp rag or the sink, etc.

Overall we're pretty happy with these, I do think they are more like breastfeeding, and I do think they are helping Ru learn how to go from bottle feeding to breastfeeding. We just gotta keep practicing!

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