The business of having babies is generally A-B-C for most. There is man, there is woman, then there is a baby. And though the family structure may be different from family to family the man-woman mechanism still works the same for a baby to come into being; procreation basics. This basic conception process, however, does not translate to baby care being basic. Chief among them baby feeding.
This article will focus on one of the very first stage of baby care: Baby feeding. At birth, the majority of babies are breastfed. Then they may move on to bottle feeding and progressively mature foods as their digestive system strengthens. For some, this is a normal progression that for the most part flows smoothly. On the other hand, there are cases when feeding a baby is very challenging for various reasons. It may be the bottle or breastfeeding or even both. The issue may be refusal, or not knowing how to latch and feed. Both these reasons can stem from the wrong bottle system being used thus resulting in bottle rejection or worse nipple confusion and bottle preference. If this is your challenge read on for Sera’s, experience.
A mom’s experience...
Sera a mom of a beautiful baby boy, Sebastian had many challenges getting him to take a bottle. She told us how difficult it was: “Hi, I am Sera, and this is Sebastian my little 8-month-old baby boy. We are racked with how well he has taken to a Minbie bottle. We tried him on some bottles at about 4 or 5 months and he just would not take any of them.”
Babies can be very particular about the bottle they feed on. We may chalk it up to a baby being fussy, but that is not necessarily the case. Breastfed babies use their natural latch and suck when feeding, therefore, it can be challenging for them having to adjust this latch from bottle to breast if they both require a different feeding technique. This they are not able to communicate yet so they do so the only way they can, bottle refusal.
Lets continue with Sera’s story as Sebastian seem to have communicated his problem the only way he could: “We tried 5 or 4 different types, the ones that are closest to breast, the ones that say they will take the first time never ever worked for him and I thought I am just going to bite the bullet try a Minbie bottle and it was an absolute miracle. The first bottle I gave him he drank 17 MLS in about 5 five minutes which would never have happened with the other bottles.”
The correct bottle feeding system makes the difference
It is no coincidence that Sebastian took to Minbie. As previously mentioned the bottle can be the real problem. Minbie works in a very basic way. The teat was designed so that babies use the same technique for breast and bottle feeding. If a baby has to adjust the feeding style for each feed it creates confusion. Hence, why choosing the teat should be viewed as more than ‘a bottle is a bottle’. The make is also very important. Now let’s turn our attention to another reason why it is important to have the option of using a bottle; family balance.
Balance for parents…
We continue with Sera’s experience: “Every night since daddy gives him his bottle before bed. He sits there and takes it without any fuss, he absolutely loves them. It just means that I get a bit of a break, daddy has some bonding time. Nanen babysits the other night while mommy and daddy went out for dinner and he took the bottle from her so we just absolutely love them. I can not recommend them enough. I recommended them to a friend who was going back to work, and first time her little baby took it as well, so these bottles are just fantastic. We love them and we thank you because it has just made our lives so much easier...”
How many times have you heard couples say, things were different before they had children? How they normally did things together as a couple. Some even feel that they have lost who they are as a couple which may even create tension in the family. Children, however, cannot be blamed for this. Their role in the family is to be a binding one. A bind that cements a couples union completing the family circle and the continuation of our legacy, our inheritance. Parents, therefore, have to create the balance to keep the family intact.
How do we ensure that the above is realised when caring for our babies? We do so by committing to learning what our babies needs are and how to provide it in a way that supports the baby and parents. A healthy mom and dad make for a healthy well-adjusted baby.
Here Sera sought what was important to keep her family balanced, benefitting everyone. Both parents were able to have a share in the feeding and care of Sebastian. They were also able to do something together as a couple without the worry of their baby not being cared for. Grandma was also able to enjoy her grandbaby without the worry of not being able to feed him. This is our Minbie goal; helping the entire family to feed their baby while maintaining the breastfeeding bond.
What is your Minbie story?
What challenges do you have with bottle feeding? Have you been able to solve this? How have you done so? Share with us and other parents your challenges and successes.