Print Article for : Breastfeeding Or Bottle Feeding

Your Online Guide » Relationship Advice » Tips for Parenting

[B876]Breastfeeding Or Bottle Feeding

by Andrew Ashworth, And

Breast-feeding is not for everyone. If you can't breast-feed or choose not to (for example, if you take certain medications or develop a severe breast infection), a variety of nutritious formulas are available. Infant formulas are designed to resemble the nutritional content of breast milk as closely as possible. Ask your pediatrician which formula he or she recommends. Bottle-feeding has several advantages. It frees the mother from her baby; other family members, especially dad, get a chance to be more involved with feeding. With a bottle, you know exactly how much your baby is taking at each feeding. A bottle-fed baby still gets the needed cuddling and closeness at mealtime. But avoid propping the bottle up so you won't have to hold your baby during a feeding. You will deny yourself and your baby important opportunities for closeness and bonding. Propping a bottle can also increase a baby's risk of choking and make him or her more susceptible to ear infections.

Your doctor will probably recommend a formula based on cow's milk, fortified with iron, and that comes in a powder or liquid concentrate that you mix with water or in a ready-to-feed form. Babies under 1 year of age should not get regular cow's milk because the unprocessed protein it contains is hard to digest and the high protein and salt content can strain immature kidneys. All types of formula are basically the same in nutritional content; they differ only in price. The most convenient, ready-to-feed formula costs the most. Never try to make your own formula at home-your baby might not get the nutrients needed for growth, development, and good health.

Whatever type of formula you use, follow these preparation and refrigeration guidelines:

? Always check the expiration date before you buy or use any formula. Don't buy or use leaky, dented, or otherwise damaged containers.

? Always wash your hands before preparing formula.

? Wash bottles nipples and caps in hot soapy water rinse them carefully and let them air dry Running them through the dishwasher will kill even more germs. Rinsing out bottles and nipples right after feedings will make them easier to clean. Sterilizing is unnecessary.

? Refrigerate all opened cans of ready-to-feed and liquid concentrate and use them within the time specified on the can.

? Immediately refrigerate any unused formula you have prepared from powder or liquid concentrate.

? Don't use formula that has been frozen.

? When making formula from powder or liquid concentrate, use the exact amounts of water recommended on the label.

The major advantage that bottle-feeding has over breast-feeding is that dad doesn't get left out. Make each feeding session a chance to bond and get close to your baby. While dad is bottle feeding the child, he will have time to bond with it. Many times, when new couples get a child, Dad's are typically felt left out or sometimes try to look for opportunities to help his wife with the new born child. Having the dad bottle feed the child, will give mom a good resting time.

Another great advantage of bottle feeding is convenience. Bottle feeding gives the mom an opportunity for her not to feel pressured to feed her child when her circumstances are not convenient. All she has to do is to get her child's formula and give the bottle to her baby. This is extremely convenient especially if the mom is traveling or in public.

When bottle feeding your puppy, start by filling the bottles with water and then put on the nipples and invert them to see if they leak. By squeezing the bottle slightly the increased internal pressure aids in discovering leaks. If the stream of water from the hole in the nipple is less than the diameter of a straight pin, heat a needle and enlarge the hole a little. Wash all the bottles and nipples in hot, soapy water and then sterilize them. Pour just enough dog food formula into the bottle that will provide a single feeding and warm it to room temperature. This can be done by holding it under hot tap water, while turning the bottle.

Once the dog food formula is warmed, hold the puppy in a normal upright position and poke the nipple into his mouth. Some pups will get the hang of it right away while others are less perceptive. Squeezing a little drop of dog food formula on to the tip of the nipple before putting it into the pup's mouth may encourage some pups to start sucking on the nipple. Never squeeze milk out of the bottle while the nipple is in the puppy's mouth! This is one of the quickest ways to strangle him with dog food formula.

If you are having difficulty in getting the puppy to suck and swallow voluntarily, put the pup back and try another. Use a separate bottle for each pup. There are three reasons for this. First, you know exactly how much you are feeding each pup and can measure precisely how much that pup drinks. Second, if you get a disease outbreak you will reduce the chance of spreading it from puppy to puppy with an unclean nipple. Third, if you need to go back and try to get him to drink a little more, you do not need to keep close track of how much he already has eaten because the amount he still needs is what is left in his own bottle.

While the puppy is nursing he should have a bowel movement and should urinate. If either fails to occur it usually can be provoked by a little stimulation by gently rubbing his anal area or sponging the groin and buttocks with a little warm water. Some owners place their pups on a warmed, folded, terry-cloth towel while they feed them. The roughness of the towel helps stimulate the elimination. The danger in bottle feeding is in the possibility that a puppy will suck some of the dog food formula down his windpipe and strangle. If enough dog food formula is sucked down, the pup will drown outright. Even if the amount sucked in is too little to drown the puppy, it will still injure his sensitive lungs.

When the lungs are injured, pneumonia is almost always the result. Between 12 to 24 hours after strangulation the puppy will refuse to eat, begin to experience breathing difficulty, produce bubbling and gurgling sounds as he breathes and very shortly, die. You must prevent this from happening by every means possible. When a puppy gags or strangles and milk starts coming out of his mouth and nose, take the bottle away immediately. Place the pup between your palms, head outward, and use your fingers to hold its head and backbone in a straight line. Place the pup between your legs, at arm's length, and swing it up and down. The centrifugal force produced by this will sling the dog food formula out of the puppy's mouth and nose and, with luck, out of the windpipe as well.

Article Source : internet safety tips for parents

About Author

Both Andrew Ashworth & John Mailer are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Andrew Ashworth has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parenting, Gardening and Parenting. Spring Creek Toys offers ,. Andrew Ashworth's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.

John Mailer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, College Student Loan and Parenting. John Mailer has written many articles about dogs and puppies and how to train them. His main business is as an internet marketer . John Mailer's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.