Nipple Confusion

Is it possible to breastfeed, use a bottle and a pacifier?  The answer is yes.  There are many moms who are able to combine all three and have a happy and healthy baby.  Is there one right way to do this?  Of course not.  Each mom will find the best combination for her and her baby.

Here are a few scenarios that may be familiar to you.

Sharon*  (not her real name) gets up early to pump milk while her older kids and baby still sleep.  She stores it for later that day while she’s at work and then she breastfeeds her baby.  After getting the other kids up and off to school, she pumps again before heading out to the office.  During the day, she pumps twice and breastfeeds as soon as possible after coming home in the evening. 

Tara* (not her real name) gets up early to breastfeed her baby before work.  She has the most milk in the morning and isn’t able to pump at work.  Her baby gets bottles of formula while she works and in the evening,Tara breastfeeds as many times as possible before the baby goes to bed.

Ariel• (not her real name) gets up early to offer her baby a bottle of formula before getting her other kids up.  She uses powdered formula and mixes up enough for 6 bottles/day.  She also has a diaper bag packed with water bottles, and clean, empty bottles and little packets of powder  for on – the –go mixing.