Comments on: Hitting The Bottle http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/ Thoughts and photos from an American living in Spain. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:32:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: paola http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3754 paola Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:39:40 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3754 Mmm, difficult to comment without sounding judgemental like the "breastfeeding police"... All I can say is that I know exactly how you feel: breastfeeding Chiara was a nightmare at the beginning and more than once we gave her some milk in various contraptions without the "evil bottle"... All I can say is that it took us weeks to establish proper breastfeeding, but then it lasted for 6 months and I really enjoyed that, including the fact that it is on-the-go, no sterilising and no equipment needed... But at the end of the day, just do what feels right for you! Mmm, difficult to comment without sounding judgemental like the “breastfeeding police”… All I can say is that I know exactly how you feel: breastfeeding Chiara was a nightmare at the beginning and more than once we gave her some milk in various contraptions without the “evil bottle”… All I can say is that it took us weeks to establish proper breastfeeding, but then it lasted for 6 months and I really enjoyed that, including the fact that it is on-the-go, no sterilising and no equipment needed… But at the end of the day, just do what feels right for you!

]]> By: Jake http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3753 Jake Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:53:30 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3753 Kind of off topic, but I'm just curious if you and Marga speak English or Spanish around the house nowadays? Newborns process a tremendous amount of information during their first several months, and granted she's only like a week old but it's still an interesting topic to me. Growing up in Spain obviously she will have a tendency to hear Spanish but I thought it might be interesting if she was hearing a lot of English being used around the house. Kind of off topic, but I’m just curious if you and Marga speak English or Spanish around the house nowadays? Newborns process a tremendous amount of information during their first several months, and granted she’s only like a week old but it’s still an interesting topic to me. Growing up in Spain obviously she will have a tendency to hear Spanish but I thought it might be interesting if she was hearing a lot of English being used around the house.

]]> By: Josh http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3752 Josh Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:52:30 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3752 Congratulations on your new Gnora! (I too fell for your April's Fool. When I went to register my daughter 9 months ago, I included my family's traditional middle name. The total letter count of the name ended up being too long for the Spanish computers. End result, for the rest of her life my daughter will have an incomplete, hyphenated mish-mash name.) If at all possible, I'd recommend that you stick with the breastfeeding thing (well, not you personally, but "vosotros"), it really is worth the effort when the baby gets colicky (have you noticed the Spanish obsession with "cólicos" yet?) or otherwise upset, late at night. If you do decide to go the bottle route, I'd suggest this model: http://www.difrax.com/en/assortment/s-bottle it is far and away the easiest for our daughter. Saludos. Congratulations on your new Gnora! (I too fell for your April’s Fool. When I went to register my daughter 9 months ago, I included my family’s traditional middle name. The total letter count of the name ended up being too long for the Spanish computers. End result, for the rest of her life my daughter will have an incomplete, hyphenated mish-mash name.) If at all possible, I’d recommend that you stick with the breastfeeding thing (well, not you personally, but “vosotros”), it really is worth the effort when the baby gets colicky (have you noticed the Spanish obsession with “cólicos” yet?) or otherwise upset, late at night. If you do decide to go the bottle route, I’d suggest this model: http://www.difrax.com/en/assortment/s-bottle it is far and away the easiest for our daughter.
Saludos.

]]> By: andrea http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3751 andrea Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:22:40 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3751 Oh, and the video of Nora eating? Ridiculously cute. Oh, and the video of Nora eating? Ridiculously cute.

]]> By: andrea http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3750 andrea Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:21:19 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3750 When we had trouble breastfeeding Eva in her first few days, our lactation consultant suggested finger feeding. It's similar to your syringe feeding, but still requires the baby to suck. (info here: http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/pdf/CEAC185BreastfeedingFingerfeedingwithafeedingtube.pdf). We did this for a day or two using a finger and a dropper that we slid alongside the finger (rather than the tube they talk about in that pdf). When Eva sucked the finger, we squirted some of the milk in her mouth. The point of this is to help the baby understand that sucking is required in order for her to get milk, but it's a lot easier for the baby to get their mouth properly around the finger vs. the breast. It's supposed to be a good way to get baby to learn how to eat at the breast. Not sure if you're still interested in trying to get Nora to nurse, but if you are, that's another thing you could try. Bottle feeding is a great option, but personally I know that I was happier once I could get her to nurse properly because then I didn't have to pump all the time and spend all that time washing out pump parts, bottles, etc. When we had trouble breastfeeding Eva in her first few days, our lactation consultant suggested finger feeding. It’s similar to your syringe feeding, but still requires the baby to suck. (info here: http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/pdf/CEAC185BreastfeedingFingerfeedingwithafeedingtube.pdf).

We did this for a day or two using a finger and a dropper that we slid alongside the finger (rather than the tube they talk about in that pdf). When Eva sucked the finger, we squirted some of the milk in her mouth. The point of this is to help the baby understand that sucking is required in order for her to get milk, but it’s a lot easier for the baby to get their mouth properly around the finger vs. the breast. It’s supposed to be a good way to get baby to learn how to eat at the breast.

Not sure if you’re still interested in trying to get Nora to nurse, but if you are, that’s another thing you could try. Bottle feeding is a great option, but personally I know that I was happier once I could get her to nurse properly because then I didn’t have to pump all the time and spend all that time washing out pump parts, bottles, etc.

]]> By: simon http://erikras.com/2009/04/02/hitting-the-bottle/#comment-3749 simon Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:53:55 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=2042#comment-3749 Love those contextual ads for Chinese fish feed... Love those contextual ads for Chinese fish feed…

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