Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

OK, so I'm trying to figure out everything I need in the feeding department. The plan, and hopefully all works out, is to pump for 6 weeks, hopefully build up a small supply in the freezer and switch to formula (for work reasons). So, my questions are:

1) If I pumped and stored in a freezer bag, when I go to give it to DC, are there bottles made to use with these bags in them, or do you dump the milk into a regular bottle?

2) What size bottles do you need? How much do newborns-1 years olds generally take each feeding?

3) The different size nipples...are the ages on the packages pretty accurate, or do you really have to feel it out and see what's the right speed for your child? Did you really start off with a size 1 (is that what comes in the package with the bottles?), or generally start with the size 2?

4) If you pumped right into the bottle, do you need bottles that specifically match the brand pump you use, or are bottles pretty general and you can hook up any one?

5) I see people have posted about boiled tap water vs bottled water for formula. Is water from one of those filtered lines that run to the fridge considered OK to use without boiling?

I know it's a lot, but any you can answer would be appreciated. Thanks!

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

Hope I can answer some of your questions for you.
1. I dump the bags into the bottle. sometimes you need more or less then what is in the bag.....so I measure it when it goes into the bottle. I don't think there are bottles that the bags fit into - but not sure about that.

2. Buy the 9 ounce bottles. The smaller bottles don't last long - I think I have 2 of them, but usually use the bigger bottles b/c at 4 months he is up to 5 ounces at each feeding.

3. I have found that my baby stays with the nipple size longer then what is marked on the box. For Advent size 1 was 1 month, size 2 is 1-3 months - I think..... I'm still on the size 2's. You will know what your baby needs. If they get frustrated that they aren't getting enough fast enough, you need to go up a size. If they pull off and start crying it is flowing too fast. For Advent the newborn starter package came with size 1's. the other bottles come with size 2's.

4. Depends on the pump. I have the Medela PIS and I can use even flow bottles - much cheaper - to pump into. However, Avent bottles are much wider then the Medela, and I can't pump into them. So I have two sets of bottles - one to pump into, one to feed from.

5. I don't know the answer to that - I'm still EBF

Hope that helps.

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

If you use bm freezer bags i am pretty sure you defrost them then pour milk into bottles.

I nursed for 4 months then supplemented, then went right to formual, so i used my 4oz bottles for that long, but some moms only use the 4oz bottles for a couple months. Now I use 9oz ones.
Newborns usually take 1-2oz's per sitting in th beginning.

I NEVER go by the age on the nipples, I go by how DD is eating/sucking. She was in stage 1 nipples (that come with the 4oz bottles) for about 4-5 months, then i switched to size 2,(came with 9oz bottles) and she's still in them at 7 months old, I am not going to switch again since she shows no signs of having trouble.

I wouldn't buy a pump based on if can pump into bottles. I had the medela PIS and i pumped into the bottles that came with it, then transferred into bottles/bags. I hated pumping, i preferred right from the source, so i didn't pump much.

My ped said tap, filtered or bottled was fine, no need to boil, but he actually preffered tap water as long as we tested it first for chemicals.
Ask your ped that question, you will find a variety of answers on that question.
I give DD bottled water, but i know plenty of moms give their kids filtered water.

I hope that helps, it seems like a lot, but believe me, it will all fall into place and seem so simple and uncomplicated when the baby comes.

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

1) If I pumped and stored in a freezer bag, when I go to give it to DC, are there bottles made to use with these bags in them, or do you dump the milk into a regular bottle?
I have the Medela Pump in Style. It comes with bottles that you can pump in to. You take pour that milk and you can put the milk in freezer bags and store the milk

2) What size bottles do you need? How much do newborns-1 years olds generally take each feeding? You can have four oz bottle but buy more 8oz because they will evenutually be drinking more than the 4oz bottles after a while

3) The different size nipples...are the ages on the packages pretty accurate, or do you really have to feel it out and see what's the right speed for your child? Did you really start off with a size 1 (is that what comes in the package with the bottles?), or generally start with the size 2? If you are going to continue breastfeeding stick with the slowest flow nipple for as long as you can. This mostly resembles the suck they will need to BF and you don't want them to get nipple confusion and like the bottle more. After you are done BF then you can switch to the faster flow nipples if the baby is is age appropriate.

4) If you pumped right into the bottle, do you need bottles that specifically match the brand pump you use, or are bottles pretty general and you can hook up any one? The medela Pump in style had those little bottles to pump into and then I bought dr brown's. You want to put the least amount into a bottle and can always give the baby more. YOU NEVER EVER WANT TO WASTE BREAST MILK!

5) I see people have posted about boiled tap water vs bottled water for formula. Is water from one of those filtered lines that run to the fridge considered OK to use without boiling?
My sister used bottled water and my friend used filtered tap water. I think both are OK but I would ask the doctor to see what they say.

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

Again, I stress that you test one batch of your frozen BM before freezing a whole load...(I know I said this a million times already) but I had a lipase in my BM that caused all of my frozen BM to go rancis...I had around 30 bags of frozen BM that had to be thrown away...what a total disappointment.

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

This book was very helpful..
http://www.amazon.com/Nursing-Mothers-Companion-Paperback/dp/1558321527


also

http://www.amazon.com/Nursing-Mother-Working-Essential-Breastfeeding/dp/1558321179

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings

I pumped into the bottles they gave and they transferred into freezer bags.

I didn't use bottles for a bit, so I started with the 9 oz ones. We never got to more than 5.5-6 oz though

nipple size vs age meant nothing for us. I never went past size 2.

Re: Questions about bottles and pumping/formula feedings