Breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby. A mother may be separated from her baby due to returning to work, health or social obligations. In these situations, it is important that the baby can continue to be breastfed. During this period, mothers have a new worry. Will my baby refuse to suck after taking the bottle?
This is a justified concern. Because some babies may not accept a bottle and the mother may have difficulties giving her baby breast milk. If the baby accepts the bottle, he or she may not want to suck again. This can cause unrest in both mother and baby and slow down milk production. In this process, mothers choosing the right bottle will reduce their anxiety.
It is worth first explaining why babies do not accept the bottle or, if they do, why they do not return to breastfeeding.
While sucking on the mother’s breast, babies pinch the nipple between their tongue and palate and extract the milk from the breast by applying a wave-like peristaltic movement with their tongue. This tongue movement is repeated an average of 800-1000 times in a sucking session. In other words, sucking on the mother’s breast is a serious effort for babies.
With standard bottles, however, babies cannot practice this instinctive sucking technique because the liquid flows easily from the nipple. For this reason, they may not accept the bottle or, if they do, they may not want to suck their mother again. This is because the baby has now learned to feed with an easy technique. It may not want to exert effort on the mother’s breast again. This is called nipple confusion. In order to be able to continue breastfeeding after your baby has been bottle-fed, you should choose a bottle that your baby can apply a peristaltic tongue movement similar to the wave that your baby applies at the mother’s breast.
With the right choice of bottle, babies can be fed from both breast and bottle.
It is important for babies to be able to continue feeding by practicing peristaltic tongue movement, so that their jaw and facial muscle development can take place optimally.
You should make sure that the products you choose for your baby’s nutrition are made of healthy materials. It is critical for your and your baby’s health to make sure that all products that will come into contact with your baby and breast milk do not contain BPA and BPS.