Childbirth And Pregnancy Blog

Mothers who breastfeed their babies may want to move on to bottle feeding at some point – for example when returning to work and or placing there child in a Nursery School. Switching over doesn’t necessary spell the end of breast feeding. It is perfectly possible to combine the two.

When to Start

There are various approaches to introducing a bottle:
*Right from the beginning. Some mothers introduce a bottle in the first few weeks. This gets round the problem of babies who are so used to the breast that they’re reluctant to take a bottle at all. However, babies can get confused between the different approaches~But, babies can get confused by different ways}~But, babies can get confused by different ways}. This could mean that breastfeeding ends sooner than planned and that the baby misses out on the benefits of breast milk.
* After breast feeding is well established. If this method succeeds, it can be very useful for mothers who want to take a little time away from breastfeeding or to use at times of day when there are other pressures. Some mothers carry on for many months in this way, although others find that breastfeeding starts to tail off.
* A few weeks before the ‘changeover’. In this gentle approach, breastfeeds are gradually replaced by bottle feeds – starting with one a day for a while, then two, and so on. Babies who are well established with breastfeeding may be very reluctant, but there are techniques to help (see below).
* Simply swapping over with no gradual introduction. This ‘cold turkey’ approach can be upsetting for the baby and for the mother too if the baby becomes distressed. But sooner or later they will be hungry enough to feed. This is not for everyone, but it can work, particularly if the baby is being fed bottles by someone other than its mother.

REMEMBER:- You can always ask for advice from your Day Nursery

If the Baby Refuses a Bottle

It’s not surprising that a breastfed baby may be reluctant to take a bottle. They are used to the warm comfort of their mother’s breast and the distinctive taste of her milk. A little perseverance may be needed:
* Try putting breast milk in the bottle. The familiar taste may be enough to overcome the baby’s reluctance. If this seems to work, try expressing milk with a pump and then store it in the fridge. Breast milk also freezes well.
* Get someone else to give the bottle. The baby associates its mother with the breast, so the idea of a bottle can be better coming from someone else.
* Dont think that the baby needs to be really hungry. A baby who is crying for the breast may be anxious and upset when a bottle appears instead.
* It is important to choose the right time- when both baby and mother are relaxed. In the morning or after the baby’s afternoon sleep might be good, when he or she is fresh and not looking for the comfort of the breast.

When looking For Childcare visit www.look4nurseries.co.uk

Preparing to get ready for a baby shower is an exciting time. Personalized baby shower invitations are a necessary item to a memorable baby shower. If you are planning a baby shower, whether it is you who is expecting, a family member or even a friend, it is a very special event, an event which everyone is very happy and excited to attend. Having a new baby is always an exiting, thrilling and special event for all concerned and the invitations are part of creating a unique and memorable baby shower. The first thing that you will need to do is send the invitations. Decide on how many people that you want to come to your baby shower, write the names down, and get prepared to start picking out your personalized baby shower invitations. All you need now is a list of all the names and addresses of all the people that you intend to invite.

Many people will choose to make the baby shower invitations themselves, but it is actually much quicker and easier to just have it professionally done. When you go to get your invitations made, you may want to bring along another friend or family member that is going to be present at the shower just for a second opinion, or you may do it all by yourself. It is your choice. There are many styles of personalized baby shower invitations available today and you can expect to be spoiled for choice. You may choose to have a different design for every invitation, or you can go with a theme of your own choosing.

Some people choose to not use cards at all and prefer to use something completely different. Depending on the theme you have chosen for the baby shower you could decide to keep everything the same and uniform, or you might not. Precious Moments is a popular theme and if this is the theme that you are going to use then you will be able to find invitations that tie in with it without any difficulty at all. If the baby’s gender is already known you can even arrange for that to be reflected on the invitations as well. Of course, you will meed to decide on how many you will need as well as how big or small the invitations should be.

Depending on the gender of the baby you might want to use invitations that are appropriately colored. Invariably blue is associated with boys and pink is associated with girls. This can be a big help to your guests and give them a better idea as to what to bring. If you don’t like to idea of choosing a pink or blue invitation you could always think about having the colour of the evelope as either pink or blue. However, this is also your decision. If coming up with ideas for the baby shower invitations is proving to be tricky why not ask your family and friends for some advice.  They will probably be able to come up with some helpful suggestions to make the process that bit easier for you. Everyone enjoys the birth of a new baby and it is always a good idea to include people in the whole process including the baby shower.