First 3 month your breast is not only nutrition for the baby, it is a communication channel with the world.

Anyway, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, give much more to you and your baby than pure meal. Being close to you, feeling warmth and smell of your skin provide your child a feeling of security.

Breastfeeding has many advantages. However, if you opt for or have to choose to provide all your child’s nutrition from a bottle, you should not burden yourself with feeling guilty. The chose is very personal.

The best way is to combine bottle-feeding with breastfeeding.For example you can breastfeed from the bottle at public places. It’s also very useful when you have to go for a doctor or somewhere and leave your child for more than 3 hours. You can pump your milk and father can easily feed the baby from a bottle.

Breastfeeding

Mother’s milk is the best food for a newborn. Aside from providing your child with all the essential nutrients, it also contains important antibodies that combat germs. Mother’s milk is always available , clean, warm and perfectly formulated. Breastfeeding also provides benefits for the mother: The uterus recedes more quickly after the birth, and breastfeeding burns more calories, allowing you to get back to your weight before pregnancy.

Don’t be discouraged, however, if breastfeeding doesn’t work right away or is painful. It takes time. Women usually suffer from sore nipples. Usually this problem occurs when your child latches on incorrectly. Or when the baby latches not enough. To prevent and treat sore nipples, let them fresh air from time to time and use special cream after feeding (ex.: Medela Purelan100).

Bottle-feeding

Today, you can choose from a large variety of infants’ formulas that are especially catered to the various development stages of growing a baby. Choose one formula that your baby stomachs well and stick with it. Instead of adults, infants do not like different experiments. Giving newborn different formula types at once or frequently switching from one to another can even cause digestive problems.

Main rules:

• The hole in the bottle’s nipple should be small enough that your child doesn’t swallow too much air while drinking.

• A bottle feeding can take 10 to 30 minutes.

• Infant formula that has been standing around at room temperature for several hours should not be used again. Store prepared formula in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

• Never heat breast milk in the microwave since it destroys valuable nutrients. Always warm up breast milk by submerging the bottle in some warm water.

• If you warm up an infant's formula in the microwave you should only use a glass bottle.

• Make sure that the milk doesn’t get too hot.

• Shake the warmed up bottle and then test the milk’s temperature on the inside of your wrist.

• Don’t keep the prepared bottle in warmer for more than half an hour.