bottle-nurse as in, if you have to feed your baby by bottle (EBM, or formula) do you feed them just as you would if you were breastfeeding? i wrote an article on it (article is here) and i keep adding to it as Willow grows.

in the sig i have today, she's wearing my "nursing necklace" ... i learned from breastfeeding mamas that a nursing necklace is one way to distract a nursing baby who is also wiggling around like a monkey on crack i made it from wooden beads i found at a craft store, on hemp twine (double-strung for safety). whenever she's too wiggly to remember to eat, i put it on and she settles down and contentedly plays with it i haven't yet seen a bottle-feeding mama wearing one, so when i bottle-nurse her in public, i get questions and i'm so happy to answer, and hopefully educate.

the reason i bottle-nurse is that breastfeeding isn't only about the benefits of breastmilk. it is about SO much more! so i have always tried to feed her just like i nursed her, before i had to stop because of my meds. i feel it's my job to make up for the lack of breastfeeding, to recreate the experience as much as i can for Willow. for one example, Willow, although on formula, "cluster nurses!" i feed her on cue just as i would with the breast, so some days she'll spend two hours sipping a little here and there, even if i have to go make a new bottle each hour, it's totally worth it.

i have the advantage of having nursed her and remember what it was like for both of us, but i hope the article i wrote is helpful to mamas who haven't nursed at all. my mantra is "what would a nursing mama do?"

oops! forgot to post ... Willow has been bottle-nursed for 7 months now, and she still pats my breasts when she eats. especially when she wants a faster flow (me tilting the bottle more upwards), she grab at my breasts and pat them. i figure i've been succesful in recreating the nursing experience for her, since she doesn't grab at or pat the bottle! and when she's hungry, she pulls at my shirt

I sure do. I attribute in part, Connor learning to nurse at 3 months, because
I always bottle-nursed him EBM.Judi

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oh that is so great! at 3 months!! wow

i kept experimenting with going off the meds and i still had a little milk, was able to re-lactate fully with pumping, and she didn't show any confusion.

just tonight she was yanking on my bra through my t-shirt at the dinner table *lol* it's funny, lately i haven't been skin-to-skin with her as much as i'd like, but for some reason she still thinks "boobs = milk" maybe it's because i always lay the bottle against my breast?

Yeah, I have bottle-nursed with EBM and formula since Orion was 3 weeks old because of heavy problems with thrush made his mouth too sore to nurse for a full feeding and my nipples extreamly tender. He's now 9 weeks old and we still bottle-nurse but I feel lucky during the times when all he wants is my breast and not the bottle, even though I try to make the bottle feeding experience as close to nursing as possible. (even went out and bought the nipples that say they're the closest thing to the breast, and my lactation consultant recommended)

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I bottle nurse and i wish i could say its breast milk but its not. I am going threw treatments for cervical cancer and can't nurse. I did for the first 4 and a half months but had to stop. i postpones treatment while i was pregnant and while i was nursing but just came to a point where i couldnt withgo treatment anymore. I feed her from a bottle but hold her tight. and talk to her just the same as when i was nursing,,,,but i still miss it.

WOW! I just started coming here and I am so excited to see someone else who bottle-nurses. My dd and I had problems early on with nursing and I ended up pumping for a couple months and then using formula/breast milk, and then just formula. She is 18 months and I still bottle nurse. Lots of skin to skin contact, she only has the bottle when i'm holding her (no running around with it), when she was younger she was fed on demand, like you said sometimes in clusters. She still drinks formula with added cereal for reflux and I really enjoy it. I think it is really a gorgeous experience and bottle nursing has really helped us connect. Thanks for starting such a great thread!