Will bottle feeding create nipple confusion?

The nipple and bottle can be a confusing change for a new baby to get used to. Hear what doula Andra Clark recommends for mothers to do to help their baby through this transition.
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Will bottle feeding create nipple confusion?

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You should start giving your baby a bottle around the three month mark, only to insure that he won't reject the bottle when it's time to wean them off the breast, if you are breastfeeding. This is, of course, only for those who are breast feeding. The subject of nipple confusion comes in when the child is given a bottle too regularly and the breast, and they can't determine the difference. They can no longer latch on to the breast because the nipple of the bottle is different. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about introducing the bottle as a supplementary thing where they can get it once in a while, only so they don't reject it. So mommy can go out and do her hair or go have a cup of coffee with friends and leave the baby with the daddy or birth partner. That way, you are not attached to the child 24/7. The only thing that can happen is if it's regularly given to the child. The child can start to realize they can get the milk faster from the bottle than I can from the breast. They have to work harder to draw the milk out of the breast. That's only if you are going to continuously to give the baby a bottle. I definitely say give the baby a bottle within the first three months of their life, so they don't reject it.

The nipple and bottle can be a confusing change for a new baby to get used to. Hear what doula Andra Clark recommends for mothers to do to help their baby through this transition.

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Andra Clark

Doula & Mom

Andra is a mom of a 15 month-old, a business owner and a doula. In her free time she loves the outdoors. She enjoys camping with her family in their 1985 old-school motor home, listening to her collection of records, swimming, barbequeing, fishing, boating, shooting guns at the firing range, reading, dancing, doing yoga, and playing music (as she is also a musician and actress). She is a tomboy with a girly flare and very much a free spirit. Her daughter is her heart and soul and truly her very best friend, besides her husband. Her family loves to be together, sharing in spontaneous adventures!

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