12 tips on How to bottle nurse a baby. You don't have to breastfeed to bond.

[paganbaby]

If you are not able to breastfeed, or if you are feeding your baby EBM (expressed breast milk) from a bottle, you can still recreate some of the bonding experience of breastfeeding by bottle-nursing. Other people can use this method with your baby if they are watching them for you, but it's best if you are your baby's primary source of milk, just as if you were breastfeeding.

[turtle68]

 what is bonding?  someone explain this to me please.

[horseap]

 It will get me nowhere to and #1 makes me want to bash my head against a wall!

[jakesmom323]

I think this is a good post:) I EBF for 1.5 months then noticed that I was frazzled, fizzled, and burnt out! I was the only one that could feed him and my husband hadn't bonded with the baby at all. I pumped and supplemented and he looks at his daddy as if it was me now. They bonded so well and it was a great thing for us. I'm happier to not be so tied down and can enjoy both my children more to doing both. I feel bonded with a bottle just as much as BF and I really believe in eye contact during. If you enjoy the process, they will too;) Great post.

[mom2the.rescue]

With my ff babies, I did most of these...not really the skin to skin, or using a cover though-that one seems silly. 

[SLTmom]

I nursed and occasionally my dh gave the kids bottles of pumped milk.

he didnt need as list to tell him how to feed his children.  It comes naturally to loving parents.  I think moms who bottle feed naturally know how to lovingly feed their kids.

breast or bottle, cuddling and paying attention to the infant is what is important.

[Woodbabe]

This basically breaks down what moms have been doing by instinct for decades! I don't like the bashing on the bottle propping though, sometimes it really IS necessary for an emergency, multiples, etc. 

[Aamy]

Gee this is exactly everything I did and didn't need to be told to do it. Common sense.

[UpSheRises]

I don't like the term "bottle-nursing"...i don't know...seems kind of corny. Other than that, i think those are excellent suggestions although i'm not sure the comparison to breast feeding is helpful. I think making that comparison is could be perceived as a value judgement.

I think it would be better just to stress the importance of body to body contact and what role it plays in an infants social-emtional development.

[Paigesmommy78]

isn't this all just instinct for a mother

[frogbender]

While I have common sense, I was lacking in "mother's intuition". I have always been a bit of a tomboy. So I did not really have contact with babies until I had one of my own. I didn't play with doll babies as a child either. I did breastfeed though, but the above tips are helpful, especially to women who are moms like myself. Ones who weren't really interested in babies until they had their own. I'm still not overly enthused about other people's babies or kids still. We do need tips sometimes. You can see the same in the animal world. Some animals are wonderful mothers, some are not. Fortunately, for most humans, those of us who weren't born great mothers can improve with helpful advice.

Quoting Mommy_of_Riley:

I did all of the above... Thought that was just "normal"...

Why does everyone need "instructions" nowadays. It's called Mother's Intuition... Natural Instincts...