Post partum
Formula feeding
If you plan on formula feeding your infant, your pediatrician or health care provider will recommend a formula to begin feedings. Most infant formulas are made from a base of cow’s milk that has been fortified with amino acids, vitamins and iron. If your baby does not tolerate a cow’s milk formula, your pediatrician may suggest using a soy-based formula.
Formula comes in a variety of forms -- ready to use liquid, concentrated liquid, or powder. Read the preparation instructions carefully and do not add any additional water or fluid in a formula mix.
It is important that you do not feed your baby “straight” cow’s milk for a full year after birth as it is difficult to digest and does not provide adequate nutrition for a developing baby.
Bottle Feeding Basics
Whether your are bottle feeding exclusively or alternating breastfeeding with bottle feeding, here are some tips:
- Bottles should be cleaned in a dishwasher or washed in soapy hot water, rinsed thoroughly and boiled. If you are using plastic liner inserts, use one for each feeding.
- Nipples should not be boiled for more than a couple of minutes to prevent the latex or silicon from stretching and drying out.
- Formula and breast milk can be fed to an infant at room temperature. If you need to warm them up, run the bottle under hot water or place in a pan with warm water, not boiling, to prevent burning. Test the temperature by dropping a few drops of the fluid on your wrist.
- Do not use a microwave to warm up formula or breast milk. Microwaves can cause hot spots in the liquid, which can cause internal burning.
See also the following topics:
Breastfeeding - Getting Started
The advantages of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding difficulties
