Good positions to recreate the emotional magic of breastfeeding

Donner le biberon à un bébé : les meilleures positions pour recréer la magie de l’allaitement - Élhée

ARTICLE SUMMARY:

Comfort and serenity: two basic principles for good bottle feeding
Breastfeeding positions suitable for bottle feeding
The right pacifier to support babies' digestion

Of course, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are two different actions. Yet every parent who feeds their child puts as much heart into the work, whether they use their breasts or they use a bottle. But, it's like everything, to do it well you have to know the tips, the tricks of those who have experimented before you. However, with 6 to 8 bottles every day and night for your infant, rest assured, you too will soon have your certified nursing parent badge. Before that, and because we wanted a bibRond which offers a feeding as close as possible to breastfeeding , discover with us the best positions to give your baby a bottle without discomfort, with confidence and in complete peace of mind .

Comfort and serenity: two basic principles for good bottle feeding

Giving the bottle may seem simple, especially with a baby who is already a few months old. But, an unsuitable position or a bottle tilted too far and it's guaranteed to cause a cramp or a wrong turn! To avoid this, bet everything on the following two points.

All the comfort to take your time and offer it to baby

Imagine a comfortable place, thick carpets, lots of cushions, a soft blanket, soft seats and a pleasant temperature, a welcoming room in which you would want to settle down, to stay. This is exactly what you need to give your baby the bottle in the best possible conditions.

To avoid having arm or back pain and having to change position during bottle feeding at the risk of disrupting your child's meal, Always sit comfortably, as if each bottle will last several hours .

Use your nursing pillow to prop up baby, sofa armrests to put your arms in support or soft pillows to support your back and legs when you are in bed.

Serenity for a well-shared bottle

Because the bottle is not only the occasion for a meal, but also for a sensory experience to enjoy as a couple , surround yourself with a bubble of serenity by adopting the safest possible position for your baby. Always install it so that it is semi-recumbent, well positioned in front of you, or on your side . In this way, baby is reassured by your touch, by your look and by your smell . Also, the inclination of one's body first facilitates drinking and then digestion.

A sensory bibRond, perfectly adapted

Very often, the bottle feeding takes over from breastfeeding or is given in parallel to the breast . To allow this object, both so familiar to you and totally unknown to your baby, to find a place in your bubble, to integrate, to merge; you have to find the right design, the right material.

This is what we wanted to do at Élhée, by offering you a curvy bibRond , a tribute to the nurturing breast and almost entirely designed in medical silicone , a healthy material with a peach skin feel. As mothers, we are convinced that a sensory design is part of the key, for sensory meals shared in serenity.

Breastfeeding positions suitable for bottle feeding

For mothers who breastfeed their babies, the choice of positions is natural, instinctive and partly initiated by the infant. But, did you know that certain breastfeeding postures can be perfectly adapted to meals taken from a bottle?

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The lullaby

Sitting on the sofa, in an armchair or on the bed, you carry your baby close to your chest, his neck snug in the crook of your arm.

To make this moment as comfortable as possible, slide a large pillow under your knees. It will provide very useful support to your arm and will prevent it from becoming stiff if your child takes his time eating.

Eye to eye

This bottle-feeding posture is perhaps the least common in France and yet, in India or Pakistan, it is very widespread, because it is beneficial to babies affected by reflux or infant colic .

Sitting, with a cushion under your knees to form an angle of approximately 30°, place your baby facing you, on your thighs. This way, his eyes meet yours for the entire duration of the bottle. For your comfort, the arm holding the bottle can rest on the hip on the same side. For comfort, you can very easily ensure that your child does not absorb air while breastfeeding.

Bottle feeding in bed

Did you know that the bottle can also be given in bed? Very early in the morning, late in the evening or in the middle of the night, this solution is very pleasant for staying snuggled up, together, warm, under the duvet and in the sleeping bag.

For the feeding to go as smoothly as possible, lay your baby down next to you, with his neck still resting in the crook of your arm. For infants, you can use a cloth or your pregnancy pillow and form a “U” between the left armpit and the right armpit, so as to contour the lower body. This light form of support can be reassuring for babies.

Please note: if your breasts are sore or if you've had a cesarean section, this position might just become your favorite.

Bottle well given, colic gone (or almost)

Well, actually it's not really that simple. Infant colic, remember, we talked about it last year in an interview article carried out with perinatal osteopath Olivier Darmont . If they take the form of painful spasms and if their medical cause remains largely unknown, we know that the air absorbed during bottle feeding is an aggravating factor. Better positioning during meals can therefore help you relieve your baby.

The bottle should always be tilted at 45°, a slope which allows the teat to always remain full of milk. Your baby's head should always be a little higher than his body, to facilitate swallowing and digestion.

If your baby suffers a lot and if he accepts it (little gourmands often refuse to let go of their bottle as long as there is milk in it) also try to split meals, which will allow him to digest more easily.

The right pacifier to support babies' digestion

There are therefore several positions for giving a bottle to a baby, but there is only one pacifier to help him better digest his milk meal, the physiological pacifier . At Élhée, we have chosen to develop a physiological pacifier in medical grade silicone , to combine benefits on the anatomy and health of babies. When drinking, gently bring it close to your child's lips and, once taken, make sure it fits sufficiently into their mouth.

The physiological pacifier has a rounded side which is placed against the palate, and a flat side which baby presses with his tongue. This shape was designed to contribute to the proper development of babies' mouths, but above all, to minimize the risk of reflux.
Made of medical grade silicone, the Élhée physiological pacifier takes care of babies' health. Free from all harmful substances, it is equipped with an anti-colic valve designed to promote digestion by limiting the presence of air during feeding.
Silicone offers more “resistance” than rubber. Because the milk does not flow, to drink, the baby must exert a suction effort , which allows him to suckle while avoiding the risk of misfeeding.
In addition, teats are available in several sizes or speeds which allow you to adjust the milk flow according to the age and appetite of your baby, again, for more pleasant and better digested meals.

At the end of each meal, remember to gently lift your baby up so that his head is just above your shoulder and allows him to burp.

Above all, listen to yourself! Listen to your instinct, explore your feelings and observe your baby. If he is happy, if he drinks well, if he digests well and he goes to sleep most of the time satisfied, with a smile on his face, then everything is fine! Don't change anything, believe in yourself, move forward by feeling and everything will be fine.