NIPPLES

Well, now that I have your attention...

For several months now, Harper has been rejecting the bottle. She's a breast-fed baby, but of course on occasion it's nice to be able to leave a bottle with a sitter so that Chris and I can go out. The very first bottle we ever gave her didn't go well. I can't remember if it was filled with formula or breast milk, but we eventually discovered that the reason she didn't want it was because it had a fast-flow nipple. She wasn't used to drinking so much milk in one gulp. This is something that no one tells you, including the baby books. Who knew nipples had speeds, let alone 3 different speeds??? I just happened to notice the faintly etched word on the base of the nipple:  fast. So off to target I went, and sure enough I found not only slow but medium as well. The slow nipple worked, and I was occasionally able to let others feed her. And for those of you who have nursed for any period of time, you know how nice this freedom can be!

I plan to nurse Harper for the entire first year, but lately it's been pretty troublesome. Chris and I had a meeting in Phoenix about two months ago, and Harper ended up going without milk. I left some, and my friend who was watching her tried to give her milk from a bottle, a sippy cup, a straw (which is her favorite way to drink water), and even a regular cup, but she was having none of it. (And for those people who say, "well let her go without and she'll learn" are also not the ones staying up at night with a hungry baby). Formula or breastmilk, it didn't matter...Harper was not taking a bottle.

That is until I finally used my brain. Now nursing takes about 5-7 minutes total, whereas in the beginning it took 40! Ahhh, could it be time for the fast-flow nipple? Not only is she taking a bottle now, but she's taking formula, too. I still plan on nursing for another three months, but I feel better knowing that I have an alternative for when I need to be away. So many things to learn being a parent. And I thought Harper had a lot to learn!

And for those of you who didn't know, pacifiers have different sizes. Not that I would ever give my newborn an 18 month pacifier!! But in case you would...