bottle nipples - advice needed!

[brookerlip]

i just started pumping to prep for going back to work next month. my ds is just two months old and has so far only been on the breast. yesterday we tried the bottle for the first time and....it didn't go so well. we tried the green-to-grow bottle and the one that came with the medela pump. when he sucked he got such a mouthful he just gasped and choked and then flipped out. are there specific nipples for newborns/infants? or low-flow nipples?
does it just take time to get them to take a bottle? i'm feeling worried that we missed some window of opportunity and that now he won't take a different nipple.
i'd also love some input on who should give him the bottle. i was thinking it may be best to have dad be the bottle and mom be the breast. does it matter? what have you experienced?
thanks mamas, any input and advice is greatly appreciated!

[Happy]

The LC we worked with for one of our babies told us that the bottles with the liners were best for BF babies because they have to push the nipple to extract the milk. This is the same as BF. Other bottles without the liners require the baby to pull with their tongue which is the opposite of BF. I'd try a bottle with a liner and see how it goes.

Plus, it sometimes take a while for babies who are have not been using a bottle to get used to the idea. If you need this baby to take a bottle, don't give up! Something will work.

[shelbell]

The lc in the hospital told us it's better for dad to give any bottles so baby doesn't want bm straight from the tap. HTH.

[Mirasmom]

Trying to get DS to take one was really stressful. We started at about 6 or 7 weeks, but he didn't really do it well until 9 when we got consistent. He would scream and scream and DH and push the nipple around in his mouth for a half an hour and only take about 1/2 an ounce. I had a really hard time listening to it when I was upstairs so I started leaving when they were doing it so I didn't have to experience it. I ended up trying about 4 different bottles and then finally realized that it didn't matter which one we chose, but we needed to just decide on one and stick with it or he wasn't going to figure it out (we chose born free). I was just doing one every few days because it stressed me out and I hate to pump, but that wasn't often enough for him to learn and remember, so I ended up having to do one every day for about a week before he really got it. Now he's great at it and takes one perfectly from the sitter and from DH and then still latches on GREAT when I get home from work. Now on the days I don't work I don't worry about giving him a bottle because he's done it enough it's not an issue. Stick with it!

[ashersmomoo]

I can't really help with the age question because my first son never took a bottle and my second baby had to start at just over a week (he needed thickened milk). But as far as who gives him the bottle, we both do and he still nurses with me (I'm allowed to nurse 1/3 of the time, when my flow is down). So even if I give him a bottle he does still nurse with me. Although he does have occaisonal trouble with nipple confusion. I think he would have trouble with it anyway though because it is so different. I hope that helps.