*Shara received a camera and bottles in exchange for this post. All her opinions are her own and not swayed by outside sources.*
Melissa’s sister Shara here with a post about something I am becoming quite familiar with these days- bottle feeding! My baby girl Alexa, who is now less than a week away from 4 months old (WOW!!), drinks around 26-32 ounces of mostly mommy milk each day. We started to supplement with Soy Formula (around 3-6 ounces daily), as I didn’t have enough milk for her.
Alexa’s stomach has been one of her most major challenges since she was a wee little newborn. I slowly started to realize that she had a VERY immature digestive track. Colic plagued us for the first two months of Alexa’s life, even though she was exclusively breastfed. She would scream around 2-3 hours at night time. It was truly one of the worst times, and heartbreaking to listen to.
I went on a quest to try and make it all better. I purchased every gas drop and homeopathic medicine known to baby land! This included gas drops, gripe water, colic calm, soothe medicines, etc etc. We looked like we owned stock in anti colic meds. Our pediatrician kept saying that it happens with most babies- they just have very young stomachs. Next up, I modified my diet. I read articles on how some babies are lactose intolerant and I declared to my family- this must be a reason baby is so uncomfortable! I cut all all dairy, eggs, and even acidic vegetables like tomatoes and onion. I said “see you later” to whole wheat, avocado (boo!), and ice cream. It actually helped!
But, what I failed to think about was just how her bottle could have been giving her gas. I started to search for anti colic bottles, and found my way to Philips Avent Classic+ Bottle and Philips Avent Natural Bottle. First off, the Philips Avent Classic+ bottle is clinically PROVEN to reduce colic!! Alexa started to enjoy her feeding experiences, as you can tell by her point of view in the videos here. She gobbled her milk down freely and I wasn’t so nervous for her to finish and the aftermath. The design of the bottle plays a major role in reducing how much gas she has after feeding. She wasn’t gulping down air, just her milk!
I love the bottle is BPA free. I don’t want anything to harm the baby girl, and BPA is a major no no in my mind. It is leak proof, even when tilted to the side, so none of mommy’s liquid gold will escape. The bottle also makes cleaning easy, and the bottle brush is curved, so you can get to all the hard spots! It has a silicone nipple, which is soft for baby and is shaped to work well with her natural mouth and gums. The bottle is safe to wash in the dishwasher.
For storage, it has a snap on cap. This is great for our traveling. Eventually, I can put a handle on the bottle for training. One day, maybe she will be able to hold her own bottle.
Then, I tried the Philips Avent Natural Bottle. I liked how the bottle had a very wide shape, similar to my breast. Alexa’s latch has always been good, so I thought this bottle would be a good bottle feeding option. I was right! The makers put comfort petals inside the nipple for softness and flexibility. But, the nipple is sturdy and the structure is wonderful. This bottle also reduces colic, because it has a twin valve design.
Most of all Alexa enjoys drinking from her Philips Avent Classic+ Bottle and Philips Avent Natural Bottle. Just look at her sipping away, she is in milk heaven!