Expressing Breastmilk with Dr Brown's Options
Disclaimer: The lovely team at Dr Brown's sent me the Dr Brown’s Options™ newborn starter kit from their Natural flow range, in return for an honest review. The review words and opinions are my own. All photos are copyright property of Me Becoming Mum.
We all make different choices when it comes to our children, and that's ok. That is our prerogative as their parents. Personally, I always knew that when I had children, I wanted to breastfeed. Luckily I have had no issues doing so with either of my daughters. This being said, there is no reason why I can't share the experience - sort of anyway.
When I was pregnant with Pickle, I was sent a Dr Brown’s Options™ newborn starter kit, and despite my intention to breastfeed, I knew I would get plenty of use out of it through expressing my milk.
Here's a few of the questions that I felt needed answering when it comes to using the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles.
What's Inside the Box?
I have Dr Brown’s Natural Flow Options™ Newborn Gift Set... which means I have a great starting point when it comes to this fabulous brand.
Inside this newborn starter kit you will find a selection of the Dr Brown’s Options™ products.
The following products are included:
Microwave steriliser
Three 270ml bottles
Two 170ml bottles
Sterilising tongs
Bottle Brush & vent brush
Two number 2 teats
Two number 3 teats
Two travel caps
Why did I choose to express and use bottles?
I have been lucky. Breastfeeding has been relatively easy for me, with both of my daughters. Neither girl had any problems with latching on, and I have a great amount of milk... in fact both times I have found that I have an abundance of milk - so much so that I have been able to feed and express.
As much as I enjoy breastfeeding (which I really do!) there are two reasons why I love expressing and using my new Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles:
Expressing means that our baby still has breast milk, but I have the opportunity to take a break.
Expressing means that my husband has the opportunity to bond with our baby through feeding her.
What's so special about the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles?
They have a unique internal green vent system, designed to create 100% vacuum-free feeding.
The main reason this vent design is so fabulous is because it is clinically proven to help reduce wind related colic... something that is great for Little L.
Unlike with my first daughter, I have found that - on occasion - she has trouble bringing up wind. This in turn makes her sick - which makes her want to feed again; and so the cycle continues. With the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles, we have not had that problem - she burps like a trooper!
Should I be worried about cleaning this clever vent system?
When it comes to the cleaning of the vent system, there is absolutely nothing to worry about!
Inside the kit, included in the packaging alongside the larger, 270ml bottles are miniature wire brushes, that look like tiny bottle brushes.
This cute little brush is perfect for cleaning out the thin tube part of the green vent system; ensuring that each item of the bottle can be thoroughly cleaned prior to sterilising.
If it's a newborn kit, does that mean I can't keep using it?
There is no reason for you to stop using the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles just because it's called a newborn set and your baby is not a newborn anymore!
There are two ways that the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles move on with your child as they get older.
Firstly, the green vent is removable. This means you can use the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles as standard bottles. This means that the bottles I have now, will continue to be just as useful in the future whether they have breastmilk or even cows milk - once Little L is weaned on to it - inside.
Secondly, the teats can be changed, to adapt the flow rate as your baby's hunger and ability to retain greater amounts of milk increase.
Having the kit that I do, means I have a couple of teats in each of the next two flow stages. They are easily identifiable by the numbers on the side. They are simple and easy to decider as they are marked 1, 2 or 3.
Are there any down sides to the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles?
Unfortunately there are a couple of things about these bottles that I haven't enjoyed.
The unique vent system means more parts to these bottles than other brands, such as the bottles which I used for my first daughter. That means extra cleaning, sterilising and assembly is required.
The bottles are quite bulky. I compared them to the bottles I used for Squidgy and was surprised at the difference between both the sizes that I have.
In spite of this, however, I truly believe these bottles are more than worth it, however you choose to feed your baby.
My final thoughts...
The fact of the matter is, that the most important thing when it comes to your baby's health is for them to be fed. It doesn't matter whether that is by breastmilk or formula. It's simply really - fed is best.
Whether you decide to breastfeed and express like I have, or choose to (or have to) formula feed your baby; I highly recommend the Dr Brown’s Options™ bottles.
Don't just take my word for it though. I'm not the only one who really thinks that they are fabulous. You can check out the comments of other parent users on the Testimonials page of the Dr Brown's website.
These lovely bottles are available from most major retailers, including John Lewis, Argos, and Amazon.
Surprise! After one of tyenhardest years in our lifetime, we have some exciting news to share!