Possibility of successful breastfeeding if supplementary bottle feeding is required

Introduction. The article discusses the problem of bottle feeding – a method of feeding infants with breast milk or formula, which has been used for many years and plays an important role in feeding a newborn, and this fact cannot be ignored. Aim. To evaluate the possibility of maintaining breastfeeding when temporary feeding of the child is necessary using the bottle. Materials and methods . A non-comparative observational prospective study was conducted in 30 full-term and late preterm infants, as well as in premature infants who reached 38–40 weeks of postconceptual age. Results and discussion . Prior to discharge, all 29 mothers (100%) awarded 5 scores for the appearance, ease of feeding, ease of washing and sterilizing feeding nipples and bottles. Everybody reported the overall impression as positive. The assessment was based on the questionnaire results. Also, we evaluated the following parameters: general assessment of infant’s bottle sucking activity – satisfactory; infant’s breast sucking activity after transition to breastfeeding – satisfactory. The risk of aerophagia has been reduced, no symptoms were observed in 95% of cases, according to questionnaire results. The use of Pigeon SofTouch Peristaltic PLUS allows to the possibility of breastfeeding during mother’s transition to lactation, mixed feeding, temporary weaning because of mother’s health condition or for other reasons, and during transition from tube feeding to breastfeeding. Conclusions. The results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Pigeon SofTouch Peristaltic PLUS, the use of which reduces the risk of aerophagia and discomfort in newborns during temporary weaning due to the mother's health or other reasons. The most important factor in maintaining successful breastfeeding is that mothers receive quality counselling and appropriate training with a special emphasis on the child's behaviour and the practice of so-called “responsive feeding”.