Your breastmilk supply will reduce if your body thinks you need to feed your baby less. If you want to keep up your supply of milk make sure you express at the same time you’d normally be feeding (2). Breastmilk is warm so your baby is likely to prefer the bottle (whether breast or formula) at a similar temperature. The claim: Born Free claim their bottles showed more improvement in colic symptoms than other anti-colic bottles. Take time to find the right bottle and teat for your baby. Some babies prefer a particular style of bottle. So if one baby bottle isn’t right, don’t give up. Mum will usually notice a hard lump or wedge-shaped area of engorgement in the vicinity of the plug that may feel tender, hot, swollen or look reddened. Occasionally mum will only notice localized tenderness or pain, without an obvious lump or area of engorgement. The location of the plug may shift.

The 5 colic symptoms they looked at included; crying, folding legs up to stomach, frowning and discomfort, face turning red and pain spasms.

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Anti colic: Minbie claims that colic is reduced because of the proper latch that their bottles encourage. With bottle feeding, babies don’t generally have to work as hard and there is a continuous flow of milk (3). Switching regularly between breast and bottles can cause ‘nipple confusion’. What is nipple confusion? Bottom line, no one type of bottle is best. Choose one and see how your baby likes it. Some babies will adapt to the bottle straight away, others might need a bit of time to learn the new skill of feeding from that bottle, so don't give up too soon. Each time you change to a new style of bottle, your baby has to start learning all over again.' After a plugged duct or mastitis has resolved, it is common for the area to remain reddened or have a bruised feeling for a week or so afterwards.

Some babies are very adaptable and would be happy with any bottle. Others need a bit of time with just one type to learn the new skill and switching between too many different bottles could be confusing for them and slow down their skill development and progress. The Air Ventilation System reduces the intake of air, ultimately reducing the potential causes of gas or colic. Your Health Visitor or a Lactation Consultant can provide further advice if needed. Which bottles are best for breastmilk?The claim: Minbie say that the shape of the teat avoids nipple confusion for your baby as it nurtures a proper latch. Because of this proper latch, they report it helps baby’s control of the feed which supports good digestion helping with reflux and colic. They also say it works to prevent lazy feeding. Here are the best bottles our editors have highlighted through research. And it's all supported by our parents in the BabyCentre community. Some parents are concerned that introducing a bottle may discourage their baby from breastfeeding. This is because your little one has to use a different technique when feeding from the breast compared to the bottle (3). With breastfeeding, your baby controls the flow of milk by suction and pauses to swallow and breathe. Breastmilk doesn’t flow instantly as it takes a minute or two to stimulate the let-down reflex (4). This can be very distressing for parents. Colic can start when a baby is only a few weeks old but usually stops by 6 months (5). Some babies with colic have excess gas and so the theory behind anti colic bottles is tominimise the amount of air swallowed. Effective winding can help too. Signs your baby may have colic (5); A slow flow teat on a bottle may also help. A fast flow teat can cause the milk to flow too fast and continuously. A slow flow nipple may be more similar to breastfeeding as it helps the milk to flow more slowly and also allows your baby to pause feeding, in the same way as breastfeeding.

Good for breastfed babies: The bottles are described as having a natural milk flow, which can be controlled by the baby. They claim this creates an experience close to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is recommended for at least the first six months of a baby's life. Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants; it is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses.✝ The babies who took part had been diagnosed by their parents as having colic rather than a medical professional. The evidence: Dr Brown carried out a research study with a total of 88 babies initially taking part in an online research study. Parents were asked to record their babies symptoms for 3 days on their normal bottles and then for 2 weeks with either the Dr Brown bottles (treatment group) or other bottles (placebo group). Breast feeding is natural and this has led to brands making these claims about their ‘breast like’ bottles. However some people may disagree that bottles can truly mimic the ‘real thing’.Many parents are also looking for their bottles to help with symptoms of colic and many bottles claim to do so. What is colic?

Infrequent/skipped feedings (due to nipple pain, teething, pacifier overuse, busy mum, return to work, baby suddenly sleeping longer, scheduling, supplementing, abrupt weaning, etc.).

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There are usually no systemic symptoms for a plugged duct, but a low fever (less than 101.3°F / 38.5°C) may be present. Get somebody else to feed your baby. if your baby can smell your breast milk it can be confusing for them. The evidence: A research project was carried out with 30 babies with colic type symptoms in 2010. 20 babies were given the Born Free bottles and 10 babies continued with their usual bottles. 85% of the 20 babies showed improvement with their colic symptoms. They conclude there was a reduction in crying and fussing by the babies using the Dr Brown bottles. Whether the symptoms had improved was decided by questionnaires (with 7 questions) completed by the parents.