My friend who is breastfeeding never has the wind problems that I have with my baby. Is it due to the bottle feeding?

Breastfed babies in general do have fewer problems with wind, because the baby’s own sucking action is what determines the flow of the milk, for the most part. So a baby who sucks strongly will tend to stimulate the milk to flow quickly, while more gentle sucking will produce a slower flow. The exception is when a woman has a very fast and strong let-down reflex. This is particularly common when breastfeeding is getting established, and the demand and supply is not quite matched. Very hungry babies with strong sucking action do tend to gulp and swallow air.

With bottle feeding, the flow through the teat does not match the baby’s sucking action, so it is important to watch your baby feeding and ensure that the hole in the teat is not too large. If the milk flow is faster and stronger than your baby can manage, gulping will occur and then plenty of air is swallowed. Pay attention that as the bottle empties, the baby is not sucking air from a half full teat. Adjust the position of the bottle to ensure that the teat is always full of milk.

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