As a new mom, I’d expected my baby to cry to tell me when he was hungry, tired, or simply wanted a cuddle. I hadn’t expected him to cry to tell me he had colic. At four weeks old, my son was diagnosed with this mysterious condition, and his nonstop screaming and troubled nights of feeding led me to try different methods to comfort him. Finding the right bottle became paramount, and after many failed attempts, Dr. Brown’s bottles became our saving grace.
The popular theories regarding the cause of colic hinge on feeding and digestion. Some of these suggest that a baby’s underdeveloped digestive system or improper digestion are the causes. This is why more discomfort happens while feeding. I was breastfeeding, so I first tried different holds, followed up by new burping positions to aid his tiny system. It didn’t make a difference. My little guy became increasingly fussy when eating and sometimes so agitated that he refused to nurse. I wondered if there was a better way to support him during feedings: Maybe adjusting the shape and makeup of his baby bottle would help him during this phase.
The first bottle I tried was the bottle that came with my breast pump. The Medela bottles were small, easy to assemble, and I could hook them directly up to my pump. This way, my plan of transferring my breast milk to my newborn’s bottles would be a cinch. Even though these bottles offered several nipple flow sizes, none of them worked for us. The milk came out too fast and my little one spit up way more than usual when being burped. We weren’t off to a good start.
The next bottle on my list was the Tommee Tippee bottle. With its space-age design, I hoped we’d blast off into the winners’ circle. This bottle boasted a wide silicone nipple, and there were only three parts I needed to worry about when cleaning, which was a bonus. What I didn’t appreciate was the new way my son immediately vomited all over himself (and me) while eating. I had to quickly take the bottle out his mouth before he choked on his own vomit—something he’d never done with the Medela bottle or my breast. Then he screamed until he passed gas which was also new and different with this bottle. These blasted off into the cupboard.
Then my mother-in-law suggested Dr. Brown’s bottles. They’re an award-winning bottle, designed by an actual doctor. They’re specifically made to reduce spit-up, gas, and burping—all side effects of colic and of being a baby. Unlike the other bottles I’d tried, these have an “internal vent system that preserves the nutrients of formula and breast milk.” Air can get into the milk and upset a baby’s stomach, but Dr. Brown’s bottles vent that air away. This is made possible because the bottle comes with more than just a bottle, nipple collar, and nipple. It comes with parts.
Right away, I noticed the different parts. I was worried this might be reminiscent of assembling an IKEA dresser and my stomach tensed. But there were really only two extra pieces: a round “reservoir” and a long cylindrical “insert.” The reservoir snaps into the top of the insert and both are placed inside the bottle. Once that’s done, the nipple and nipple collar screw on the bottle like normal. That’s all. No tiny Allen wrench needed. I could do this, and I did.
Dr. Brown kept all his promises. It only took a few feedings to notice that my newborn’s signs of colic had lessened. He was spitting up and screaming significantly less. Better yet—he never refused his bottle. I was confident that it was Dr. Brown’s bottles that were helping my little guy through this colicky phase of life.
Another great bonus was that Dr. Brown’s bottles are BPA-free and sterilizer safe. This made me feel even more confident during our feedings. And compared to other bottles that promised a similar outcome (and failed—like the Tommee Tippee), they were more affordable. At Target one bottle is $5.99 and a standard three-pack is $12.69.
Dr. Brown’s bottles’ unrivaled design helped ease my son’s symptoms of colic—and bring comfort (and some much needed power naps) to this worried first-time mom.
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