Kassing Method: Combining Bottle And Breastfeeding

The Kassing method is a way to feed a baby with a bottle without this detrimental to the smoothness of breastfeeding. Using the method, the risk of the baby refusing to breastfeed or not being able to suck strongly enough is almost non-existent.

Some mothers are unable to breastfeed and have to feed their baby with a bottle. This is often the case when a baby is pregnant or needs extra nutrition. There are also women who, because of their work, have to pump breast milk and then give it later with a bottle. On the other hand, some women have health problems that prevent breastfeeding.

Bottle feeding may confuse your baby and make him or her refuse to breastfeed. The bottle is easier for the baby because sucking from it requires less effort.  This is because the teat part of the bottle is very different from the nipple – the hole in it is much larger and the milk comes very easily by gravity. Thus, the baby does not really need to suck.

Then, when the mother tries to breastfeed, the problem may be that the baby is unable to adapt or finds it difficult to eat. For this reason,  U.S. expert Dee Kassing has developed a method that includes a bottle whose sucking resembles breastfeeding.

Kassing method

The goal of the Kassing method is to mimic natural breastfeeding. In this way, the disadvantages of bottle feeding for breastfeeding are much smaller, so the mother is able to combine the two feeding methods more easily.

When giving your baby milk from a bottle, he should be in a sitting position but tilted. You don’t have to take the exact same position as when breastfeeding. The pacifier should be anatomical, and these pacifiers are completely different from the nipple. The hole is much larger and it helps the baby get milk.

You need to choose the right bottle for your baby. It is then important to mimic the natural stimulation involved in breastfeeding. Stimulate your baby’s reflexes by touching his cheeks and mouth so he can find the pacifier himself.

With your baby’s mouth open, let him suck a few times, and keep his body upright. This way, he will see the effort to suck the milk instead of the liquid just flowing into his mouth due to gravity.

Control the amount of milk and how long it takes for your baby to suck on the pacifier. Also, keep the situation under control by touching your baby’s cheeks and taking the bottle off every now and then.

The right conditions for bottle feeding

In order to implement the Kassing method well, it is worth  considering the shape and dimensions of the pacifier. It should be perfectly round to be nipple-like, and it should also be long so that the tip can touch the midpoint of a hard and soft palate, such as when breastfeeding. It should be narrow, soft and about two inches long.

The pacifier should be small-hole, meaning that the milk must come more slowly so that the baby has to see the effort just like during breastfeeding. This  helps to slow down digestion and ensure its smoothness.

When buying pacifier bottles, buy straight pacifiers, not curved ones. Straight makes the flow of milk more difficult, and thus the baby has to see more effort.

Baby’s position in bottle feeding

The purpose of this method is that the  baby does not get too much nutrition and allows the mother to keep the rate of milk intake under control. When the baby sucks the bottle, he should be in a tilted sitting position, as we have already mentioned.

It is not recommended for the baby to lie face up as this will cause the milk to drain by gravity and he will not have to see any effort at all to get food. In addition, there is a risk of suffocation or ear inflammation in this position, as milk can enter the middle ear.

The most important thing is that the bottle is horizontal, not tilted. This is how the baby needs to suckle to get milk.

Before you begin,  stimulate your baby’s reflexes to look for the breast. Don’t put the bottle in the baby’s mouth right away, but touch her lips and cheeks with a pacifier until she looks for it and starts sucking.

Finally

The Kassing method is very  useful if the baby is pregnant or needs supplemental nutrition, or when combination feeding is necessary for one reason or another , or if this method of feeding is recommended by a pediatrician. It is also an ideal choice when the mother has, for example, nipple inflammation, which makes breastfeeding too painful.

If your baby needs extra nutrition, experts recommend using a bottle, as long as breast milk is used here, rather than a substitute.

The Kassing method we present now seeks to replicate the natural conditions of breastfeeding. This is accomplished mainly by initial stimulation and how much effort the baby needs to see to get milk. This makes it much easier for the mother to return to normal breastfeeding.