Calma – the bottle for breastfeeding mothers from Medela

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and then breast milk should continue to be an important part of a baby's diet in the first year. The problem for mothers is how to feed expressed milk to a young baby. The use of conventional bottle and teats means the milk flows automatically which is very different from the way a baby suckles at the breast. Very young babies find this confusing and some either refuse the bottle or even worse give up the breast!

Medela have come up with the solution: Calma the bottle with a teat designed to support the breastfeeding mother. Babies being fed from the Calma bottle have to suckle in exactly the same way they would at the breast. And when they pause the milk flow pauses as well.

Calma is excellent for breastfeeding mothers when they want to go out an leave a bottle of expressed milk for baby or when they are returning to work.

I used Calma for Harriet when Olivia went to work at a week's summer school. Harriet soon got the hang of it and was happy to take a bottle of expressed milk. It meant that Olivia could be reassured that her baby was being fed and that it wouldn't affect her breastfeeding routine.

I would recommend Calma to any breastfeeding mother as a great standby – Calma also means Dad could take a turn at the night feeds!

Calma – which is PBA free – is sold exclusively in Mothercare at £11.99.