help needed- trying bf baby with a bottle

[olivo]

my dd is 7 weeks old and i have tried 2 or 3 times to give her a bottle to no avail. i have had others try a couple of time and no luck either. I would like to try her again and have got some advice from mnetters on which bottles/teats to try but will try her with formuls as i got so disillusioned with watching my ebm go down the sink.

basically, i would like to give her maybe one bottle a day and eventually it will be ebm but what time of day is best and is there a knack in getting her to take it?

any advice would be great. thanks.

[dennya]

I had the same problem. Have actually given up bottles now, but have started using a tommee tippee cup-4mths+. My dd (14wks) seems to like this and whilst she has not completely mastered it, we are getting there. She even has a go without the lid on. Doidy cups are also meant to be good from 3mths and nuk bottles were recommended to me if you want to persevere with the bottle. Good luck.

[Mojomummy]

My DD is now 12 weeks & a few weeks ago I tried to get her to take a bottle...no joy though.

The dr & HV advised getting DH to give it to her, so that she can't 'smell' me. It didn't work & she got distressed

I'm going to try again though. I feed her, then quickly try to get the teat in her mouth...she just eyes me suspiciously !

Let me know if/when you are sucessful.

[Twohootsandapumpkin]

Olivo - I bf'd my DD but did give her the very odd bottle of ebm. I found the only teats that worked were the NUK ones (I know they've been mentioned already). I found DD got more distressed with DH than with me feeding her. Found the milk had to be warm/tepid. One of the ways I got her to drink was to squeeze the teat so that a little milk went in her mouth (she was screaming at this point ) and then when she realised it wasn't so bad eventually she drank from it.

Re using your precious ebm (I found expressing hard so know where you are coming from), if you just do one or two oz at a time and then you are not throwing away so much...

Good luck - it's not easy but keep trying every now and then.

[olivo]

thanks for your advice. am going to try the tommy tippee bottles but will get some nuk teats if they dont work. had forgotten about warming it maybe that was part of the problem. dd just screamed when dh tried to give her it, and when my sister tried. i only ever get a couple of oz when i express but am trying to build up a stock in the freezer!
will keep trying!!

[Twohootsandapumpkin]

No prob I know how hard it is. Yes re the warming - only a little but it made a difference to us. Not sure how warm breast milk is but I guess body temp so warmish.

[olivo]

she took it! tried her with a closer to nature bottle, slightly warmed, only 1 1/2 oz but after a minute or so fussing, she gulped the lot!

will try her every day with a little - who knows, i might even get an evening out by next month
thanks everyone

[Twohootsandapumpkin]

Really good news - did you have to 'squirt' a bit in her mouth? The warming is probably the trick as that is what she is probably used to.