BF baby refuses bottle

[FleeBee]

Hi, it's my first time here so if this has been covered then please let me know.

My 13 week dd is bf and we've never had any problems. Have been trying to introduce expressed milk in a bottle, but she is not interested and screams. Get DH to try and feed her but then he gets upset and I then have to calm the pair of the me down and end up bf dd anyway. My sister is having a big birthday bash in 2 months a day at a spa and a stayover. I'd love to go, but feel can't leave DD and DH with expressed milk and bottle as they don't seem to be able to get on with it.

My mum tried her with the bottle on Saturday and she took 1 ounce, then chucked up.

I love DD so much, but would just like 1 night away!!! Am tempted to turn down the invitation, any advice gratefully received.

[MrsBadger]

have you tried different brands of bottles? (borrow from your friends)
dd spat the Avent ones in disgust but happily chugs Tommy Tippee Closer To Nature

[laundrylover]

FleeBee, stop panicking about the night away - it's 2 months away yet. Your DD is very young at 3 months so just keep trying her with the EBM, maybe warm it up a bit more as sometimes this makes a difference.

However a 5 month old baby is lots different to a 3 month old - when my DD2 was the same sage I went for a night away and DP just popped over to the hotel at 6pm and I filled her up...then I expressed at breakfast and the hotel put it in the fridge. DD2 was always rusbbish at having a bottle but she must have had a few ounces and survived.

Also, if she really won't take a bottle in two months time you could always just go to the spa for the day eh? It's work out I'm sure.

[pendulum]

my bfed DD refused bottle until 5 months- screaming, the works.

2 weeks ago i sneaked it in at the 10pm feed when she was half asleep. she took 3 oz and since then has gradually increased this to 6oz once a day (the rest of the time she is still bfed).

• try MAM teats (recommended on here, DD prefers to avent teats and they fit avent bottles)

• warm the milk more than you think necessary ie so it feels quite warm on your wrist, not blood warm. dd refuses unless it is really quite hot

• keep trying every few days but don't make a big issue of it or show your disappointment at the refusal.

good luck!

[becklespeckle]

DS2 always refused a bottle until around 4.5 months when he suddenly accepted it. As Pendulum said, heat the milk warmer than you think and also you could try warming the teat too. I used to keep a jug of hot water next to me so that when he needed burping mid feed the milk did not cool down too much. He would only drink the milk hot!

[becklespeckle]

DS2 always refused a bottle until around 4.5 months when he suddenly accepted it. As Pendulum said, heat the milk warmer than you think and also you could try warming the teat too. I used to keep a jug of hot water next to me so that when he needed burping mid feed the milk did not cool down too much. He would only drink the milk hot!

[becklespeckle]

Sorry, didn't mean to post twice!

[weeonion]

flee - dd was grand on a botle for awhile, then one day decided no more. cue weeks of trying different temperatures, positions, teats, warmed teats etc - all to no avail. then one evening - she held onto the bottle herself and away we went. it seemed that she needed to feel in control! she also liked to drink it in the bath!! i think it was when she was all warm and relaxed.
sympathies to you and dh though - it is a stressful thing.
2 months is a loooong time. dont start panicing about it now. she may well be on a cup by that age.

[Ineedsomesleep]

DS would never take a bottle of anything so my sympathies.

DD is different story though, she would take a bottle for a couple of weeks then refused. Then she would take ebm from a cup these

Now she refuses ebm althogher but she will take formula from a cup or a bottle, but not a bottle with a teat, it has to be a juice spout, we use the avent one with the bottles.

Feel a bit bad about giving her formula, but me and alot of my friends have big birthdays this year and its the only way I can leave her.

[BexieID]

Closet to nature bottles and make sure it is nice and warm, the milk. Tom is/was a nightmare! At 23 months he now refuses ANY milk!

[BexieID]

Closer even! The Doidy cups are good, but Tom would only drink juice from them.

[kelbel]

pleased you posted about this, my lo took it a few times but now refuses, he's 15 weeks and we have something coming up and would really like to be able to leave him knowing he would take a bottle. is it best to keep trying? he gets soooo upset, so would leaving it a few days be better or perservering every day? every feed?

[FleeBee]

Thanks for the advice, have bought new bottle to try with her for next time.

Haven't tried dd since Easter weekend as DH doesn't come home from work until after she is in bed, and don't want the night feeds to become a battle. Would prefer to feed her myself so we're all calm.

Will try to get DH to try again at the weekend with a daytime feed. If he tells me one more time to cancel my night out I think I'll wrap the bottle around his neck and go anyways.

fleex

[Sushipaws]

This happened to my dd, it took us 2 months and 3 different brands of bottles to get dd to take ebm.

We managed with NUK bottles, I tried with very small amounts 10mls at the 10am feed for 2 days, then 20mls, then 30mls and so on. I understand it can be really distressing when they waste your milk after you've spent ages expressing it. My dd also liked it hot at 38 degrees.

Apparently it's better if your partner tries so lo can't smell your milk, but my dh wasn't there every day. I lay my dd down on a big cushion and distracted her with the tv. Another trick was to latch her onto me, then quickly unlatch her and pop the bottle in. If she noticed straight away, I would pop my nipple in again. That way she learned that she was getting milk either way and I was still there.

Good luck.