Breast to dummy to bottle

[MistyBxx]

My dd is 6 weeks old and is exclusively breastfeeding. I've taken to breastfeeding well (except the first week of raw nipple hell!) I enjoy it and my girl is thriving.

However, there are some occasions where I need her to have a bottle. It's been 6 weeks of complete dependence on me for feeding... hubby can't help, I can't leave her with her nanna or aunties or go anywhere without her at all. She feeds on and off allllllll day and night, absolutely no routine at all and although I'm coping now and I'm not ready to stop bf, I'm desperate for her to take a bottle now and again and she just won't! I use my expressed milk, she's never had formula. I'm not a bf snob, nothing wrong with formula, I'm just too lazy to deal with all the faffing of powders and mixing etc when I'm lucky enough to have a good supply of my own lol.

I've tried every brand of bottle from the Poundland pink £2 ones to the £10 NUK nipple simulation ones, I've spent a bomb and she gags, spits, and screams inconsolably. I've had her dad and her family try giving bottles to her, I've left the room, gone for a shower, gone out the garden, still absolutely no good, she is hysterical.

I've tried breaking her in with a dummy, again spent loads on all different brands and although she's not as hysterical, she gags and spits it out at warp speed, her tongue is strong and she refuses to suck on it so out it pops a million times. I held it in her mouth (felt so cruel 😩) for half hour solid tonight and she was eventually sick everywhere.

I'm feeling really panicky about the future. They say babies find bottle easier than boob but it's the opposite with me. I literally can't see myself being able to get her off my boob at all. Even for a few hours to go to someone else. I'm honestly scared I'm going to have to quit my job or my baby will starve!!

Any help, suggestions or advice, please, I'm so worried xx

[MistyBxx]

To clarify, I'm on maternity now but only until about July... then I'm due to go back and I'm terrified she won't be ready and neither will I be!

[Lazypuppy]

Keep persevering! Its not much help, but i introduced dummy at 10 days and bottle at 2 weeks and have never had an issue.

She doesn't always want a dummy, and sometimes we have to hold it in until she starts to suck to remind her it does settle her.

Bottlewise-i didn't give her a bottle until a couple of weeks later, and made sure i was out the house when partner did. It sounds horrible but if baby is hungry she should take the bottle eventually, she just has to learn how to do it. Once she has done it once it should then be so much easier next time. I express at least 1 bottle a fay so she stays used to that and breast. I use mam bottles with size 1 teats.

You deserve to have a break from being the only one to feed baby :)