Still refusing a bottle!

[emski1972]

I have two weeks before I have to leave DD (6 months on the 26th)for a weekend with DP. I have been trying to introduce a bottle for weeks now and have managed to get DD to take 50ml of breast milk while employing various distraction techniques a few days last week.

I have been given the following advice to try starting tomorrow...

3 feeds a day from a bottle starting with the first of the day 6/7am, next one is usually 11am and the next 2/3pm..all give or take an hour or two, She has been EBF until now and follows a pretty natural routine. We have been a little laissez faire til now

I'm planning on expressing these feeds and giving formula until I have a big enough stash of breastmilk. So three pumps a day to keep up supply.

Does this sound reasonable?

I feel that if I can't get her to take a bottle by the end of the week I won't be able to leave her and I never envisaged that happening!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Don't know the answer sorry as both of mine were bottle refusers so just wanted to bump this for you.

[suzym1984]

Hi emski I didnt realise you were having bottle refusing problems!
H was a very stubborn bottle refuser, and as I am going back to work in September I was really anxious aboutt it. I will share the advice I was given, and what worked for us (H now takes a bottle no problem- and in fact prefers it, which is a risk you take).

• Give DD a bottle to play with. This really worked with H as he associated the bottle with being upset, angry etc, so I gave him an empty bottle to play with and sure enough it went in his mouth, he started sucking etc and he seemed to get familiar with it.
  
  
• there are loads of different bottles you can try (I think I bought them all and spent a small fortune!) But I would recommend choosing one type and sticking with it, as i think we prolonged the problem by trying a different bottle each time. H now uses tommee tippee CTN with size 2 teats as I have a fast let down.
  
  
• try expressed milk first, and make sure its warm. This worked for us, but a friend recommended using formula (a carton not powder) as your DD might associate the smell of breast milk with you and be confused by the bottle. Give both a try.
  
  
• try when you DD is hungry, but not screamingly so. If she point blank refuses the bottle then stop offering, but wait a little bit before breastfeeding, so she doesnt associate refusing with getting a breastfeed.
  
  
• VAry who offers the bottle. We always had DH try, but in the end H took the bottle from me.
  
  *try different positions. Initially H would only drink from a bottle whilst sat in his bouncy chair (contrary little thing!).
  
  I hope this is some help.
  
  As for the expressing, I am by NO MEANS an expert, but i would express at the samee time you would usually feed and you should be fine. This is what I have always done and its worked ok for me.
  
  Try not to worry about your weekend away, remember: You're the boss!
  
  Good luck!

[emski1972]

Hi suzym1984 thanks for the tips....gawd well I've tried most of the above.

Tapping the bottle seems to have worked and at least she will now allow the bottle in her mouth and sometimes it even stays there...

She has had 2 expressed bottles of 100ml during the day, finished off with the doidy cup and 50ml of formula while watching "In the Night Garden" which blew my tiny mind, this was suggested as a distraction technique..sort of worked.

My friend and I went for a walk in the woods today with the dogs found a nice bench and gave her one of the bottles she had some, objected and fell asleep..we went later to the cafe and sat outside where we tried again. Amazingly she took the bottle in her hands and put in straight in her mouth while looking around at everyone. Anyway we were really delighted and kept encouraging her until she got fed up with us.

Cue woman at the table opposite to say to her friend "look at them trying to force that baby to have a bottle!"

Being the militant sort and one that can lip read said loudly "Excuse me yes Excuse me..this is a breastfed baby learning to take a bottle, not a baby being force fed! Perhaps you should think before you judge and make comments that can be overheard!" Cut to woman with red face!!!

Probably going to try a dream feed with the bottle and start again in the morning. I am a bit worried that she is not getting enough and is going to wake up hungry all night...ho humm

[flowerfairy]

You have given me some extra tips here thanks. DD 16 weeks and i go back to work part-time in 3 weeks and am becoming increasingly concerned that parents and in laws are going to have a screaming baby while i go to work and she will only have small amounts from a sippy cup or spoon, only managed from a bottle when half asleep. feel like i'm running out of options.
good lucl emski.

[flowerfairy]

that was good luck by the way

[suzym1984]

flowerfairy try not to panic. DS screamed every time we tried and I was beside myself with worry, however within a week we had cracked it.

Another thing to try is to breastfeed baby, then half way through switch for the bottle. they tend to suck without realising their had been a switch.

Also, a friend of mine had success with Advent bottles and their teats are nothing like nipples, she seemed to prefer her bottle to be most unlike mam!

What I would do is choose a bottle to try, and a feed, and just persevere. ALso giving a bottle to play with really helped for us, as DS stopped crying when he saw the botle and seemed to treat it like a game!

Good luck, let us know how you get on x

[suzym1984]

emski what a rude woman! Glad you gave her a good telling!

[emski1972]

Some success today!

So normal feed 6am, DP tried a bottle between 8am - 9am of which she had 50ml, the dog keeps DD distracted/amused which helps. I dont t hink she was hungry just that we are trying to do the same things everyday

She had a long sleep 10am-12pm and I tried again with ebm at 1pm and kept on tickling her nose with the teat, she finally took it and finished the bottle!!

Yahoo...I will try again at 4pm as she seems quite happy now and DP will try at 6pm. I am a bit worried about dehydration....needlessly?

For the last two nights I have tried to give her a bottle while watching "In the night garden"....it blew my tiny frazzled mind, it seems to work at least she would have the bottle in her mouth...although I'm sure most of it went down her chin

[suzym1984]

emski I think that was the problem DH and I had, we kept trying Ds with a bottle and Im sure that half the time he just wasnt hungry. Glad you have had success. I would just keep doing what you are doing.

Are you trying to mix feed or move to bottles completely?

[emski1972]

Hi suzym mix feed and really only because I have to go away next weekend, but now she is nearly six months I should be able to leave her with grandparents, daddy and various other willing baby sitters!! I wasn't that bothered before as I've done quite a lot of going out in my previous life. Its not until you can't do something that you really want it!