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Infant feeding

Getting 10 Week Old to Take Bottle

1 reply

Humperdink123 · 10/01/2013 21:06

Hi all, looking for a little bit of advice hope someone can help!
I have BF my DD for the past 10 weeks, its going well and I feel like in the past week things are really clicking into place. She seems to be working out how to deal with my fast let down without choking and the leaky boobs are subsiding!
However, I am also at the point where I would like her to take a bottle so that I can get a bit of time to myself here and there and I am not quite sure what is the best approach to take. I haven't expressed much until the last week so she has never taken a bottle to date.
Over the past week I have been expressing a bit everyday. I have a lot of milk so this is no problem, can easily get 4oz in 10 mins. The harder bit is getting DD to drink this.
I am wondering whether her reluctance is because I have left it a bit too late?
I have been trying with the avent teat which says is variflow and best to use if BF. on the occaision where DD has not refused the bottle completely she has appeared to be sucking but she isn't taking anything. Is this becuase of my fast let down she has never had to work hard to get milk? would she be better with a faster teat?
Also i've been trying to give bottle myself, could that be the problem? is it better if someone else does it?
Or would she be more tempted if it was formula in the bottle? i'm not averse to this if it means i get to get a break every now and then.
There are so many potential variables here i would like some advice on which is the best bet to change first!
Thank you!

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UsedToBeAPixie · 10/01/2013 22:32

I don't think formula would be more tempting, but I got fed up of tipping precious breastmilk (DS is 5mo and my supply has gotten lazy...) down the sink after failed attempts so I bought some ready mixed cartons of Aptamil 1 while we're trying to tempt him back onto the bottle.
If you have a fast let down, then definitely a faster flowing teat. We've had success with Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature, but I've read so many different suggestions on here that I think you could buy one and it work straight away or buy thirty and never have any luck!
I don't think it's too late - some babies just take a while, some don't care and some are total bottle refusers ;)
We gave a sporadic bottle from 4 weeks and DS took it no problem, then (when I was planning a big night out of course...) he had a few weeks of point blank refusing, then all of a sudden he was fine with it again, and now he's been refusing for about a month. The night that I went out til late in the middle of his refusal period, DH did actually manage to give him the bottle - possibly because he was too tired to care at 1am...

Does your DD take a dummy? I can remind DS what to do on occasion by putting his dummy in, letting him suck it for a few seconds and then quickly moving in with the bottle.
My hairdresser recently told me that it took her a month of her partner stood poised with a bottle behind her while she breastfed and a quick switch while bubs was content...

Otherwise, I would just go out of the house and see if he'll take it from someone else.

Good luck!

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