10 week old refusing bottle

[missswiss1234]

Hi all! First time poster. Have been ebf my 10 week old little girl. We struggled through week 6-8 with intense fussing but made it through.
As an aside she used to take a soother but the last few weeks it seems she has forgotten how to suck (?!) She can't keep it in her mouth.

I am keen to start getting her to take a bottle of my expressed milk so that i can pop out the odd evening etc. But it is not going to plan. She can't seem to work a bottle at all! Have tried to leave her dad to it to no avail. I have tried avent and Tommy timpee closer to nature teats, warmed it up etc but no joy. It all ends up dribbling out her mouth and she gets very upset.

Any tips? Am so scared have left it too late and she will be a refuser.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

I know it seems like an age away but when they get to 6 months plus, they're eating solids and can go longer between feeds. It makes being apart for a while easier.

Have you tried a teat that mimics the breastfeeding action, like the Medela Calma? It's meant for ebm, and the baby has to kind of latch on and suck like they do at the breast. Might be worth a try?

[rabbitmummy]

Sorry to say but I tried from 10 weeks and didn't work whatever I tried! Next time I'm going for 2 weeks Gave up in the end and like previous post said, 6 months comes around quick! I managed a few nights out as she slept well from last feed at 7 til feed at 3am ish so could risk it. She should start to go longer between feeds at night soonish so that might be a way out!

[missswiss1234]

Thanks for input. I have the calma teat so will try that tomorrow.

I so wish i had tried her earlier but we had such a tough time from wk 6-8 i wanted to wait until we were back in our stride before trying to express. Ugh.

I am so hoping we succeed. I really would love to get her to take a bottle. I have an exam coming up end of april that lasts a half a day and am going back to work in September so there won't be much choice for her then.

She seems to have totally lost the sucking reflex. The teat just fails around in her mouth and she is totally clueless. Same with the soother.

I am going to persevere. I am reluctant make her super hungry in the hopes of her working out how to take a bottle. But could that work?

[Inadither]

Maybe sore gums? My daughter spat her dummy out or else had it at the side of her mouth in a hilarious cigar smoking impression. You've done so well. Mine were bottle refusers too. Why have a bottle when you can have draught?! I've heard good things about Nuk with a latex teat. Calma does not mimic breast feeding action. Only the breast can do that. It just makes getting milk out of the bottle harder work. It might save your baby at 4 months deciding actually he prefers a bottle because it's easier though. Mine happily took anything once weaning commenced and my DH could give them solids and water so they could wait for me to come home. It feels like a lifetime at the time but 6 months does come around quickly.

[ispymincepie]

Minbie is another breast like bottle

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Sorry, I put it badly when I said "mimic", no teat will exactly replicate breastfeeding. The bit I found helpful with my newborn was that it doesn't let any milk flow unless they are actually sucking, compared to a free flow teat where any kind of contact on the nipple part means milk flows. Free flow teats seemed to encourage a poor latch for my two newborns, and the Calma helped to stop that.

Anyway it could be completely useless in your situation, but I thought I'd mentioned it just in case it could be.

[missswiss1234]

To update had a minor success this morning in that she took about 50mls from a Tommy timpee closer to nature with her dad. It took a very long time but we got there Fingers crossed we can keep trying with this and i will be able to get a break the odd time. She also took back her soother this morning after some encouragement.

Hopefully we can keep going with a combo of bf and breastmilk bottles.

Thanks for your help. Now to tackle the next new issue of sudden rash overnight. It is never ending worry isn't it?!