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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish that, after 4 months...

10 replies

CustardLover · 16/11/2013 20:47

Of battling to establish breastfeeding, DS2 would take a fecking bottle?

Well tbf he does take it if he's been on the boob first and I then do a quick nipple swap. It's just so frustrating as it means that nobody else can do bedtime (if my boob isn't there to go in his mouth first then he just screams the house down and WILL NOT take the bottle, doesn't matter what's in it) so I'm fearful about going out of an evening, I have to do all night feeds (currently they can vary from twice to four times after midnight) and I need to go back to work in January (he'll be 6 months) and have no idea how we're going to do it.

And I longed and longed for BFing to work after I couldn't do it with ds1. I tried so hard but didn't realise I should be so careful what I wish for. Obviously I'm very glad I have been able to but I just wish he would also TAKE A FUCKING BOTTLE. But I feel very very guilty about wishing that.

Apologies for any random syntax or other linguistic abnormalities in this post. I'm very tired.

OP posts:
MammaTJ · 16/11/2013 20:51

Don't stress to much, he will be two months older by the time you go back to work.

I wish I had been as succesful as you with breast feeding.

Maybe he will take a beaker better than a bottle. Have you tried that?

RubyrooUK · 16/11/2013 20:55

I've had two bottle refusers, Custard. And it is a pain (even though I very much love breastfeeding).

I went back to work after DS2 (now just turned eight months) at six months and he didn't take a bottle. He took a bit of solids but no bottle.

Anyway, after two months of trying at nursery, he will now take a small bottle of expressed milk (would not touch formula at all) once a day. This is an improvement on DS1 who NEVER took a bottle.

Anyway, it means that when I have to work nights, it's not quite as stressful as I know DS2 can take a bottle of expressed milk. However, this doesn't help when I'm around as I'm way too lazy and tired to express when I can feed instead. But it is something.

So what I'm trying to say is: don't panic yet. Keep trying bottles with expressed milk and hopefully someone else will have more useful advice soon.

happydaze77 · 16/11/2013 20:59

Op, I sympathise. Dd was just like this from about 8 weeks. We gave up for a while and retried when she was about 6 months old and it just worked! I've often wondered whether it had anything to do with the fact that he had started solids and so was used to other ways of feeding, if that makes sense?
I'm not encouraging introducing solids early though,I just thought it may give you some hope for the next feww weeks, when you go back to work.

Original poster
CustardLover · 16/11/2013 21:40

Thank you. It's helpful to hear stories of hope (and even not of hope but just of those who've come out the other side!). I doubt I'll wean early but god I am looking forward to that six month marker!

I just wish men could also lactate.

OP posts:
mumofweeboys · 16/11/2013 22:05

Hi

Mine bf boy clicked one night, during a late night feed. He was half asleep, I used a breast flow bottle with breast milk in it and bobs your uncle. Prior to that we had screaming fits. After he got used to breastflow bottles I swapped to doc brown. I give one bottle a day now (6 months old) to try and push him through the night a bit more (lives in hope though)

Shallistopnow · 16/11/2013 22:14

What is the '6 month marker'? You can still bf morning and night when you've returned to work. He obviously loves the stuff which is great! You should be proud.

Original poster
CustardLover · 16/11/2013 22:38

I'm not not proud. I'm delighted that we've managed to make it work this time. I'm just tired. I wish my husband, or someone else, could do the bedtime or night feeds occasionally for instance. Anyway, thanks for the tips - I used Doc Brown bottles with my first and am using Avent this time around so perhaps I should try a swap - good idea, thank you.

OP posts:
Mosschopz · 17/11/2013 07:25

We tried ALL of these suggestions but to no avail and I wanted my DS to be established on the bottle before I returned to work at 8 months. In the end, I was knackered and desperate when he hit 6 months so we just forced the issue. I just stopped breastfeeding him on the Monday, drafted in lots of support and by Wednesday he was using the bottle happily and drinking well. We used a cup, spoon, syringe to get milk into him every time he refused the bottle. Tough couple of days but I couldn't keep doing 4+ feeds a night. We were a much happier family after that.

ShoeJunkie · 17/11/2013 07:29

While DS was always totally hit and miss with a bottle of ebm at home from DH it turned out he was more than happy with a bottle/cup of formula at the childminder. He was about 11 months by this point.

RandomMess · 17/11/2013 07:35

Does he fall asleep on the boob? If so then perhaps wake him before putting him to bed?

Really tricky one, I had to do the nipple swap thing for about a month until my dd would have a bottle from the start of the feed.

Keep trying?

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