12 week old won't take a bottle

[Sycamore76]

My 12 week old is ebf and I am struggling to get her to take a bottle of expressed milk . I did try her from a young age a couple of times but gave up when she was diagnosed with refkux and a cows milk protein intollerence. I also have a toddler so I struggle to fit in in during the morning. so far I have tried the medela and dr brown bottles but haven't been successful. Have I left it to late ? I am starting to panic .

Any tips ? I am shattered!

The longer you leave it the harder it gets sometimes (not always, some babies will have no bottled for a long time and take to one fine).

There are some tips:

• Vary the temperature of the milk (hotter than you would expect or colder than you would expect)

• Try different milk - maybe baby is appalled by the idea of breastmilk from anywhere but the boob, but will accept a bottle of formula

• Give bottle when baby is not hungry (seems bizarre, but when the primary focus is accepting the bottle, not feeding, then best done with hunger is not an issue)

• Give bottle when baby is asleep (dreamfeed). Best done just as you go to bed. Lift sleeping baby into cradle hold, place bottle teat in mouth while still half sleep, baby should suck automatically without fully waking up.

• Try someone else giving the bottle, without you being there

• Try holding the baby in breastfeeding position and the bottle in the position of the nipple.

• Try tandem breastfeeding/bottle feeding. ie breastfeed for a few minutes, hip nipple out of mouth and bottle teat in super quick. As soon as baby gets agitated swap back. Once calm, swap back to bottle and so on. This method works well for introducing a dummy for comfort sucking too.

Nuk teats eventually worked for us with two hardcore bottle refusers.
Hole is on top of teat rather than at end so baby uses the same jaw action to pump the milk.

Thank you both , I will try all suggestions. Bit stuck with formula due to her having a cows milk and soya intolerance.

My DD has cows milk intolerance, she is mixed fed and I give her Neocate LCP. It's only available on prescription but if you have a diagnosis, your GP should give it to you.

Kiwiquest - thank you. Does it contain soya at all ? Has your dd always taken it ok ?

DD refused all bottles, all teats, containing all milks, at all temperatures. She was happy from quite a young age to sip ebm out of an open cup. A doidy cup made it easier with less mess/waste. Still a ballache of course, but at least I could go get my roots done.

My ds took bottles when young and then rejected them from about 12 weeks.
We started with a free flow TT supply cup at about 16 weeks and he was ok with it after about a month. It had to be a hard freefliw spout though. Anything soft or with a valve was rejected.

DS point blank refused any kind of bottle until he was about 6 months old, maybe even later. A friend had to delay her return to work as her DD refused a bottle. Some babies just won't take a bottle.

Another vote for the NUK bottles/teats here-the only thing our EBF bottle refusing DD would entertain!

My dd (now 6 months) had the odd bottle early on before becoming a bottle refuser. I tried all sorts of teats and settled on nuk as the best. Hunted down a size 1 as I thought too much was coming out of size 2 (some babies need the opposite, if you have fast let down get a fast flow teat).

Eventually I went out for the day, last feed at 9am. At 1.30 she grudgingly took 1oz. At 3.30 she necked 5oz and I never had a problem again although she doesn't like breast milk from the bottle so only formula.

Thanks all . I have ordered a nuk bottle so fingers crossed !