Problems ith bottle and breastfed baby

[kipper31]

Hi
My DD is 17 weeks old and is breastfed, she feeds every 2 hours and has done for the last 5 weeks, previous to that it was 3 or 4 hourly. I am finding it hard to keep up with her and I would like her to take a bottle a day of formula. She refuses to take a bottle and I would like some advice on which bottle / formula to use. Until now I have use Tommy Tippee closer to nature and aptimil. She will take 1 oz but then starts screaming and refusing the bottle. I have used the slow flow teats but she still seems to get milk everywhere. Any advice on bottles etc would be great, as well as how to get her to go longer between BF. She won't take a dummy either, don't know if that makes a difference?

Thanks

you could try using the TT variflow teats as she might find it easier to control the flow with them. They are made for thicker feeds but you can use them for normal milk too. Instead of a hole they have a X and the amount of milk the baby receives is dependant on how hard she suckles.

I cant comment on a recommendation for which milk. We use Aptimil and have never had a problem with it. I have tasted some of the other milks and think that Aptimil is the sweetest of them. I know nutritionally they are much of a muchness but i was surprised by the difference in flavour.

I use breastflow bottles - the suckle motion needed is supposed to be more like breastfeeding and the teats simulate a letdown. Also try having the milk quite warm, breastmilk comes out body temp rather than tepid. Have you tried starting a feed on the breast and then halfway through switching to the bottle so she's relaxed and not hungry/frantic? Or getting someone else to give her the bottle? It's understandable that breastfed babies won't take a bottle from their mothers - she knows the real stuff is right there so won't understand why you're giving her a substitute!

As for spacing out her feeds, I think it's hard with a bf baby as breastmilk is so quickly/easily digested they do genuinely get hungry again quickly. Does she feed two hourly at night too? And does she take both breasts at each feed?

Thank you for your replies. We have tried giving her the bottle at various points and with my husband and mother, but with no sucess. She takes from both sides with each feed and have tried boosting milk production as the HV said, but that didn't ork either. She sleeps through the night, which is probably why she is so hungry during the day ... but when she feeds it is for about 40 minutes. Will give the variflow teats a go and if no sucess with them the breastflow bottles.

so lucky that she is sleeping all night - means she is getting enough! i think of you try to space out feeds she'll just wake up in night to make it up.

I second the Breastflow recommendation - they have to work hard to get the milk out :-)

Mam Ultivent teats are good, fit most wide necked bottles (not tt/nuk tho)