Baby refusing bottle

[LizzyPease]

Hi

I wonder if someone can help? My 12 week old baby has had one bottle of formula every evening since she was 4 weeks old, she also sometimes has a bottle of expressed milk and has always taken these fine, but in the past few days she has started to totally refuse the bottle both from my husband and from me (strangely she has always taken the bottle better from me than from him which I think is a bit unusual because of my milk association etc).

Has anybody else had this problem and is there any advice as I am terrified that she wont take the bottle anymore and I'll never be able to leave her again?!

thanks
Liz

Yes my DS did this. I think BF babies often decide that they really just prefer the boob! We tried lots of different bottles, the only one he really accepted was the NUK bottle, and this was the same for a couple of other people i know. I think maybe it is a more natural shape.

Don't worry about leaving her. If you are there and she knows the boob is an option she will likely be reluctant. But if you're not, she won't let herself go hungry, they usually take a bottle as a last resort!

My DD did the same around 4 months of age. I think this is when they learn to have more control over the eating process and can therefore be more selective. NUK latex teats were the only ones she every even conteplated, and even then she only had about a couple of oz at a time. I had a freezer bursting at the seams with EBM and it nearly all went down the sink!

The other thing to check is whether your EBM tastes a bit 'soapy' - sometimes this happens when you express and store and is due to high lipase levels IIRC. You can get rid of the funny taste by kind of scorching the BM in a pan, but it's a hassle.

My little one also refused the bottle at 4 months. She has always taken breast and EBM from birth, why refuse the bottle now? She had always been happy on Tommy Tipees. I have tried a faster flowing teat and a different make of bottle. Others try to feed her and I stay out of the room. She's not having any of it. I think I am going to have to donate the milk in the freezer and start expressing small quantities to mix with baby rice as she will wean soon.

I don't let this impact on my life, but right now, it does mean that my boobs can not be more than three hours away from her.

Fingers crossed that a cup will work.

All advice welcome.

Im afraid my DD was the same, tried everything at 3- 4 months ish. Decided to stop worrying and give it a few weeks. We're now on 5.5 months and going to try again, but might go straight to a cup.

Good luck.

DD is the same. Was happily taking EBM from daddy once or twice a week until 8 weeks and then just stopped. We have tried every type if bottle (at a cost of approx £100) and every type of cup but still no success. She is now 22 weeks and we are still trying every now and again because my husband still believes that she will come round, but to be honest I don't hold out any hope these days. We have lost money on nights out that we had planned (concert tickets) and I have missed my best friends Hen night, I will also miss their wedding. In the beginning I was really panicked by being this trapped but it's actually been ok. It's annoying but only a year out of your life. Keep telling yourself that it's not forever.

Sorry to not be able to give you a solution! But if you find one share it with the rest of us. ;)

That sounds really negative, and I didn't mean it to. I was just trying to say that it won't be as bad as you think it will.