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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Refusing to take a bottle

43 replies

motherofeve · 19/11/2005 22:23

Help please! My 19 week dd is refusing to take a bottle and I'm really in need of a break. Have tried NUK bottles which she quite happily chews but shows no interest in suckling. Really don't want to starve her into it - any advice please?

OP posts:

ButtonMoon · 19/11/2005 22:33

try a doidy cup...friends who tried every teat on the market swore ny these...allow babay to lap at milk as this is what bfed babies do naturally. Buy form bickiepegs website

Original poster

motherofeve · 19/11/2005 22:40

Thanks ButtonMoon, will give it a go! x

OP posts:

edam · 19/11/2005 22:42

Have posted this before, but in case it helps you, will repeat it.

My dh's brainwave was to wrap a bra I'd worn when feeding ds round the bottle. Seemed to convince ds that it was milk in an 'ah, Bisto!' kind of moment. You do need someone else to give them their first bottle though, if mummy is there smelling of milk they are going to want the original and best. Once they realise bottles are OK, they will take them from you too.

matnanplus · 19/11/2005 22:42

MAM ULTIvent teats from boots/toys r us, fit most wide necked bottles.

Original poster

motherofeve · 19/11/2005 22:52

Thanks all, have just ordered a doidy cup, will try the MAM and I love the bra idea. Appreciate it folks.

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 20/11/2005 13:44

I found MAM good, but then he later rejected them too! He now drinks from Playtex bottles

aelita · 21/11/2005 21:24

My DS refused a bottle from 8 weeks onwards, from self or DH. The first time he was with the childminder (at about 16 weeks) I was terrified he'd take no food, but he happily gulped down a full bottle from her. Has a 'neutral' person tried bottle-feeding your DD?

That said, the bra idea sounds good - might try that if I have the same problem with number 2 when she arrives!

Original poster

motherofeve · 21/11/2005 21:27

Both dh and mother have tried, with me in the room, outside the room, talking, silent, hiding etc. Still resoluting refusing. Waiting for all my internet orders to arrive to try ......

OP posts:

Original poster

motherofeve · 21/11/2005 21:27

Both dh and mother have tried, with me in the room, outside the room, talking, silent, hiding etc. Still resoluting refusing. Waiting for all my internet orders to arrive to try ......

OP posts:

alux · 22/11/2005 02:45

next time dh tries, go out of the house at least an hr before. let him try when she is hungry but not chewy. milk at body temp. don't know if it will help but it is what I've seen recommended.

Em32 · 22/11/2005 12:12

I've got the same problem (didn't learn from first time around) First time, ds was forced into it - the Nuk nuby teats eventually did the trick - as he wasn't gaining weight. This time I'm holding off going through that hell until I have to. I'm interested to see how you get on with the doidy cup. Dd is 12 weeks at the moment - going back to work when she's about 8 months....

beatie · 22/11/2005 14:01

I had a similar problem a few weeks ago so hunted down the MAM ultivent teat, thanks to recommendations of others on MN. It worked for us. Make sure the milk is nice and warm too.

fells · 24/11/2005 18:33

Motherofeve, have you tried the doidy cup yet?

I understand completely what you are going through. My 17 week old is refusing the bottle too and has done for the last 5 weeks. I'm desperate for a break too. I just feel I can't do anything or go anywhere without her and really starting to resent it.

Button moon, could someone lese give my dd an entire feed in my absence from a doidy cup?

lullabelle · 25/11/2005 09:33

I am going through same problem. My five and a half month old girl won't even sniff at any of the bottles we've tried (avent, nuk, playtex, boots) so I have now ordered some ridiculous boob shaped bottles from america on a reccommendation from my friend who went through the same thing. But then she subsequently had a problem getting her off the boob bottles onto ordinary ones... Personally I'm quite looking forward to getting my fake boobs out in public!

We even nicknamed my child Booby she's so obsessed with my breasts. ha ndy really as she's actually called Ruby and it rhymes.

Em32 · 25/11/2005 13:15

My toddler likes the doidy cup anyway so even if dd doesn't he thinks it is marvellous (even though it is bright pink and sparkly)

fells · 25/11/2005 17:05

Lullabelle, let us know if your American bottles work! I'd try / pay anything!

Twitchet · 25/11/2005 23:56

You've probably already tried this and I'm only halfway through but .. I had the same problem and so am trying roomtemp/warmn water in an avent variable flow. Someone suggested water first so DS is used to new milk vehicle and then ebm so it's just new liquid not new everything. After three days he's now taking the water ... and even seems to quite enjoy it.

Original poster

motherofeve · 26/11/2005 21:08

Thanks for all your support and postings. Have now tried the NUK and Mam, with bra wrapped around and failed miserably .....

Love to hear whether the yank bottles work for you Lullabelle

Doidy cup arrived this morning, so that's tomorrows job ..... along with water maybe

;)

OP posts:

Original poster

motherofeve · 28/11/2005 11:57

Well the doidy cup was a success of sorts, we managed to get a resonable amount of ebm into her, but also all over her clothes, the sofa and the dh. She also took a lot of wind in which caused probelms later.

Not quite sure of where to go next, it does mean she won't starve to death but not sure how practical as a long term solutions.

Help!

OP posts:

fells · 28/11/2005 18:29

Motherofeve, in exactly the same position as you. Tried mam and Nuk teats, tried the bra around bottle, all failed miserably. I bought a doidy cup in John Lewis yesterday so that is tomorrow's project!

Do you reckon it could be used by someone slse to feed your dd while you are out for an evening as an occasional thing?

Original poster

motherofeve · 29/11/2005 11:47

Hi Fells. How did you get on?

I think it will help for a desperate night out, but I need to go back to work in January and want to wind down the breast feeding and I can't see that the cup is the answer .....

Lullabelle - any news on your American fake boobs? Can you let us have the name - don't think 'American fake boobs' is going to get me the right result on a search engine .

OP posts:

Elf1981 · 29/11/2005 18:29

At two weeks we fed our DD expressed milk out of a bottle because she wouldn't latch on (much to the annoyance of our HV and midwife who told us not to as to avoid confusion)
Got the hang of breastfeeding and she had a couple of expressed bottles, no probs.
Last week (seven weeks old) fed her some cooled boiled water out of a bottle for constipation. Wish I hadn't as now she wont take a bottle at all!!!
Me and DH are going out together in about three weeks for his birthday. A bit concerned that DD wont take milk from my parents as they're looking after her, so I'm reading this thread with interest!

vess · 29/11/2005 19:39

In my experience nothing helps but leaving the baby with somebody else regularly for a few days at least - for a good few hours at a time. And I mean leaving the house, not just hanging around in the background. Worked for ds at 6 months. Buying various shapes of teats proved pointless (who are you kidding?) as they know full well that bottle is NOT breast. And they don't want it not because they find it difficult to suck from it, but (I guess), because it's rubbery, chewy and it just doesn't feel right. Sucking from a bottle is actually really easy - if they can be persuaded to give it a try.

Kabsy · 30/11/2005 06:31

Sorry this is a bit late on in the thread but I wanted to just to say your expreriences sound just like mine. DD had the bottle no problem(much to the annoyance of the midwife) a few times in the early days as my milk took ages to arrive. My plan was to stop breast feeding at 3 months. Would she have it? No, not in any way shape or form, tried cups, teats, expressed milk, the lot. In the end I gave up until she was about 8 months and all of a sudden she gulped it back no probs. Nuk was my winner. Hope you don't have to wait as long as me

OzJo · 30/11/2005 08:53

Much sympathy, I had a fairly brief, but traumatic time getting ds to take a bottle at 3 months. He just wasn't interested to start with, so we'd wait till he was definately hungry and his dad would give him the bottle, same time every day. It was often messy, not alot actually going in, and he just wouldn't take one off me. We just stuck to Dp feeding him the bottles for a couple of weeks for that one feed a day, then once he seemed to be actually drinking more, increased it to 2 of the feeds, and it seemed to click.
It's really hard because your anxiety levels hit the roof when they don't feed properly, but at the same time you're desperate for some of your life back. I got so much conflicting advice it wasn't funny. So lots of sympathy, and I hope something you try does the trick.

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