wont touch a bottle-help/advice please

[beckyboo232]

Hi i have a ds 12 weeks he was born at 28 weeks-all great now :) and he is allergic to formula so i am exclusively bfeeding. He feeds every 2 hours 24/7-thats the routine neo natal kind of set them up in and hes always starving :) I'm doing great but the problem is my dh really wants to do some of the feeds. So have expressed and hes tried to give him a bottle but ds wont even try to suck he just screams and screams, until i feed him we have tried different teats etc. I wouldnt bother as i love bfeeding but its really upsetting for my dh especially as ds wants me all the time, as hes always hungry. Dh thinks hes not doing his fair share, which he is! he gets up when i do most of the time anyway. if not advice any thoughts on how to reassure dh? I tried leaving them alone while i went to the store and dp ended up having to call me back ds was in such a state, the second i appeared he was fine and fed etc -feel bad for dp thanks a mil x

Are you warming the milk up? My LO spits the expressed bottle milk out if it's not exactly the right temperature!

If he can't take formula, expressing and giving ebf means you aren't getting time off from feeding your DS. Since you will have to pump before you can give a feed. A lot of ebf babies hate the bottle. Search on this forum and you will see. In your situation, where it's only for sharing with daddy, my personal experience is don't bother.

Very very soon your LO will be much more aware of the world. He will enjoy rough play with daddy kind of thing. Does your DH do the baths? Thats mine special time with our DD. She also started water babies at 5mo with DH.

There are lots of things babies can do with daddy especially once they grow older. Also they spent less and less time on the breast. And once you start weaning he can share the feeding with the spoon too!

I think I answered your question in an indirect way. Once they become more and more aware, looking after a baby changes from bf constantly to other activities. I mentioned weaning because DD is 8mo and thats what take most time atm, besides entertaining her.

My DS is four months, breast milk only. He started to refuse the bottle two weeks ago, after taking it no problem, three times a week, since week three. My paediatrician advised making bottle-feeding a non-cuddly experience, so DH propped babe up on the changing table, facing directly at him, and administered bottle. DS grabbed bottle with both hands and chugged away :o

Could your DH take over bathing your DS or doing baby massage with him? That way he has his 'thing' and you have yours. He could also still do skin to skin and lots of cuddling when he isn't feeding. Nothing like having a baby sleep on your chest for fostering bonding

After all babies have bonded with their fathers, grandparents, etc for millennia before bottles were developed with out any problems.

DD2 & DD3 didn't take a bottles really (DD3 only had one from when I was in hospital at 6m) they are really Daddy's girls and yet DD1 who was bottle fed by DH when ever he was home for her first 8 weeks (including the every 2 hr bottlefeeds at night will I expressed) is only now at 5 YEARS old being a bit of a Daddy's girl (no one but me will do if she is upset ).

My little girl is17weeks and has refused the bottle since 4weeks so I exclusively bf. We tried all types of teats, tried dummies as a way to learn to suck etc and it became such a stress. Everyone says that you can't give a bottle as baby can smell the milk so Hubby was trying whenhe for home from work, which was ruining the nice hour or two before we put her to bed. In the end the whole thing became such a stress we gave up. Instead, we focused on establishing a good bedtime routine andby 9weeks had her sleeping from 7pm-7am with a 3or4am 20min feed! Meant wehad timetogether, I could chance going out for the evening too (although now into 4month regression!) from 9weeks my husband baths her and massages her himself. He loves it as it's his thing and we definitely think it's how she sleeps so well so he's proud!
When we start weaning she will hopefully take a cup (different way to suck) so he can help feed her then. Breastfeeding doesn't gone on forever so enjoy your special thing!
You could alsontry a doidy cup. My girl will lap her expressed milk from this if he holds it but quite messy and she needs to be calm ie not hungry to do it!!! X

thanks all. Think we are going to leave the issue for now. Dp just feels left out i think - ds is a real mummies boy he wont settle for/cuddle dp yet but i am hoping this will come :)