Help. Bottle ideas for breastfeed baby who's fussy.

[sleepevader]

Tried DD 7 weeks on a bottle on and off over few weeks. Last night went bed- DP had real problems which resulted me getting up to fed.

This morning I managed to get her to take 3oz of freshly pumped milk from a MAM bottle. I made the fatal mistake of taking her off to wind and now she won't go near it. Scream scream scream - offered boob and she was straight on.

Is it worth trying a tommee tipper closer to nature one?
We have also tried an avent one.

She refuses dummies too which is a pain as she likes to suck to sleep sometimes but we are trying to avoid that now she's getting older.

Hi sleepevader - If she's only 7 weeks, it's possible she has nipple confusion.

Are you determined to bottle and breast feed her or could you decrease the expressed bottles and increase breast? Or are you doing it as you're going back to work/letting dh feed etc?

I wouldn't discount dummies either; there is a great amount of hype but tbh, babies like to suck. It's comforting for them and if they are having bottles rather than breast, then sucking a dummy is their way of sucking.

Are you only giving her expressed milk or is it formula? It could be that she just finds breastfeeding nicer/easier than bottle.

My dd took an expressed bottle once (in prep for us going to a 'do' and my parents babysitting) but when the night came, because we didn't continue to bottle feed in between, she refused the bottle and I had to come back early to feed her.

Whilst mixed bottle and breast works for some, for others, it doesn't. It's just trial and error.

Whoops - read the dummy thing incorrectly . At only 7 weeks, she will still be needing to suck for a good while yet but if she won't take one, there's not much you can do. DD had one for a very long time (7 yrs!) and ds spat it out from the word go. Both were breastfed for 18 and 21 months respectively.

How long has she been bottle fed expressed bottles for? I saw you said for a few weeks; if babies are introduced too early (before 4 weeks) to a bottle whilst breastfeeding, that could be a reason why she's fussy. It takes a while for breastfeeding to establish so it may be that if you've mixed fed from birth or a week, for example, she has not settled into knowing whether she is having breast or bottle.

That's not to say I'm judging you because I'm definitely not; it's hard when you have little one and many people do successfully mix feed however, if one method of feeding is mixed with another, then some babies can get confused. Hope you sort it out and yes, perhaps a bottle that's more like the nipple might be good; I've heard that the make you describe are very good.

Hi she had a bottle of formula once at around 2 weeks old in prep for a funeral which i decided not to travel to as she wouldn't take a bottle (very sad about)

She had a bottle of cooled boiled water as gaviscon made her constipated around 4/5 wks.

Last night ebm by partner - refused and fussed.

This morning freshly pumped ebm given by me and first 3oz taken after fussing. Then refused anymore only wanting boob.

Just want partner to be able to do 10pm feed so I can sleep . My poor 4 yo needs an happier mummy!

Hi again - you sound shattered. It is hard with an older child too. In the short term, could you go to bed at 7pm after feeding your dd and then sleep unti lshe feeds again at 10pm? Even if it's for a few days, it'll help you catch up a bit.

So would you rather breast feed totally and not bottle feed at all if you weren't so tired do you think?

we used the Nuk bottle, bought it in boots, works well, give it to my EBF baby for the 10pm feed. HTH and good luck x

What temperature is the milk in the bottle? My DD is 7 weeks too, BF, but having one bottle each day at lunchtime as her weight gain is slow. I find she is much happier about drinking it if the milk is warm, rather than room temperature. Could it be that your milk had cooled down in the time between pumping and feeding?

We're using Momma bottles, btw, the spherical ones with the weighted bottoms like those weebil toys. They have the same teats as avent. I used tommee tippee bottles when I mix fed DS, and he quickly started to prefer bottles to BF. I think maybe the shape is a bit too similar to a breast.

I'm not trying to be mean, but my DS is now nearly 11m and he has never taken a bottle of any shape or make. Not fooled by either EBM or formula or warm or cold. Not convinced whether I've been in the room, hiding upstairs or not in the house. :( We followed every single bit of advice possible (other than just let him scream it out - couldn't do that one) and he was never persuaded.
My DDs did, so was expecting him to too, but it's just never happened. Hope your DD is kinder to you!

I can highly recommend BreastFlow bottles, they were the only ones my ebf baby would take when I went back to work when he was 6 months. They're designed so the baby has to use the same kind of sucking as breast feeding and also help avoid nipple confusion. Only drawback is they leak. I think you have to order them online, I think you can get them via Amazon.

Co-sleeping saved my sanity with my bottle refusenik. He is 2.8 years now and hasn't ever taken a bottle - he started with a cup at around 8 or so months and never had a spouted cup, so there are some benefits. Could you try co-sleeping? We had full nights sleeps from around 8 weeks with co-sleeping, it was lovely.

Could she have just been full after the 3oz? In the Good Old Days when mine took a bottle she only usually had around 80ml (1.5oz ish?) for last feed at night. That was formula though. This was around 8 weeks I think.

Sorry if this is a silly question!

Hello - back with an update and also need advise.

She has taken a bottle since- just the once- I wasn't around.

Was taken to hospital as an emergency. Baby at home- refused bottle.
So stressful - was brought into me after 10 hrs and feed feed feed!

Due back into hospital soon and still she won't take a bottle.

What can I do?!!

Have you tried breastflow or NUK? They are the ones most EBF babies have success with. Avent and TT are both rubbish. If you get the NUK make sure to get the brown latex teat, not the clear silicone. They can be found in boots. Mothercare stocks breastflow.

I also use NUK ones, and did with my twins too for the EBM dream feed. Good luck, I am only (just) coping with the 3 of them because I can get some sleep at least while DH does that feed, so I can sympathise with you wanting to crack that one!

DD refuses to nuk dummies but bottles are going ok so far - she is 7weeks too. Best of luck.

Is there any possibility of her being roomed in with you on Maternity ward or having someone with you during the day to be her 'carer' while you feed her as she needs it?

I've roomed in on Maternity with a 2w baby and had a 6m/9m brought to me for feeds (usually twice a day as the hospital is about 30mins drive from home) and expressed the rest of the time (though I understand why that may not be ideal).

Is your hospital stay likely to be long? Or will it be a day procedure?

Will she take milk from a spoon, or small open cup?

Hi all. Will try those bottles but first am thinking of trying cup feeding.

Partner taking day off work after request for a couple of hours off refused and coming with me and bringing baby.

If need operation have no idea but doubt rooming in possible.