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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Bottle rejector...again!

19 replies

osciemum · 23/01/2006 09:09

I can't believe I'm here again with ds2 who refuses a bottle - had all of this with ds1 who refused until he went full time to nursery when I went back to work. Thought I had it licked this time by giving ds2 bottle from about week 2 - he was never a big fan but did take it 1 - 3 oz a day. Since beginning of Jan its full on battle and screaming and can't even get the bottle near him.

Please, anyone, give me ideas of techniques and equipment that have worked for you - back at work beginning of March and worried about going back with boobs which will go off, as well as poor baby going hungry at nursery.

OP posts:

lazycow · 23/01/2006 15:17

My ds had a bottle a day of EBM from about 4 weeks old until about 16 weeks (I stopped after that as I had done it to get a bit more sleep in the evening and it wasn't working).

Ds took the bottle no problem at first then gradually over a few weeks at each bottle feed he started to take less and less and fuss a lot. (I almost never gave him a bottle always my mum or dh). As the bf was taking less and less time the bottle was taking more until it took about 50 minutes for him to take about 3 oz (also part of the reason I stopped the bottle)

Anyway at about 8 weeks he started to refuse so I just expressed every feed for a full day (I also tried lots of different teats) and my mother persuaded him to take each feed. It wasn't easy but at the end of the day he took a full feed from the bottle. This solved it for a while but as I've already said the situation got worse again and I eventually gave up and just bf from 16 weeks unti he was 10 months old.

I went back to work PT when he was 11 months and he took maybe 2-3oz in the afternoon from a bottle or a cup (he wasn't really keen on either). He drank water OK though. I was giving formula while I was at work (just couldn't face expressing any more as he didn't really drink it and it was soul destroying ) I was happier to throw most of the formula away than ebm

From about 12 months I stopped the afternoon milk and now he just gets milk from me am/eve on work days and maybe 1-2 other feeds on days I am home.

It's weird really as ds was never a really avid bf fan either - but he just hated the bottle.

How old is yor ds? Have you checked that the teat is not too slow? He may be more efficient at getting milk from you and need a faster teat. Also maybe try a beaker/cup with a spout. It may take a while but he should drink some from that.

Sorry I'm not more help, maybe someone else can offer more help.

MAsMummy · 24/01/2006 14:34

Right i know this might sound really mean but it worked for a friend of mine. No matter weather it was ebm or formula and no matter who offered it to her dd she point blank refused a bottle. After about 2 weeks of struggling she asked her hv for advice and she replicated what her sister and i said. She asked what she did if dd refused the bottle and my friend had to admit to giving the breast as she didn't like the idea of dd being hungry. She told my friend to persiver and only offer the bottle each time. After a stand off for about 4 an half hours dd finally took the bottle as she realized it was all that was on offer.
Like i said it might sound cruel but you find it will work!
Hope i didn't babble too much

Original poster

osciemum · 25/01/2006 08:01

thanks both for great advice - got him to take some from a cup yesterday which gave me some confidence, but I am going to perservere with the bottle.

For anyone else reading this who is struggling, I also found a good website ask-nanny.com with some other advice.

OP posts:

ruthydd · 25/01/2006 13:14

Me too - struggling to give my ds2 a bottle - arrrggghh. Just looked at ask-nanny.com breast to bottle page but can't find the advise on "the method". do I have to pay to get her tips ?

Original poster

osciemum · 25/01/2006 13:34

yes it's £5 to download it - which I've done. It's quite good and basically recommends making up 2oz of milk for every feed - try for half and hour whilst distracting them with a toy (no easy feat if your baby is big!) then try and distract them for 10 - 15 mins after stopping trying the bottle before breastfeeding as normal - so they don't associate crying with getting the boob.

She recommends them being hungry but not too hungry! Haven't given it a proper go yet but I'll keep you posted.

Other advice I've had (from a maternity nurse) is to try to give them a bottle whilst they are asleep for the 1030pm feed and get a warm bottle in their mouth before they wake and notice what it is and the theory is they should suck!! Will report in on mine in the morning!

OP posts:

ruthydd · 25/01/2006 14:04

thanks - think I owe you £5. I just tried 2oz of warm expressed milk, he got a couple of drops which he promptly spat out. So 2oz more down the drain!

ruthydd · 26/01/2006 19:06

Toy distraction worked really well! Took about 20mins for him to drink 2oz, but it worked ....allelujah! Thanks Osciemum. Now looking forward to a night out without being called home before the main course arrives. Hope its working for you too ?

Mfer · 03/02/2006 13:44

Ladies - have you succeeded yet?
Look at my previous posts on this subject - the best Breast to bottle I have found is the Playtex system with the latex teat - really soft and skin like - has about 90% success rate. Im BFC but its also recommended by Clare Byam Cook - a real expert!!!! they are hard to get it shops but you can buy from Playtex directly. Their USA site has lots of good info www.playtexbaby.com and also the phone number of their office in the UK 01954 719899. Good luck

ruthydd · 04/02/2006 21:04

No, still struggling .... ds was only fooled once by toy distraction. I have just ordered a playtex bottle & teat ...will report back. Thanks for your help.

Mfer · 07/02/2006 14:42

Good decision - I am sure it will work but do try and get someone else to offer the bottle possibly draping a t-shirt that you have worn previously (smelling of your BM) over their shoulder - worked for me after 3 attempts!!

Mfer · 07/02/2006 14:42

ruthydd · 12/02/2006 19:25

This really isn't working. The playtex system is better than anything else I've tried, in that he will drink the odd 1/2oz under duress. I think it would work if I was planning to give up breastfeeding entirely but I'm not, and he is not going to let me switch between the two. He knows he can just hold out for breast milk.

Not sure where this leaves me. I don't want to give up breastfeeding but I do want

a night out knowing I won't get called home
to give a bottle of formula at bed time in the hope that this will make him sleep longer (he's waking more and more each night now)

in that order.

Role on 6 months when I can give solids. Perhaps things will settle a bit then. My health visitor already suggested introducing solids early on the basis that he's fallen from 50th centile at birth to 9th centile. Silly woman didn't realise that all breastfed babies fall behind after 2-3 months and the curves are all based on bottlefed babies, so I have no intention of going outside WHO guidelines when I have a perfectly healthy 5 month-old.

popsycalindisguise · 12/02/2006 19:27

try the MAM ultivent teat.

DS2 refused the bottle so many times. This is the only one that worked.

Since then I have recommnded it to several other bottle refusers with lots of success

popsycalindisguise · 12/02/2006 19:28

Oh - and when you feed him, stand up holding him upright but facing away from you.
And sing.

Can you see how desperate I also was

Mfer · 13/02/2006 17:26

Ruthydd - are you putting BM or formula into the Nurser? Secondly are you offering the bottle or can you get someone else to?

If you can express BM and get someone else to give it to him - it may work better... also which formula are you using? The closest to bm is aptamil. It really is a battle of wills at this age - I know I had it with my 2nd.
Incidently re WHO guidelines when I had my first child in 1994 these guidelines weren't around - she was exclusively breat fed for 16 weeks but quite frankly was starving - on the advice of HV and motherinlaw (6 children, 14 grandchildren, 2 great grand children) I introduced a bit of baby rice and by 20 weeks a few more interesting things - she loved it put on weight and was then happy to bottle feed - possibly because she wasn't so hungry. Obviously you will do what you feel if best for you baby but WHO guidelines are in and ideal world with a textbook baby...... and we all no 2 babies are alike and whats right for one may not be right for another. Your instinct will tell you if you should be offering baby something more........
PS My eldest is the healthiest child you have come across (touch wood) no allergies rarely sucumbs to anything and has an immune system alot of people would be envious off so early weaning did her no harm at all.......I was reluctant but desperate.

ruthydd · 13/02/2006 17:51

The odd 1/2oz he takes is expressed BM given with the playtex bottle from my husband, whilst my 3.5yr old sings to him, and I'm upstairs in the bath with earplugs in. I've completely given up on formula, and having had my first ever sip of sma to see what the fuss was all about I can't say I blame him - its disgusting! I might try aptamil next laced with calpol

I too weaned my older son at 4 months as per the then guidelines and he has virtually never been ill, but I'm keen to now go with the best current advice - I'm not a medical professional after all.

Good news is that ds2 is settling better in the evenings, so I may just get a night out soon on a wing and a prayer!

Mfer · 15/02/2006 17:43

aaah - well at least you're getting there if only slowly but surely!!! If calpol doesn't work try brandy - joke - but mother in law swore by it!
I have also tasted formula - yuk - aptamil isn;t much better than the sma but as I said it worked for us.
Keep perservering you will get there in the end

ruthydd · 16/02/2006 09:06

Thanks for your help

BibBabBob · 16/02/2006 13:36

Can sympathise. My DS (7 months old) is also a big boob fan and has rejected bottles. However, for the last 2 weeks I've been offering him a bottle (formula- can't be bothered to express only to throw away) at the same time every morning. Some days he has very little but other days he wolfs the whole lot down. Most days he has between 2 and 3oz though spends a lot of time just chewing the teat. I found Nuk latex teats the best. I also find distractions help and often put the TV on whilst attempting to feed him (don't generally have TV on at all).

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