Any more advice on introducing a bottle?

[redspottedfrog]

My DS is 20 weeks and we started to try and introduce a bottle of ebm last week. At the moment it's going down like the proverbial lead balloon!

I started a thread a few weeks ago, and got some advice from Iggly (thanks!) which I'm following. We're trying him with the bottle in the middle of the day, when he's not too hungry. DH is giving it and I'm staying away. I've tried a few different bottles. Today we tried the NUK one for the first time. He relectantly took about 20ml, but that's the most he's taken so far.

He doesn't like it cold, and we've got problems in that he takes sooooo long to drink it it then goes cold and we have to heat up some more.

Also, how do people heat up their expressed milk. I know we shouldn't, but we've been using the microwave.

I've got 17 days until a night out where I'll be leaving him for about 4 hours (obviously if it doesn't work I'm not going). When I do go out I'll be about 1hour away.

Am I going to make it?!

If you are not at home when you are on your night out, then he will ultimately have no choice but to take the EBM if one was looking at the situation harshly.

At 20 weeks, he's old enough to go without milk for 4 hours and if he's starving, then your DH will be there with a bottle. Relax. He'll be fine. Enjoy your night out

I also use nuk teats, one of my twins was a bottle refuser but will drink from these and several of my friends have used them for bottlerefusers. They are supposed to be best for combining with breastfeeding too. Perservere every day and hopefully eventually you will succeed with it.

To answer your question on heating, I use a jug of boiled water.
I believe you can reheat ebm once before discarding according to
kellymom , so just reheat (once) when it gets cold. Also maybe prepare smaller quamtities in seperate bottles so as not to waste it.

Thanks ladies. Unfortunately my DH will be with me. A much trusted family member is looking after DS. I'm sure she'll be able to cope, but I'll feel awful for her and DS if he's hysterical all night. I'm not expecting him to be in bed when we get home, I just want him to be reasonably content with some milk and lots of cuddles from auntie!

Ds2 refused the bottle for months! I tried every bottle going - Breastflow, Nuk, Playtex (silicon and latex, regular and orthodontic teats), Medula etc. You name it, I spent a fortune. He eventually accepted......Tesco Value latex teats, 80 pence per pack!!! Keep persevering but for your impending night out I would recommend getting a 5 or 10 ml syringe like you use for administering medicine (from pharmacist) just so your sitter has a back-up plan and can drip milk in slowly if she needs to. At the very least this might help you relax and enjoy your night out. He'll be fine, I promise!

Oh, and I meant to say if you can't get a syringe, most babies can take milk slowly from a spoon.

Ditto mummyinamuddle our dd eventually took the original avent bottle which was my breast pump bottle (this was after we spent a fortune on bottles!)

I think I may have briefly read your previous post, but can't remember what tips you've been given. Here's my pennies worth:

• milk warmer than 'normal'
• sit baby in different position to how you nurse (like sitting up, lying down on the floor - something completely different)
• dh or someone other than you to try every feed. But don't push for too long (we stopped as soon as she got upset)
• dh to try spoon feeding milk then bottle feeding (in theory teat is nicer than a spoon )
• try different feeding methods when ds is not necessarily hungry (in between feeds)
• try different bottles but lend them off other mummy friends or hit eBay! I've just sold my surpluss last week, Inc a medela one (only got £5 for it and it cost me £16 )
• try cup feeding (they lap it up like a cat)

My dp just says keep trying; we had a deadline too for me to have an operation. It was literally the day before at 5pm dd took it and he'd persevered for the best part of 4 weeks. Dp was going to cup or spoon feed her if she didn't take it. I still fed her on the hospital carpark at 6.45am

I'm not going to tell you not to worry or that "he'll be fine, he'll take it if he's hungry" as that's all I bloody heard! You know your own child, so instead I wish you all the best