Any miracle ideas to get BF baby to take a bottle...?

[Saritabean]

My DD is currently EBF but failing to gain weight satisfactorily :( . She was born prem at 29+4 and is now 8 weeks corrected. She used to take a bottle no problem, but now is either refusing it outright, or occasionally take 25-30mls, stop for a burp and then refuse more and need topping up by me.

She's also intermittently very very fussy and often refuses to go back to the boob after just having a short first burst, and although seems to want it, just cries, shakes her mouth over it and won't latch on. As a result, feeds are taking longer, I'm getting less sleep, DH can't help by doing a feed, and it sometimes feels like I'm leaving her hungry... My supply has never been an issue, and She doesn't seem to be emptying either boob.

On the bottle front we've tried:
Numerous teats
Disguising the milk with her vitamins/iron which she used to guzzle down no problem..!
Different temperatures
EBM, 2 different formulas
DH always does it do she doesn't smell me
Different feeding positions and swapping sides (to fool her it's the other boob!!!)

But she seems to be one step ahead of us and knows all the tricks !! The one thing we can't really do is to let her go too long, as missing feeds is counterproductive due to her poor weight gain, and she gets so worked up and exhausted :(

Any advice on BF and bottle front most welcome!

how does feeding feel? any pain, have you had anyone watch a hole feed?
What odd the problem with the weight gain? Is it slow or I'd she not gaining?

Have you seem anyone to help you with breastfeeding?
Sorry lots of questions just trying to get a better overall picture.

What if when she comes of you offer the other side. You could also try breast compression when feeding to keep her interested. If she won't stay on has she been checked tounge tie?

Hi MigGril, thank you!

Sometimes it is still a little painful, mainly at letdown which I can feel quite forcefully. My nipples have never cracked or split, and were more sore expressing than they have ever been whilst directly BF. Had tried treating DD and myself for thrush, no change. Doesn't have a tongue tie either.

Have had a few feeds watched, but think I need to have it watched again. Our BF clinic is only once a week and I wonder if there is anywhere else I can go to get support- I will find out tomorrow.

Weight gain is just slow- she is gaining, but 18 weeks old, 8 weeks corrected and only 5lb 12oz. She gains 2-5oz per week roughly. I have just started feeding her from both sides- sometimes she's ok, other times won't accept second side and not had much, and just fusses fusses fusses!! Seems very gripey and has yellowy green poos (not been yellow scrambled egg poos since she was fed EBM via tube or bottle in SCBU)

Just desperate for her to take a bottle sometimes! Off to bed now to try and catch an hour before next feed....!

have you contacted any of the bf helplines?

or is there another bf clinic at a different children's centre nearby?

Fwiw my full term nearly seven pounder gained 1-4 oz a week. The weight is just one part of the assessment, not the be all and end all.

Not used the BF helplines as the support I have had- whilst in hosp and since, I've felt has been good, and at present, BF is not the biggest problem- the biggest problem is my sanity with such sleep deprivation if she won't take a bottle!!!

I will however ring them/seek out something tomorrow as I need something to change

Unashamed bump to try and get some more help!!! :)

I think some more help with the latch, you shouldn't be suffering with cracked nipples. Weight gain is slow but her overall heath is just as an important indicator. lots wet/dirty nappies (at lest 6 wet nappies in 24 hours poo maybe slowing down by now). her having awake alert periods, not sleeping to much.

Getting her feeding more efficiently may help you get more rest. So help with breastfeeding maybe what you need. Also try changing your expressions babies ruin on pure instinct it's easier to modify out behaviour then try to change there. Have you tried feeding lying down, even if your not keen on Co sleeping it would help you get rest during the day.

Thanks MigGril again! I'm going to a BF support group tomorrow and Friday which hopefully will help. Fingers crossed!

sorry still haven't got the hang of this phone yet my words keep coming out wrong and i'm not good at proof reading. hope it made sense.

Yes- understood what you were saying!! :o

Had to go to hospital to see consultant today... Pretty sure she has reflux which is partly why she's not putting on weight well, so continuing the medicine, but main outcome was that we HAVE to try and get DD periwinkle to take a bottle of high calorie formula but how???

Feel like we've pretty much tried all the tricks, and she's a little monkey and know her own mind!!!

Pleeeease can someone come up with a miracle...??!!!!

ok don't panic. If she is completely refusing the bottle there are other ways to get milk into a baby.

Cup feeding, this would be an open cup they lap the milk like a cat would. Can be a bit messy until they get the hang of it, you could try this right now with the lid of a bottle. Syringe feeding to is an option you just get medical syringes. Both these are use for young baby instead of bottles. Another option is a supplemental nursing system, often used with expressed milk or formula. It consists of a bottle and two capillary tubes which can either be attached to your nipples or used to finger feed.

Have you had some more breastfeeding support as well?

I know you seen the consultant and you should always take a medical opinion on board. But has a cows milk protein intolerance been suggested at all? It's defiantly something worth asking about as can cause reflux type systems and poor weight gain.

Have a read hear for more info on reflux kellymom.com/health/baby-health/reflux/

My Dd now 16 weeks refuses all bottles dummies cups syringes and spoons until we used a mam bottle with the bottom off she took 4 oz!!! No other advice but good luck x

DD1 eventually took a bottle from DH while sitting in her bouncy chair facing him. He just chatted to her and sang to distract her.

DD2 would only have NUK latex teats with a L hole. I ended up going out and DH had to let her get really hungry before he tried EBM. Once she had one she was okish. I wanted to stop bf at that point so was motivated to keep trying. This wouldn't help you though as I imagine getting hungry is not an option.

Hope things improve for you.

Had an exhausting w/e here trying to get periwinkle to take a bottle- still refuses it, and with such upset, crying, wind and then often vomit that she has not been feeding great from me either at times :(

We're trying everything with the bottle, even when she's sleep sucking, in the bouncer, once per feed cycle, and stopping as soon as she gets upset, but still not interested in sucking it at all...

Think I'm gonna have to stop trying for a few days, both for my sake, and to settle her down a bit for her to feed better from me so she doesn't start to actually lose weight....

Tried cup feed too without success :(

At least she'll still BF at the moment, and although had a bad/unsettled 24-36hrs, seems to have been catching up again last 12 hrs (after having 3 poos, having not pooed for prior 4 days...!)

I have heard of a system where you put a small tube into their mouth along with your nipple, and pour milk down the tube. La Leche League might also be able to help?

Sounds like some improvement in last 24 hours, is that continuing?

OP I've ebf my son, and when he dropped centiles I just ignored all the hv advice and carried on bf on demand as usual. I know others would say this was dangerous and high handed but his height centile was always around the 90s and he always looked well covered but not chubby. Of course you need to be confident your dc isn't dehydrated and is gaining weight, but babies grow in spurts not according to centile lines in books. Looking at other babies I reslised that my ds is way more active than other babies so may always be slimmer for his height than others who don't wriggle and bounce all day. If you top up with formula your supply will suffer unless you express frequently too. I'd get some professional advice from a lactation consultant if you want to continue bf. you can phone La Leche League or the national breastfeeding helpline for free advice. If baby is latching well and doesn't have tongue tie it would be very unusual that you wouldn't be able to ebf. Good luck

Thinking about it, expressing to increase your supply won't be a good idea if you can't feed the expressed milk to your baby. Also if bottle feeding is causing her to vomit that's also counterproductive isn't it... In your situation I'd definitely just bf on demand as much as possible, lots of skin to skin to encourage more feeding, and get the latch checked by more than one lactation specialist (not midwife or hv, unless they also have lactation qualifications). www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/

ok so she sick after a bottle, I really think cows milk protein intolerance needs to be looked at hear. You may need to go on a dairy and soya free diet.

But your baby is gaining weight even if slowly. They can prescribe dairy free formula to I'd needs be.

Which bottles have you tried? I second the Mam bottle suggestion made earlier.

Thanks everyone! BF been really good again last 24 hrs since more poo! Much more settled in herself again.

Left off trying a bottle today to give it a rest.

Teats tried: original standard teats from the special care unit (the ones she used to take no problem!), tommee tippee close to nature, Philips avent, nuk, mam, nuby and medela...!

At least she's feeding we'll from me again. Will see how weigh in goes on Friday!

Good luck,

No advice, I've only ever seen DD2 drink from a bottle once in her life. She was 5 and had poured her own squash into one she was feeding her doll with.

As a baby she had fallen off the bottom of the dreaded graph, but point blank refused to take any kind of bottle off anyone, even the consultant and the senior nurse.

Fortunately she was older than your DD and at 5 months old would happily get her calories from yoghurt.

She carried on BF long after she started school. Still like yoghurt and ice cream and has never ever drank plain milk.

I'm hesitant to suggest yet another teat after all the ones you've listed, but... we have the same problem with a 7mo and have just invested in some Playtex latex teats. Amazon is full of people saying "Tried everything without success until...."

Haven't tried them yet, because if these don't work then I'm all out of ideas!

Dp had been trying to get ds to take a bottle with little success with different teats and bottles. Ds seems to be the odd one out when it comes to taking bottles as most baby's take it when mums no where close so maybe your baby could be the same?

He will now take a nuby natural flex and the tommee tippee closer to nature the teats look the same to me. The first time he took it I woke him up maybe twenty mins before he usually woke so he was chilled and sleepy not starving. I held him in a cradle hold and put my breast on his cheek but the bottle in his mouth. You could see him trying to latch on which is more then he had ever done before and then he got it.

Since then he hasn't taken a bottle from the start of a feed but we havent been waking him up early for it so his been grumpy from nappy change or hungry. He will take the bottle in between breast

. he starts the feed on breast in cradle hold then after I will swap my nipple for the bottle and after a few seconds he latches on to that. We have tried when he comes of passing him to Dp to start the bottle but he won't have any of it but he is ok to be passed over once his latched on.

We're still not 100% there with him taking it but we're lots better then we were. I've told Dp tonight to take his top of and hold him close to his chest so he is still getting that skin to skin contact as he would
With me then maybe he may take it from him to start.