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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

22 weeks trying to phase out bf

27 replies

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 11:56

Ok baby will be 23 weeks in few days actually. I am back to work full time at 26 weeks
Baby has had odd bottle here and there but this past week refusing totally. Spent 2 hours this morning and she barely had half ounce
Help?! (

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mistlethrush · 25/07/2012 11:58

Don't know if it will help, but I fed morning and evening for a long time after I went back to work - and that dropped to just evening for the last 3 months or so when we stopped at about 23 months. Seemed to work fine for both of us.

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 12:05

Thanks yes could so this but will be away from baby 7am to 630pm so she needs to be taking bottles during the day

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Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 12:09

Do I just keep offering bottles all day until she takes them? Will she eventually give up if thirsty? Its breaking my heart seeing her so upset and angry but i can't see an alternative.

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AnitaBlake · 25/07/2012 12:14

I would let your childcare deal with it tbh. Babies are entirely different when away from mummy! I pumped for DD to 14m, and my CM made sure it went in. She never ever took a bottle from me! I was away from her a similar timeframe as you will be. She still (at 20m) attacks me when I get in.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/07/2012 12:19

made I've had 2 bottle refusers so feel your pain. if you search the MN archive you'll probably find lots of threads on bottle refusing with lots of tips. There is some good information on Kellymom too .

Who will be looking after her while you are at work and how have the settling in sessions gone? Will she take a bottle from them?

The current advice is to drop a feed every two weeks to reduce the risk of mastitis, you really don't want to start back to work full time and deal with that, believe me!

Have you dropped a feed yet? Say the mid morning one? Try that this week and see if you can drop the mid afternoon one next. She might just take a bottle whe she is still sleepy from a nap.

mumnosbest · 25/07/2012 12:19

my dd is 25 wks.we struggled to get dd to take any bottle (tried 4 types). finally we tried a tommee tippee beaker and she took it 1st time. i dont go back to work for a while but intend ti bf morning, evening and night and express for beakers during the day.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/07/2012 12:20

x-posted with your last post .

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 12:20

I'm not pumping. Formula. It somehow takes me hours to get not a lot. And I won't be able to pump at work
So u reckon just leave childcare to somehow get the milk into her??

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Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 12:23

Yes trying to drop mid morning one this week. Settling in at nursery starts next week.

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Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 12:23

I will be trying to drop one feed per week. Rather than one every 2 weeks as no time for that.

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/07/2012 12:27

No, I wouldn't just leave nursery to get the milk in to her, more for you peace of mind than anything else.

Have you got someone who can help you out with this. Maybe a friend could offer the midmorning bottle while you leave the room or a parent or DH?

Leave it for today now. Carry on bfing for the rest of the day and try again tomorrow when you've had time to relax and had a read of the information.

Have you thought about speaking to a BFC about returning to work, reducing feeds and your risk of mastitis? Have you got one of the helpline numbers?

mumnosbest · 25/07/2012 13:08

if you are struggling your work is obliged to accomadate bf employees. dont know the ins and outs sorry. my work were talking of a room for bf as there will be 3 of us but i live nearby so hopefully wont need it.

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 13:15

Any advise in formula? Was using aptimil but not sure she likes it...

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Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 13:17

Yeah I know re work however there isn't a room. Only meeting room with glass front.
And tbh that would stress me out more. I work an hour from home so transporting is an issue too.
In reality it's not gonna happen

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ksrwr · 25/07/2012 13:28

i remember thinking the consistency of formula was much thicker than breast milk, so i wonder if watering it down to see if dd will take it then? obviously this isn't a long term solution, but just for a few tastes to get her used to formula?
a friend of mine went straight from bf to a tippee cup, as her dd wouldn't take a bottle, so that may be worth trying
when my dd was being awkward about taking a bottle from other people my mother gave her some on a spoon - very time consuming, but apparently people do do it!
also, are you trying a bottle on her when she's maybe not quite hungry yet? might be worth making sure she's hungry before you try the next one?
or if you dreamfeed at all, maybe try a bottle then, as she might not be awake enough to notice?
just ideas...
i gave my dd one bottle a day from day one as i knew i didn't want to bf for more than a couple of months (due to going back to work) so i didn't have the bottle rejection issue, however, when i started with a bit of fruit/veg mush during weaning she would frequently reject the bottle and skip whole feeds, for some reason it really put her off milk when food started being introduced (at 4 months).

mumnosbest · 25/07/2012 13:33

are you using the right teat? with ds he refused bottles because i was using a 0-3 teat which was too slow at 6 months.

YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 25/07/2012 14:11

I would think about whether you can go out for a morning or something and leave your daughter with someone - her dad, a relative, etc. Many babies will totally refuse bottles when the breast milk is so close they can smell it!

My DD1 never took a bottle with me (and in my case it was expressed milk because I didn't go back to work until she was one, so didn't need it often). But she did it fine for her dad - I had to be physically out of the house though. If I was in another room it didn't work.

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 14:19

Thanks will check teats and maybe try faster one.
Thanks for all advice will try things step by step

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luckysocks · 25/07/2012 16:23

We had terrible trouble with this with DS. It was the teat which did it for us - the fastest one available while he was distracted in front of CBeebies got about 60ml down him, after 6 weeks of blank refusal. After that he gradually took more and more and we never looked back.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/07/2012 18:30

Have you only tried Aptimil made? You might want to get some ready made cartons in of different brands to see if she prefers another one, before shelling out on whole cartons. Not all formulas are the same, but a BFC can advise you on the differences if you wish. Both my DN had Hipp Organic and that seemed fine though .

Are you intending to drop all feeds before returning to work, or will you be keeping the morning and evening ones for now?

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 20:40

Have only tried aptimil so far in cartons. That's what my son had. No such issues with him 5 years ago.
I would like to keep doing night and early morning feeds if poss. But priority is getting her to have formula feeds during day.

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/07/2012 21:27

Think if you are keeping those feeds for now, then it might be a bit easier for you in that you know she won't starve, IYKWIM.

Not sure what happens at nursery regarding formula, do they provide it and if so, which brand do they use?

Hope you have better luck tomorrow .

AnitaBlake · 25/07/2012 21:42

I work an hour from home too. I had a little insulated bag with an ice block in it and it transported fine. Does your building have a first aid room? Turned out ours did, and that's where I would pump. Helped justify the space too.

DD would never take a bottle for me or when I was in the house, can someone (your mum perhaps) take her for a few hours and try instead? To put your mind at rest? Or try a sippy cup?

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 22:22

No first aid room. Small open plan office with small glass fronted meeting room.
Gonna get friend to try give bottle tomorrow.
Also thinking about starting to wean too but is this too much all at once?!

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Original poster

madeindevon2 · 25/07/2012 22:24

Those that pump at work how long does it take?are you away from your desk for several hours a day doing it?

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