Moving to the bottle ... Please help!

[Mummy0786]

Well for two weeks now we have been trying to get our dd to take a bottle, she is 15 weeks old now and has been totally bf so far. Over the past 2 weeks we have tried a few times a day with the bottle, when she is starting to get hungry, when very hungry, when fully awake, when falling asleep! We have tried a few different bottle and teats for a few days at a time to give her time to get use to it, tommy tippee, avent, nuk. We have also tried different milks at different temps like the bottles a few days at a time to see if she will take to it. I have kept carm, I have tried going out so she can't smell my milk but we seem to be getting no where!
Has anyone else had this?
I love breast feeding but need to get dd to take a bottle before I return to work which is a while off yet but want to give her plenty of time x

Oh boy, I feel for you. Been there, done it with DC1. What a nightmare!

I wanted to post to let you know that even if you don't manage to get her onto bottles, the world will not end and she will survive.

That is what happened with my DD (DC1). She flat-out refused the bottle, over and over and over and over again. We tried everything.

So...at just before 6mo I went back to work and handed her over to a nursery four days a week. They persisted with the bottle, she took no more than an ounce at a time and cried lots.

But we all survived. She took a big breastfeed from me in the morning and another big one at night, often in the nursery car park!

At about 9mo she caved, and took full bottles. (at 18mo we then struggled to get her to stop the bottles, but that's another story)

Most babies do "crack" but I did want to post and let you know that, if she doesn't, she won't starve. Don't forget that weaning kicks in and she can start having dairy via yogurts, cheese, etc. Make cheesy mash, cheesy sweet potato mash, cheesy everything...she will be getting her milk that way even if she won't take bottles.

Lastly, please don't let this damage your relationship with her. I really did let my anxiety about it spoil my last few weeks of maternity leave and I regret that very much.

Good luck. And well done for bf'ing this long!

P.S. FWIW my DC2 was made to take one bottle a day from week one. (I still bf him but he can switch between the two, clever boy!) So so so much easier!

When are you going back to work? how long will you be away from her and where will she be?.

Depending on the answers to these weapons you may not need to use bottles at all. so don't panic yet.

I'd also think that switching the type of bottle is confusing for them. pick one stick with it and never offer when she is really hungry as she's less likely to take it. plus getting someone else to do it to, she's unlikely to take a bottle from you.

The only way I was able to get 5 mo DS to take a bottle, after trying everything as you have, was to feed him while he was fast asleep. I knelt next to him after having stuck the bottle in his mouth for what felt like an age until he finally started doing that sucking thing they do whe they're asleep and 7 oz of EBM were gone in 20 minutes. I did this a few more times while he was asleep, then muscle memory must have kicked in while he was awake and he will now take the occasional bottle, although will only take the necessary minimum, preferring to wait for me.

That said, he's also quite good with a Doidy Cup. You'd be amazed at how effective cup feeding a baby is and you may never need to bother with the faff of bottles.

DD is 19 weeks and on bottles a few weeks now after the exact same battles. What worked for us (eventually!) was:

• NUK bottles with latex teats in size small (they come in 0-6mth small, medium and large and the bottles come with medium flow which was too fast at first for DD, and most bottles come with silicone teats so had to buy all new latex ones)

• warm milk (breast/formula) for first week

• sleepy baby so just waking up usually

• giving up breastfeeding - had been trying with 1 bottle a day when we found the NUK ones and was taking a bit alright but only got the real hang of it when I moved her onto all bottles during the day. Even then she took very little & fed all night so had to night wean too which was a shame as I had hoped to keep that up.

Thanks everyone, I go back work in January and she is going to be with my mil. I will try just sticking to the most successfully which seems to an avent bottle with aptimil in it, when I say successful I mean maybe 10mils taken at most he he!

I am in your boat exactly. Back to work January and sorting out breast feeding/bottle feeding. I have stuck to one bottle & just offer the same feed after bath. Tooks weeks but she would take a little, scream loads and generally fidget. Now she will take 4-6ounces. It has been hard but now she is taking it, will introduce another feed. She is so different to DS who took first bottle I ever put in mouth and would happily switch between breast and bottle! Fingers crossed!