Baby refusing bottle

[WantAnOrange]

DD is four weeks old and BF is going well. I have been expressing milk and we have offered her a bottle 5 times. She hates it! She screams and cries real tears and stays distressed for quite some time, even after we give up.

I am going back to Uni a day and a half a week, starting next wednesday so we really need to get this sorted. DH will have DD when I'm away.

I also really need a break. I've had the attitude all along that I really want to BF and will work hard at it BUT I can fall back on FF and it wouldnt be the end of the world. Now I feel trapped. I think if DH could take her for the first half the night, or an afternoon I would feel so much better.

We've tried 2 different teats, DH feeds her and I go else where. He's tried holding my tshirt to his chest while he feeds her so she has the comforting smell. I've tried bottle feeding her but she's having none of it.

We have also tried cup feeding and she took it but it's so incredibly time consuming that it is not a long term option (he'll also have 6 yo DS to look after).

As your baby is resistant, here are a few tricks to try:

Try different feeding positions - some babies won't take a bottle in the position they are in when they breastfeed. Some babies like to be fed sitting up with their back to the belly of the person doing the feeding or even prefer to be in a bouncy chair rather than on a lap.
Try different temperatures - maybe the milk is too warm or too cool - vary the temperature and see if that helps.
Try different nipples. Tracey swears by Dr. Brown's bottle system - her babies had a hard time taking a bottle, and this was the one that worked for them. The Playtex nipples work for a lot of babies, as do the Avent, but really, the best nipple is the one your baby accepts. Don't forget - low flow.
Alternate feeding methods
There's no law that says babies have to be fed from bottles. In fact, avoiding bottles reduces the risk that your baby will learn to prefer the bottle.

As you have found your baby is able to drink from a cup - just not like you or I do. They lap up milk from a small cup held so that the milk is at the level of their lower lip. They do get faster at this and will eventually take gulps and swallows.
Babies can drink milk from a spoon - just use the spoon to tip a little at a time into their mouths.
A syringe can be used for feeding - not with a needle! Just the plastic part!! Squeeze a little milk at a time into the corner of your baby's mouth, wait for them to swallow, then squeeze in a little more.
An older child's sippy cup can be used this is what worked with mine who never got the hang of bottles - babies usually have better luck with them without the valve - just tip the milk gently into their mouths, letting them suck it out of the cup. (Tommy Tippee is the one I used with just one hole)

Try not to panic. There are ways to work around this. Most involve some extra work, but all are do-able. And your child is growing all the time and what is a "no go" today may well work tomorrow. You may prefer to leave it to 6 weeks and have another go as this can be a turning point for some babies.

Good luck

oh...whoops missed the urgency as you're due back at college...

as she gets really distressed with the bottles and you don't have much time (assuming they are very low flow teats) maybe try the syringe and the beaker first...both can be easily sterilised and are portable.

Stick with it! The above tips are great! It took me two weeks to get dd to suck from bottle and then would only take a few mil! However I am now on weeks four and she had started to take bottle more often, she sometimes cries then takes! I no everyone says persist(this drove me mad) but it will happen x

Thanks for the tips. She took 1 and half oz yesturday from DH. I stayed upstairs so maybe that helped.

Didn't want to read and run, a week and a half ago I felt the same as you, DS wouldn't take bottle and massive screaming fits followed all our attempts, I felt trapped as I was happy bf but also had always had in back of mind that sh would be able to help with a bottle when this was not the case I felt quite desperate and trapped.
When de hit 4 1/2 weeks all of a sudden he accepted one, like a poster above suggested he was sat upright and not in a bf position thud has worked ever since. He is sometimes grumpy about it but I am trying to give him a bottle a day so he doesn't forget. Also I tried before he was hungry and let him play with the teat then as he got hungry he started to eat.
Good luck, sorry for the babble!

That's reasuring Turnipno1. We didn't offer her one today as we were out all day but will try again tomorrow.

Apparently playing AC/DC at the same time as feeding works [hconfused].

[hgrin]

Will add to my list of possible helps!!!

..hoorah, hoorah, well done for persevering!

She took 2 1/2 oz then the screaming starting again. thats the best so far.

maybe change the track every 2 oz??????

Can dh bring her to campus for feeds during the day ?

Afraid not. He doesn't drive and it's a hour and a half bus journey to get there.

I couldn't get my dd to take a bottle and I tried for around 6 weeks.

Over the weeks I tried numerous bottles and teats, leaving the house and hoping someone else would be successful, different positions...etc etc I read tons of posts and posted here until..

I was given this advice by a night nanny and my problems were solved in a day. I had tried everything. She was a little older and didn't take the bottle for 6 months but it worked and continued to do so.

So she said use Tommee Tippee bottles and teats. She gave me a schedule and I stuck to it which was 7am, 10.30, 2pm, 6pm, 10.30 or thereabouts. When dd wouldn't take the 10.30 am she said wait until 2pm...it worked and we never looked back. I said "but she will be hungry!" she said "look they can go 12 hours through the night so dont worry"...I continued to brestfeed but stuck to these times and mixed bottle and breast. She also said they like the milk really warm. I also gave her a bottle for a week and bf in the morning and at night while expressing and used formula so I could keep expressing without engorging. You might not want to do that.
I needed a routine as I was going back to work and then my Dad died suddenly and my OH needed to look after dd so this turned out to be a lifesaver as he knew exactly what to do and when.
Hope thats helpful..