WWYD? Stop expressing milk?

8 replies

NooNooMummy · 30/01/2014 02:23

Should I admit defeat and stick to breastfeeding on demand? Please help!

My 10 week old absolutely refuses bottles or cups of any kind. I've just thrown away my fridge full of expressed milk - it was all more than a week old now - and I don't know whether to express any more. It seems pointless to carry on because we've more or less given up even trying to get her to take a bottle and I just end up throwing away the expressed milk away after it's sat I the fridge fro a week.

I had hoped that I could start having a few hours to myself and for my DH to give a bottle feed but it looks like I need to carry on breastfeeding on demand. When will this end?! I'm fine with it now but I need to go back to work in a few months and I had hoped to have some time during my maternity leave to apply for a new job and/ or start consulting work/ other self-employment. Is there any way that I can do this and still have a happy baby?!

I can't see an end to this and am just hoping that when she starts on solids, she'll be a bit less fussy about taking a cup or bottle too. Is this likely?

OP posts:

Original poster

NooNooMummy · 30/01/2014 02:27

...this is my first baby and I am clueless! We've been trying my LO with bottles for almost a month now...

OP posts:

YomAsalYomBasal · 30/01/2014 02:28

I would carry on trying, but freeze a fair bit of it for later use.

Lydiejo · 30/01/2014 02:49

Freeze the milk, she may come around later. My LO rarely had a bottle, I just loved breast feeding and pumping was a hassle.

isisisis · 30/01/2014 04:57

Are you giving her the bottle? My DD will take a bottle from DH but only if I'm not present. Quite often she'll only have 1oz to start with & then more an hour later when she realises I'm not around.

Poosnu · 30/01/2014 07:21

My DD1 was like this. I must say that I just gave up trying bottles and stopped expressing. I'm not bothering to try it with DD2.

When DD1 was around 7 mo she would take milk in a sippy cup so I could get away for a couple of hours. I started introducing it with water around 6mo with meals, I think.

You don't need to do bottles unless you need or want to leave her. (I could get away in the evenings as DD1 slept brilliantly.)

Laquila · 30/01/2014 09:10

Definitely freeze it. Which kinds of bottles have you tried? She may just surprise you one day, and start drinking from a bottle for no apparent reason.

My son is 21 weeks and had never had a bottle, (apart from two desperate days very early on) as I was terrified that he wouldn't be able to get back on the breast. It's very hard and I really do sympathise.

Original poster

NooNooMummy · 30/01/2014 09:15

Thanks for the responses. Think I'll keep pumping the precious milk and will freeze it so we can use it on her cereal or something.

No matter how hungry she is, she won't take anything but my boobie and it's quite traumatic - she just cries and cries if she's hungry and there's no boobie. I have been out a couple of times without her and come back to a stressed out, traumatised DH and v v upset baby!

OP posts:

Moosekin · 30/01/2014 09:31

We were in same situ with our 12 week old. I have to go up to London in April and DH will be in charge of her for 12hrs plus. Was beside myself she wouldn't take a bottle and same as you was throwing all my expressed milk away. As a last ditch attempt I bought Nuk bottles with latex teat and she took it without a murmur! This was 4 days ago and she has had about 2-3oz every day since from me or DH. Oddly and contrary to pp and other advice I've read, she'd rather have the bottle from me - she even dozes off. But she will take it from DH. Very different to the hysterical screaming thing we've had in last few weeks every time we tried!

Flip