Need help convincing DD to bottle feed!

[Firsttimmemummy]

Hello all!

I have a 3 month old DD who I currently BF. However I need to have all 4 wisdom teeth out under GA and have been told as I will be on a course of antibiotics after this I need to formula feed her for 5 days solid! I was just going to try and express enough milk to cover this time period but to be honest I don't think I'm capable of doing this, and besides she's never been fed from a bottle before and I don't think she understands what to do. I would like to combined feed her so she gets used to it for a bit but she just won't take anything from any bottle and screams until I give up and breastfeed her. Any ideas? Bottle wise, I have tried: Tommy Tippee Closer to Nature, Mimijumi, MAM, Dr Browns, plus a MAM sippy cup, all with no success!

First super apologies this isn't answer ring you but are you sure you can't breastfeed? This fact sheet says the two most common antibiotics are absolutely fine to feed on?

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/dibm/Dental_Treatment_and_Breastfeeding_March_2009.pdf

Only if you did want to continue of course

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/dibm/Dental_Treatment_and_Breastfeeding_March_2009.pdf

Hiya, yes it was the Doctor/dentist at my hospital that told me I would have to formula feed due to the antibiotics I'll be on. I'm allergic to penicillin anyway so maybe that affects things? It would be good to get her bottle feeding at least occasionally anyway to be absolutely honest, at the moment I can't let anyone babysit her as she'd starve!

Have you tried a baby beak? Or would that not work for a 3 month old?

Are you sure you want to ff for five days? You will need to express during this time to maintain supply and for your own comfort and health.

The advice to ff for 5 days sounds extraordinary, but it would be by no means the first time people have been given duff advice on meds and bf by people who should know better.

Decide what you would prefer to do, and do share the Breastfeeding Network's info with the HCPs - antibiotics hardly ever mean you have to ff, and there is almost always an alternative. You also need to ask what the effect on your baby might be if you take the antibiotics, and then decide for yourself.

Hope it all goes well.

Thanks, all. Yes, I intend to express while I am FF so I can go back to FF. What is a baby beak, please? Hoping it is something I haven't tried and not a sippy cup :-)

I meant go back to BF obviously! :-)

Do you know what antibiotics you are going to be taking? I think that a call to the BfN drugs in breastmilk helpline would be in order as there are almost certainly antibiotics you can take and continue breastfeeding.

I've no idea, I don't think I'll find out until the surgery, but it's certainly something I'll look into as I think she needs the comfort of a nighttime feed if nothing else. However wisdom teeth aside I could do with the freedom of being able to let someone else feed her - is this now an unattainable dream?

Seconding/thirding/whatevering the checking about the antibiotic - call them in advance if you need to rather than not knowing and to give them time to come up with an alternative if necessary. I've been on about a gazillion antibiotics while breastfeeding (hoorah for my pregnancy-induced asthma making me really susceptible to chest infections for about a year postpartum), including several non-penicillin ones, and they've all been safe for BF. My GP checks this sheet, which as you can see lists loads of safe ones - I think the only ones not recommended are some of the super scary ones used for MRSA.

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/dibm/antibiotics_and_Breastfeeding_oct_2013-%20wj.pdf

That's really useful, thanks for your help, Leedy. I'll take that sheet with me when they prescribe me the antibiotics. I usually have Metronidazole for my teeth (due to the penicillin allergy) so I'll ask them if they can prescribe me something else. Still need help getting her to bottlefeed for the odd occasion she needs to be babysat though - should I just give up on that idea or is it a question of persevering?

I think even metronidazole is safe, there may be an issue with it changing the colour/taste of your milk but the factsheet seemed to suggest it might not be a problem. See if one of the others is suitable, though.

My DS2 rejected all bottles but got the hang of a Doidy cup around 4.5 months, btw.

OK I guess I'll just have to wait until she's ready then! Thanks.

In my opinion get your DD use to with bottle and formula now. It's going to be even harder later. My now 10 m DD is refusing to have any formula and don't drink from a bottle and Im having really hard time leaving her with anyone coz only way she has breast milk is from the breast

Have you spoken to the Infant Feeding Specialist at your local hospital? She might be able to help.

OP, I was on metronidazole straight after my c-section and it was fine.

Never heard of an Infant Feeding Specialist to be honest! Loads of breastfeeding support when I had her, but I was lucky enough not to have had any trouble on that side of things and assumed I would be fine to just express milk if I needed to leave her with anyone. Guess I was wrong!! I will ask at my local children's centre.

She'll work in the local hospital. Part of her role is support bf mums who need NHS procedures. You're best bet would be to phone the unit where you gave birth.

A baby beak is a little plastic cup kind of thing that the baby can sip milk out of, I was given them when I had ds. It's to avoid nipple confusion, as I had to express as he didn't really catch on with breast feeding till 2 weeks.
I used it initially. I googled it to see of I could get a photo or a link but can't find it. It only holds about 30 mls.
I just chucked them out or I would have sent them for you to try.

Leedy mentioned a doidy cup earlier, is that the same as a baby beak?:

www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_2507_10751_-1_46677_174637_10001_?gclid=COCIn7iwrrwCFSYTwwod7CYANA&gclsrc=aw.ds

I was on an antibiotic cocktail of cefalexin and metronidazole for postpartum infections and was told by the doctors and midwives that I could safely continue to bf. metronidazole tablets taste horribly bitter so I can well believe that they might affect the taste of the milk, but DD didn't seem to notice.

I've looked at a doidy cup looks nothing like the beak. The beak when you turn it upside down looks like a birds head with a beak. I was given them by the woman who came in to discuss breastfeeding with me. You might get a couple at the hospital, but I can't find anywhere to buy them.

Would that be a bit like a 'camo cup' yellow?

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B006TWO0AE/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

That looks like the same idea but bigger, the beak is presumable for teeny babies as it can fit in the palm of your hand. Didn't realised there was so many options, obviously a lot of fussy babies out there.
I feel lucky ds didn't care how he got fed as long as it arrived in a timely manner.

Thanks all DD was giving me evils just looking at the sippy cup after a while, I think I will have another go with the bottles (or get someone else to, anyway) and try out these beakers/cups if not.