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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

baby doesn't like the bottle!

15 replies

fairy23 · 19/08/2006 21:24

DD is 11 weeks and is BF. for the last 3 weeks I have been trying to get her to drink expressed milk from a bottle and have failed. I have tried Avent, TT, and now with MAM teats she will only take the bottle if I trick her into taking some breastmilk first then swap quickly. She is becoming cleaver and is starting to realise my tricks and soon I feel this will also fail.

I think my reasons for wanting her to take to a bottle are selfish as I want to have a break every now and then, and MIL is putting the pressure on as DD was only 5 Lb 9 oz when born and is now nearly 10 lbs but MIL feels this is still not enough. I feel my milk supply is not enough for her as recently she has been feeding more frequently in the evenings and waking more in the night for feeds.

Does anyone have an thoughts?

OP posts:

magnolia1 · 19/08/2006 21:32

Yes, please don't worry about the weight gain. She has nearly doubled her weight and sounds like she's having a bit of a growth spurt with the evening cluster feeds. My dd4 did this too and wouldn't ever take a bottle. I fed her for a year but it is hard when you need a break.
I found dd4 would use a sippy cup at about 5 months and that helped

MatNanPlus · 19/08/2006 21:33

I would be happy with that weight gain to be honest.

The feeding sounds 'normal'.

Do you feed during the day to a set pattern or does DD feed whenever?

Hope others come along to help you, don't be shy if this post drops of the front page to then post a ''bump''.

MatNanPlus · 19/08/2006 21:34

You could try a doidy cup instead of a bottle Fairy23.

sorrell · 19/08/2006 21:34

Bet your milk is totally fine. She's probably having a growth spurt. she will soon start leaving longer gaps between feeds so you can have that haircut, dinner with dh etc. Ignore MIL - she's beign horrible, even if she doesn't mean to me. Some people say getting somone else to give the EBM in a bottle helps, because if she knows you are there she knows there is a nicer, alternative source of her favourite tipple.

Gingerbear · 19/08/2006 21:37

Well done on feeding your daughter for 11 weeks. When I went back to work after maternity leave, I expressed milk for daytime feeds and fed her myself in the morning before work and in the evening. I think you will have to persevere - here is a success story brest to bottle
My daughter had a 'growth spurt' at around 12 weeks - she had settled into a routine, then same as your DD started needing more. It is hard to know if she is getting 'enough' when you can't measure the milk in a bottle. Your milk supply will adjust to how much she needs. My daughter always was well below the percentile charts for weight - but I didn't care. They are based on weight of formula fed babies, not those who are breastfed.

Original poster

fairy23 · 19/08/2006 21:40

DH doesn't have the heart to try as she starts crying and he then gets stressed. I have tried putting on one of his smelly T-shirts so she doesn't smell the breastmilk on me but DD is too cleaver for that.

OP posts:

laundrylover · 19/08/2006 21:46

Fairy, sounds like you are doing fine and the weight gain sounds great - ignore the MIL and get her to do the washing up instead of criticising.
The bfing will settle again soon and you can just keep trying with the EBM. Soon though she will be going longer periods and you will feel like you are having a break anyway. For now make sure you put your feet up/tellyon/phone a friend or just lie down and snooze whilst she feeds. remember that sometimes they feed frequently to boost your supply to keep up with their growth.

laundrylover · 19/08/2006 21:48

Why not get your MIL to give her the bottle?

Original poster

fairy23 · 19/08/2006 21:56

thanks everyone for reasurance. I will try againg in a few minutes when DD wakes from 3hr nap.

OP posts:

laundrylover · 19/08/2006 22:02

What do you mean a 3 hour nap at 10pm???? I call that going to bed at 7 like a brilliant little baby.

laundrylover · 19/08/2006 22:03

Seriously tho Fairy I would leave the bottle trying for daytime as at night you prob just want to bf her quietly and get her back to sleep eh?

yummummy · 19/08/2006 22:07

I sympathise.. neither of my DDs would take a bottle so I bfed them both for a year.. DD2 took a bottle once she'd gone cold turkey and the only one she would take was the Nuk one with the latex 'nipple'- supposed to be like bfeeding. Give it a try- if you can't find it in shops pharmacy2u.co.uk stock them

kiwikid · 19/08/2006 22:19

We had a very similar story... stessed daddy out when mr man wouldn't take bottle...and we tried lots!!Me feeling like a b$£%h for wanting the break!!! Don't know if you want this kind of suggestion but We got a haberman feeder which is a bottle designed for babies with cleft palate etc. but was recommended by a midwife friend. It is a bit expensive but works for our DS. Best of luck xx

fluffyanimal · 20/08/2006 09:04

Don't worry Fairy, it will work out, and you're not being selfish for wanting a break. We just went through this with 5 mth. ds. We found TT Closer To Nature bottles worked, but only after some perseverence. Getting dh to give the bottle, with ebm in it, helped. I had to leave the room so ds couldn't see me. Took a couple of weeks practice before we cracked it. I have a friend who had the problem too and she found the Nuk bottle with latex teat helped. My tip is to pick one kind of bottle and one kind of formula if you want to use formula, and stick with it - chopping and changing might confuse baby and she needs to know what to expect. keep positive and you'll get there in the end.

mamijacacalys · 22/08/2006 16:04

Agree with fluffyanimal re TT. Have been trying to get my 7-week old DD to take a bottle as am going to best friend's wedding on the weekend and my mum and sister will be babysitting.

Tried with Boots standard bottles as DS took these no problem and he was BF until 14 months but DD would not latch properly to these. TT "Closer to Nature" bottles seem to have worked - (£7-99 for 3 from Mothercare). Says on packaging they are "new" so don't know how long they have been on market - were not around when had DS in 2002.

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