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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

14 weeks breastfed baby and bottle nightmare

15 replies

Frenchie84 · 13/03/2015 10:38

Our little man is 14 weeks, going on 15 and has been essentially breastfed since out of hospital at 2 weeks old.
We're trying to give him bottle of either expressed milk or formula but haven't managed more than 50ml so far Hmm
After a while and so much screaming, we will often give up and revert to the breast. However, I see my return to work in 2 1/2 months looming away and both his daddy and I would love him to be able to drink from bottle when he starts nursery.
Has any mum (or dad) got a magical trick up their sleeves? Ideal time of day to train him to bottle feed? Best person to give it? Best position? Advice on bottle? Any help will be welcome!

OP posts:
bf1000 · 13/03/2015 12:39

You may find a sippy cup better at 6months and not to bother with bottles if baby wont take them.

I found that baby wouldn't take a bottle from me or if I was in the house, but would take a bottle from dad or grandparents if I was away for a length of time.

try warming the teat of the bottle slightly.

Good luck

JiltedJohnsJulie · 15/03/2015 22:21

Agree, things can change so much in 2.5 weeks plus you may never need bottles.

Give one of the Bfing Helplines a call. A BFC will be able to help you come up with a returning to work plan Smile

CelticPromise · 15/03/2015 22:24

Good idea to go to a bf group or ring one of the lines. Also 50ml is really a reasonable amount. What happens if you leave it there and wait for baby to demand again?

pookamoo · 15/03/2015 22:32

I had similar with DD1, and the best advice I was given on the topic was not to let my last few weeks of maternity leave be spoiled by worrying about what would happen re bottles when I was at work.

The person who was advising me said that the people who would be looking after DD are professionals (nursery staff) and very used to this. She went on a cup when she was with them (with formula as refused ebm from the cup), and then I breastfed her when I was with her. She just somehow worked out the difference between home and nursery.

Enjoy the 2.5 months (which is a long time for a baby) with your little one.

A BF support group will hopefully be able to help. Good luck!

hartmel · 16/03/2015 05:46

I had the same problem with dd. so I bought a different type of bottle where the nipple was shaped like a breast.. And she took the bottle with no problem..
I tried 3 different kind of bottles

Good luck

SummerDreams13 · 16/03/2015 06:48

I second Hartmel - have a 5 month old and wanted her to have expressed bm in bottle. We tried 5 bottles, 4 positions and 3 people - nothing worked! It was so dispiriting...tried a MAM bottle which has a noticeably different teat to the others and that, along with heating the milk quite a lot (crucial in our case) meant she'd take from it. I wouldn't say she's keen and if I'm around, I still get a certain look, but she will drink it! Good luck, I know how frustrating it is!

FishWithABicycle · 16/03/2015 07:10

I agree that sippy-cups may be possible at 6 months. Also doidy cups.

But for now - when you try to give your baby a bottle is he in exactly the same kind of position as he is when he takes breastmilk. If he's only really known drinking milk lying on his side cuddled close, and bottles are offered to him with him on his back and held more loosely, then that might explain it?
I was only able to get mine to take a bottle by putting the bottle in my armpit with the bottle teat close to my nipple so that I could use the same holding position. After the bottle had been accepted that way for a few days I was gradually able to move to a more comfortable (for me) hold - but he has to get used to a new concept and babies take a while to do that.

evertonmint · 16/03/2015 07:57

50ml is good, really. You're doing well! The guide on a formula packet is for fully ff babies so ignore that - some of the good bf-focussed advice I've seen says a bf baby would rarely take more than 4oz from a bottle. My 9mo takes 3oz if I'm away from him, rarely more than that.

Also 2.5 months is nearly double the age he is now so a lot will change. Keep going as you are doing and see if he settles into it. My younger 2 took a while with bottles - DD never really did tbh and a soppy cup was better for her at about 6m but DS is happy with it now, took about 2m to reliably take a bottle whenever and wherever. Didn't start until he was 6m - tried before but then made a proper effort at 6m.

Original poster
Frenchie84 · 16/03/2015 22:15

Hi all,
Thanks for all your advice. I will pop in to my local baby café and try to get advice from them. It won't hopefully be a breast is best extremist who will tell me off for wanting my life back!
Regarding position, it's true that position I have tried with bottle is different than when on breast. I once tricked him by replacing nipple by bottle teat and he took some from it. I will try a squizzing bottle in armpit and see...
If all fails, I trust nursery to find a solution once he is there,

OP posts:
stargirl1701 · 16/03/2015 22:19

We have only had success with a latex year rather than silicone. NUK.

Original poster
Frenchie84 · 17/03/2015 11:26

@ fishwithabicycle, position may have made a difference this morning as a chilled little man took about 75ml (I had expressed 90). After a while, he turned from the "breastfeeding position" to kinda layback and face the other direction, distracted by the moving images in the picture box :-)
We'll get there!
It was with the avent bottle, warmed up expressed milk, tear warm and covered in milk.
He was great with the latex nuk teats in hospital but didn't want it the other day.

OP posts:
CelticPromise · 17/03/2015 12:41

Frenchie if you came to my bf group I hope you would feel nothing but supported. I have supported mothers to mixed feed or stop feeding altogether, my only aim is supporting their informed choice Smile I would hope the vast majority are the same!

CelticPromise · 17/03/2015 12:41

Too much support in that post!

Original poster
Frenchie84 · 17/03/2015 16:39

@CelticPromise, the breastfeeding counsellors at my local Baby Cafe are very supportive. Some midwives I had in hospitals and the breastfeeding advisor there were a bit too extreme for my liking. Several of them were rolling their eyes when told that my baby had to get formula top ups when he was just born ... Well, he needed it, so tough! As any mum, I would have done anything to get my baby healthy.

OP posts:
FishWithABicycle · 17/03/2015 17:33

Glad to hear it. Sounds like things are going in the right direction Smile

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