From bottle back to breast - HELP

[Accebucce]

I've been on medication for an overactive thyroid recently and so couldn't breastfeed my 15 week old much. I'd been having to top him up since about 2 weeks old, but it was only when my dosage was upped about three weeks ago that I had to rely very heavily on expressed milk and formula in order to keep the medication from affecting DS. I've been expressing endlessly to try and keep my supply going.

The problem now is that DS is used to getting his milk out of bottles, and despite having latched on fine from day one, he now refuses to even try. He turns from a normally giggly, happy bundle of joy to a furious screaming banshee. In response I turn from a normally cheerful and laid back mum into a weepy pile of misery.

Any advice for getting them back on the boob. Seems too cruel to let him get desperately hungry - especially since he is going to have to have some bottled milk as well (despite best efforts, my supply is seriously diminished).

Please, don't anyone tell me I shouldn't have introduced bottles in the first place - I avoided it for as long as possible, but really didn't have a choice, and only did so with enormous reluctance and on advice from Gt Ormond St and UCH consultants.

Maybe I should just accept that the only nork milk he'll get is going to have to be expressed... a shame, I loved breastfeeding when it worked and feel ridiculously upset by his rejection of it.

Any advice very welcome.

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you need to do some skin to skin contact. try having a nice warm bath with your baby and feeding him in the water. that sometimes helps as reminds them of the womb etc etc.
also try feeding him when he's relaxed and sleepy, do as much skin to skin contact as you can.
i guess you need to keep putting him to the breast. obviously he still needs bottles atm, letting him get hungry won't help, but put him to the breast as much as you can, even if he's not getting anything out. if you can get him to latch on and start bf again hopefully you will be able to increase the breastfeeds gradually and loose some of the bottles.
it can be done - a close friend of mine had to switch to bottles after a big operation in hospital when her dd was 4 months old, and she gradually managed to re-establish breastfeeding. she is now breastfeeding exclusively - just to give you some hope that it can be done!

have you tried switching v quickly from bottle onto the breast mid-feed?
also try expressing a bit before a feed so that the milk is already there and he doesn't get frustrated.
while he is calm you can also try putting him to the breast and squirting milk into his mouth

Agree with both posts, about expressing first so milk is already there for him and also to try feeding when he is sleepy as this is the easiest time to feed IME.
DS1 was and DS2 is unsettled for some daytime feeds but both better feeding at night.
Can you ask a BF counsellor for help/adive?
Look on kellymom and LLL websites too.
Good luck

Thanks all - have managed to get him to latch on veeeeery briefly in bed (so skin to skin working best so far). I love the bath idea, but tried this when he was smaller and couldn't fine a good position... perhaps because I am cursed with quite big boobs (oh the irony).

I'm optimistic about the expressing first idea - will try that tomorrow. Squirting doesn't work, I've tried quite a few times in the past ... and neither does catching him when he's sleepy, although it used to (sigh), so maybe it will again.

Will report success back for future reference . Must say that having some feedback from people gives me a real boost and makes me feel up for trying, so really - thank you.

Good for you, hope it goes well from here.
You could try lying your LO on top of you - tummy to tummy - in the bath and let him find your nipple, that might work, even with bib boobs?
Also expressing prob easiest first thing in the morning when milk flow is often best.
Do try the websites I mentioned, I found them both really helpful when struggling with bfeeding first time round (though didnt know about mumsnet then )
Good luck with it.

Accebucce,

I experienced the exact same thing as you when dd1 was around 13 weeks. Only i had been supplementing using a bottle as i had Mastitis 4 times which had majorly decreased my milk supply. The rejections was so bad that my dd would not allow me to hold her in the cradle position even when we were fully clothed. She would scream until she was loosing her breath.

What i did was ditched the bottles COMPLETELY. i would feed her using a large feeding syringe (free from chemist) and also the Medela Softcup Advanced Feeder, this meant that i was not spilling any of my "liquid gold" whilst trying to get it into her. Also, her sucking needs were not satisfied and usually when she was really tired or actually sleeping i could get her to latch onto me using a nipple shield - as she was used to the texture of the bottles.

Then i started a mission to get dd to associate my breasts with a "Happy Feeling". The way i done this was by laying dd on the floor and blowing raspberries on her tummy until she laughed, then i gently and quickly touched her face with my bare breast. We done this nearly every waken hour throughout the day for about 10 days then she started to show loving signs of the breast again. She would happily cuddle into my breast and would let me hold her happily whilst i was clothed or not. Then suddenly whilst playing "Happy Breast Time!" she quickly rooted and latched on - i was on all fours on top of her but managed to stay there until she was finished! I honestly felt like opening the house windows and screaming to let the world know how excited i was.. this was around 2 weeks after we started it. Then we spent about a further week around the house.. sleeping together naked, bathing together and playing together naked! If you have a sling carry your LO in this whilst going out rather than using a pushchair.

Before long we were back in full swing and the bottles were long in the bin.. we managed to continue BFing until she was just over 2 and she self weaned as i got pregnant again.

You Will get through this.. Just remember even though you are feeling that he is "rejecting" you, you are the person he loves most. It is just a case of pchycologilly training him that the breast is for happiness.

psychologically!

DO NOT ue nipple shield if it is not necessary.

Also to increase you milk supply;

*Stimulate your breasts as often as you possibly can

• Eat Oats in the form of either porridge, Oat Cookies (i have included a recipe i used), Oat cakes as the oats naturally help increase milk supply.
• or you could take a herbal tincture to give you a quick boost with your supply.

Some useful links;
[[http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-diet.aspx Lactogenic food and Herbs]

Herbal Tinctures

Lactogenic foods and herbs

No Bake choc cookies

2 cups sugar 1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk 1 stick butter

Boil the above ingredients for 2 minutes, remove from heat and mix the below ingredients in. Spoon onto wax paper and allow to cool.

1/2 cup peanut butter (if wished or replace with raisins)
3 cups of oats initially, add extra oats until mixture is very stiff
1 TSP vanilla

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