I'd like 6wk DS to take one bottle a day - when is the best time of day to get him to take it?

[Holymoly321]

I'm bfing 6wk old DS, but really want him to take one bottle a day for a variety of reasons, whether this is ebm or formula. have tried previously and had mixed results. One time he took 3oz quite happily but more often than not he'd only take one or two at the most before crying and refusing to take any more, so I'd have to bf him anyway. The past couple of days I've just bf him as I couldn't face trying the bottle again, but now I'm worried that if I don't try it every day he will never take to the bottle. I really don't want to be bf'ing exclusively for the next x months.

Also, what is the best way to get DS to take a bottle? I've tried getting DH to give it but he gets stressed because DS is getting stressed and so I end up taking over and then having to bf anyway. Any tips really helpful.

I have absolutely no idea tbh butkeep this bumped and I'm sure someone will.
Have you tried ringing the bf helplines, they are there to help you when you decide to stop as well.

I gave my DS a bottle of formula every day from 2 weeks as I thought I might need an operation and didn't want him reliant on me for feeds if that happened. Turned out the op was postponed but it did give me a chance to get DD and DH and mum involved in the feeds and let me feed him when I'd rather not bf, like round the ILs for example.

Worked for me, others will say don't do it but I think if it's only one bottle it should be fine if bf is established. I would suggest you give the bottle for the first week or so to get him used to the difference then hand over to DH and have a rest yourself for an hour or two.

kbear, DS is already 6 wks old. Did it take your DC a while to get used to the bottle? Did you struggle with it? I'm getting really worried that I may have missed a 'window' for getting him used to a bottle now. Anyone else tried later than 6 wks and succeeded in getting thier DC on a bottle? Was it a struggle? How long did it take you to get them to take it? I guess I don't want to keep 'forcing' DS to try and take a bottle if it's never going to happen, but if it's normal for them to take a while (say a few days or whatever) to get used to a bottle then I will keep perservering.

Get the bottle feed to be last thing at night before DH goes to bed, that way you can go to bed early in preparation for being up in the night.
My DD fusses after taking 3 oz of milk and we discovered it was wind upsetting her so we have to wind after every couple of oz of milk or so. Best way (told by a maternity nurse) is to put baby on your knee facing outwards so her back is next to your chest, put one of your arms under her legs and the other arm under her arms and lean slightly forward and wait. FOr us this usually results in a lovely big belch within about 2-3 minutes. If no joy, keep same position and walk around.
Hope this helps happy burping

Hi Scoggins, do you mean that your arms are basically holding the baby like a log in your arms with them facing away from you? DS is rubbish at getting wind up. Also, did try getting DH to give DS last feed at night, but he was being kept waiting until like 1pm because DS would not wake up to take a feed any earlier (apparently... so DH says... am not sure that isn't just an excuse not to have to wait up to do it and struggle with getting DS to take the bottle )

Didn't struggle really, he was hungry and guzzled it down from bottle or breast. I think he might have fussed the first few times but after that got used to it. I would perservere if you want to do it, I can't imagine you've missed the window of opportunity. I carried on bf for about 6 months after introducing the bottle too, in case you think a bottle is the beginning of the end of bf. Good luck.

Yes I guess so, baby is sitting up and your body is like the chair, baby faces outward.

If you really want baby to have bottle the best way is to only offer bottle until he drinks it. Once baby starts to take bottle then you can go back to BF and choose the best time of day in your routine to give bottle. If baby stops taking bottle at any time go back to only offering bottle.

Only do this if your BFing is well established and if you can be consistent.

Also if combined feeding is done properly it is not the end of BFing. I've worked with a few mothers who have combined fed for up to a year.

Nannynz, is there an age when it's too late to intro a bottle? I would like to combine feed if poss, but am really struggling with the bottle!

wouldn't that risk blocked ducts in the mum though, nannynz?
reading lots of threads on here it doesn't seem like there is a 'window' at all, in fact sometimes it seems like babies are given a bottle a day from birth then all of a sudden start refusing it later on, so starting early isn't necessarily a guarantee of future success
you were asking about starting later than 6 weeks, I mixed fed ds1 after going back to work at 4 months, he was absolutely fine after a few goes. I had to get other people to give the bottle though or he'd just cry for me to bf him. i can kind of see his point. also i didn't use bottles with teats, went straight onto cups with lids and then also straws which he always liked but was maybe 8 months old or so.

Hi, my DS is 6 weeks tomorrow and I have been giving him a bottle last thing at night (10 or so) as my supply is lowest then and I need the rest. On the tried and tested advice of friends, we do it as a "dream feed", ie we gently pick him up and support him still asleep, ease the bottle in gently, it's amazing but he sucks it down without really waking up, no wind created as no manic sucking, back down without really noticing what's happened and wakes up for his night breastfeed about 4 or 5 hours later, with full gusto. My DH is a tired as I am but knows that rationally my supply gets stronger with that rest and so he does it, as well as getting a nice bond.
Good luck- it has made my breastfeeding "journey" (bloomin difficult, I've been told even more so with boys!) so much easier. Appeal to your husband's better nature!

by the way all the BF professionals and consellors have told me my DS will reject the breat if I persist in the evening bottle- you've got to go with your instinct, and mine says my hungry son would take milk off a fork if that was what was on offer! So far so good x

hi ladypanda, sounds like you are both happy with your mixed feeding, glad it's working out for you both, good tip about the dream feed, mine have also been easier to accept change when too sleepy to bother making a fuss
can I just add a very quick link about evening feeds and feeling you have low supply cos it's really common to think your supply is low in the evening due to normal baby behaviour like fussing and cluster feeding. i'm not sure if this applies to you ladypanda and hope you don't mind, not saying you are doing the wrong thing with the dream feed at all, in fact quite envious of you having helpful dh to do it! also, I cringe to add it but can't help myself, the best way to increase supply is to feed more often. right, said my piece now , truly not meant as a comment on what you are doing, www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

I am new to motherhood and mumsnet -my little girl will be 6 weeks tomorrow having arrived 4 weeks early. I have only been lurking til now but had to write to say thank you morocco for the advice. I have been doing just what you said -my dd v fussy and feeding half hourly prior to bedtime and I presumed it was low supply so have been expressing every morning when am leaking everywhere and supplementing night time feed with this. am so reassured that this is common and will now try your advice. thank you! shall go back to lurking now....

i second lady pandas advice. DS has taken bottle of ebm every night from 6 weeks old for his dreamfeed. (dr. brown bottle are the ones he likes best - hated avent, nuk and tommee tippee)

DH or mum have always given the bottle - I never have - apparently that can affect whether baby takes a feed from the bottle, is there anyone else who can give this feed via bottle?
You may just have to persist on one feed with a bottle if this is really what you want to achieve and hope that DS soon accepts a feed from the bottle. Good luck let us know how you get on.

no offence Morocco! I know all of that, and have weighed it all up- the thing that keeps our whole operation ticking is me getting some semblance of enough sleep (love how the definition of "enough" changes so radically after birth!) The dream feed option seems to be the best for us. You are right about supply- I think I in fact do have enough- but we were mis-weighed at 4 weeks and led to believe he was not progressing, which made me paranoid- transpired two weeks later he's absolutely thriving!

how's it going smiling?

glad it was useful toomuchcake, don't go back to lurking though, throw yourself into the mumsnet experience

glad you knew all that already ladypanda, kind of thought you might but couldn't help myself, thanks for not taking it the wrong way