Baby refusing bottle

[Nicolahollie]

I have a 9 week old daughter that I've been trying to get to take a bottle and been trying for a few weeks but not getting anywhere.

The last couple of weeks she's managed to take about 30ml each time it's offered but then refuses it and cries hysterically.

I'm at a point now where I'm done with breast feeding and times I am so sore that I cry when feeding.

Am I ever going to get her to take a bottle? I have to feed her somehow and hate to see her so upset she gets herself in such a state where I have to give in and breastfeed but it is so painful. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do if I can't feed her. I've done absolutely everything that everyone suggests but it's just not working

Will she take a bottle from someone else? That can sometimes help. My DH can bottle feed my DD but she protests with me as she knows I'm withholding the boobs!

Have you looked in to why breastfeeding is so painful for you?

I spent first 5 weeks in agony, then I went along to a local breastfeeding cafe, got some advice (totally different from midwives and the infant feeding team at hospital) and it totally resolved!

30 ml is roughly 1 floz. I'd say that's a feed fir a BF baby. At 9 weeks she'll be used to having 25 Floz in 24 hours.

So choose a feed, give her the bottle each day at that time and hopefully she will gradually increase the amount she takes at the feed. After a couple of weeks choose another feed and do the same.

You can do it more quickly but you'll have to weigh up your risk of mastitis with how you feel about BFing.

You could always call one of the BFing Helplines and talk through how to stop and how you could manage to be less sore whilst you stop

@halofromtheotherside she will take a bottle from my partner and mum sometimes but always only 30ml but they're not around often enough to be consistent with it (partner is out at work 11 hours a day) and feel I have to do it otherwise it'll never happen. I think the pain is coming from cluster feeding and using me for comfort rather than a latching issue as we seemed to have nailed that. But I'm mentally exhausted with BF now so it's turning into desperation and she's just not taking it

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto so you think 30ml is about right? The formula boxes say for her she should be having 120-150ml per bottle feed which seems like a lot and she'll never take that all in one go. I will try what you've suggested and pick one time per day and keep it consistent. I've got no chance when she's hungry, she goes from 0-100 in seconds and definitely won't take a bottle then so trying to judge when to try her with one is difficult too. I've spoken to a breastfeeding team but they're a bit reluctant to offer advice other than keep trying because they only like to offer advice on BF. There's no support out there for bottle feeding unless you fork out for a lactation consultant 😐

The formula box gives the amount a FF baby would need. Your LO is used to having much less at a feed and it will take time for her tummy to stretch.

I'd definitely count 30 ml as a feed for now and keep offering the bottle at the same time each day.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto thank you so much that is such a great help and has reassured me 😊🧡