DD won't take bottle....please help!!!

[Arhian]

Hi, my DD is 24 weeks old, and have been exclusively BF her until she was 23 weeks when we started weaning her. She absolutely loves her food so we got no problem with that.

The problem at the moment is that I'm due to go into hospital in 3 weeks, and won't be able to BF afterwards because, of anaesthetic, am likely to be sore afterwards and don't know how long I'll be in hospital though.

So we've been trying to give DD 1 bottle of formula a day so that she gets used to taking it when I'm not there.

Trying is the word. We've tried Tommee tippee closer to nature bottles, as she used to take EBM from them. Have tried slow/fast/variable teats. Have tried cold/warm/room temp milk. Have tried giving when she's hungry/half way through feed/after feed. Have tried Aptamil/Cow & Gate milk/& SMA.

She won't take any of them. As soon as bottle goes in her mouth she gets hysterical, won't suck, pushes bottle away. Its like wrestling with her just to get the bottle to her mouth. And then it takes half an hour at least to calm her down.

I don't know what to do, please help

sorry-long post

Arhian - please do check again about the anaesthetic. There are threads on this if you look in the Mumsnet archives. Generally, when you are concious (ie the effects of the anaesthetic have worn off) you can feed - the anaesthetic is no longer in your system (inc your milk) because if it was in your system you would not be awake

Some hospitals will permit babies to be brought in for breastfeeding.

By now, you should have an idea of how long you will have to be away from your baby..maybe it will be a short time only.

If, say, you only need to suspend breastfeeding for 24 hours (while you are under the knife, and maybe overnight) your baby will be fine for that short time - she can have sloppy solids or even water/formula on a spoon, or from a cup (with help). You may feel it is not worth the struggle and distress you are both experiencing if you are unable to bf for only a short time.

Hope this helps.

PS: you will need to be aware that any suspension of bf will mean you are uncomfortable (at the very least) so you will need to express somehow.

Thanks Tiktok.

The only problem is that I'm having abdominal surgery (gall), and have been told in advance that I'm likely to be sore afterwards, and with the stiches and all. I can only feed DD by holding her across my body, we could never get the hang of feeding in the other positions.

Have been trying to express but can only get 2oz a day. Am not blessed wit plenty of milk just enough for DD.

I had an operation when I was breastfeeding (daughter was 3 months old and absolutely would not have anything to do with a bottle). The hospital let her stay with me all day until I had to go for the op, and I was specifically told that the anaesthetic would not harm her. She was back with me as soon as I was awake again. If you tell the anaesthetist and other doctors that you are breastfeeding, they will be able to make sure you get the right drugs to be compatible with this (eg painkillers afterwards). Good luck.

Also, just a thought, would your daughter be happier about milk in a cup? Mine was adamantly against bottles but she started having formula milk in a sippy cup when she was six months old and I was at work and she was much better with those.

Thanks lucicle, didn't have a sippy cup to try. But sterilised a medicine cup I had and she actually took some formula. Now need to go buy a sippy cup.

x

Arhian, I had gall bladder surgery and mine went wrong and had to be converted to an open version of surgery (rather than keyhole, much more painful) plus my wound got infected, so I was on morphine and in hospital for a week away from my baby.

My DD was 6 months old and EBF.

I used a hand pump to express milk in the evening/night, stored it in the hospital fridge for my DH to pick up. My parents and DH took turns bringing in the baby during the day so I could nurse her direct, I had to feed underarm/rugby ball hold to avoid pressure on my wound.

The doctors (with bothering) found breastfeeding friendly drugs for me to take. Though they (wrongly) insisted I pump and dump whilst on the morhine drip, which I have since learnt would not haVe harmed my baby.

Hopefully your operation will be keyhole and go well but if it doesn't there are way to keep your breastfed baby nursing.

HTH

Really pleased the cup went well. I hope she likes the sippy cup, too. Another cup that worked brilliantly for us was the Nuk Learner Bottle (if you google, there are loads of places online that sell them). It has a softish spout but it's not really a bottle as such. My daughter still has her bedtime milk in one of these.