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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

3mo BF baby suddenly refusing bottles of EBM

25 replies

whiteorchid · 22/01/2009 09:28

DH has been happily giving DD a bottle of EBM once or twice a week since she was 6 weeks old, usually at the 7pm post-bath feed. This week, she's suddenly decided she doesn't want the bottle anymore. The first time she wouldn't take any milk at all, and the second time she took 40ml over 20 minutes. Both times, I've ended up breastfeeding her once she got to the blue-in-the-face screaming stage.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips on how to persuade her to take a bottle again?

Thanks.

OP posts:

PuzzleRocks · 22/01/2009 10:29

Bumping for you.

Sunshinemummy · 22/01/2009 15:32

I'm having the same problem with my five month old so I hope someone comes up with some answers for you.

Original poster

whiteorchid · 22/01/2009 20:03

Thanks for the bumps. We had another go this evening and she's having none of it. Screams and screams. Is it just a case of persevering?

Sunshinemummy, let me know how you get on!

OP posts:

LaTrucha · 22/01/2009 20:07

My DD did the same thing. TBH I was delighted as I hadn't wanted her to have a bottle.

She did take a bottle very well when we introduced it again at 10 months. She did vastly prefer Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles and I know a lot of bfers like them. If you try them, bear in mind that my dd wanted the teats for a younger child than she was.

Sunshinemummy · 22/01/2009 20:42

Trouble is I can't wait until she's 10m as I'm going back to work in 6 weeks.

Tried again tonight with new First Years Breastflow Bottle. She does the same thing every time - starts off interested and after about 3 sucks refuses it and then screams. I got so desperate I also tried a Tomme Tippee from 4 monthe sippy cup, which she took for a little longer but then also got fed up of.

whiteorchid I'm definitely persevering - I have to.

Essie3 · 22/01/2009 20:45

We have the same situation - my DS refused at 5 months. See my post above - he still won't have it!

No help just sympathy.

Advice I've been offered:
try a cup
try it at bathtime
get someone else to try giving it
try formula to get her used to it then swap back

Bad advice I made up myself without consultation with any expert:
putting a teat in at the same time as the breast (failed)
putting jam on the teat (failed)
sending him to nursery for them to deal with it (failed)

Sunshinemummy · 22/01/2009 20:52

Essie3 I'm going to have no choice but to send DD to nursery and have them deal with it if I can't get it fixed in the next 6 weeks.

Have tried all the others apart from bathtime - do you know what the reasoning is behind this?

DD is, unfortunately, apparently allergic to normal formula, so we have just been given some hypo-allergenic formula on prescription but I have to mix this half and half with breast milk.

Essie3 · 22/01/2009 21:17

Well, the bathtime is if it's a happy time (if she hates bathtime it won't work ) and she's thinking about other things. I've not tried it myself.
I don't want to totally depress you, but I've sent my DS to nursery for the whole of this week, with varied results. This is a baby who will starve himself.
Day 1, 10ml or so from a bottle.
Day 2, around 100ml from a TT cup, and was told to bring in more.
Day 3, 50ml, TT cup.
Day 4 - today - nada, sent home in disgrace for refusing to eat or drink anything. When I get a bottle out he clamps his mouth shut and will even cry with his mouth clamped shut!

I've posted here now - another thread - because DS is older than your DD, and is getting solids, so it may fix itself. He is and always has been extremely small, though, so it's a bit of a problem.

Why do you need DD to take a bottle?

Sunshinemummy · 22/01/2009 21:30

I'm going back to work in 6 weeks so I need her to take food from other people. And (whispers) I'm really starting to hate breast feeding. I feel so tied and no one else can help out. It's also starting to hurt again as she's feeding loads at night.

CherryChoc · 22/01/2009 21:49

I was going to ask this too for a friend as she has a similar problem, she needs her LO to take a bottle for when she goes back to work, she has tried lots of different bottles. She said the other day she was desparate and ordered a Special Needs Feeder from mothercare, so I will let you know if she had any luck with that. They are expensive though - and I don't know if the teats fit onto other bottles. The NUK First Choice teats are also very different from normal ones.

Essie3 · 22/01/2009 22:05

Tsk, I think we've tried NUK. At least, I think so, but it's an orange one.
I won't tell anyone what you just said, Sunshine! But I think when you have a bottle refusenik, it really makes you question the whole bfing thing. I was dead keen to continue for a year, but now I'm wondering whether I should just give up. Because when your baby will only drink from you, you are tied. And I certainly don't feel special. Just tired and hungry and dehydrated!

madmouse · 22/01/2009 22:07

Have you tried faster flow teat?

Sunshinemummy · 22/01/2009 22:13

Essie3 I never wanted to be in this position. I FF DS and wanted to mix feed this one so we introduced a bottle in the 2nd week and she was fine for ages but not now.

Essie3 · 22/01/2009 22:45

I was exclusively bfing, but DS would happily take a bottle twice a week. It was when I started giving it every night (as a top up in the hope that he would sleep) that he refused. Headstrong?

We have a bottle and beaker shop here. No fewer than 15 different types. And debts, the debts, I tell you!

forkhandles · 22/01/2009 22:57

DD1 did the exact same at 3mths. I think perseverence is the key and for me this bottle by Playtex worked, I think it's the teat that they like Playtex.

I found standing infront of a mirror or by a certain window worked too.

Good luck

Sunshinemummy · 23/01/2009 10:39

Oh I have those Playtex teats forhandles but still no joy. DD seems to hate having anything that isn't me in her mouth!

Essie3 it sounds similar to my house!

Original poster

whiteorchid · 23/01/2009 14:36

I might try the playtex one then. Have only used Tommee Tippee so far, and she was fine with that initially, but now she won't even take a single suck. I've been reading Clare Byam-Cook's book, and she recommends putting aside 24 hrs in which you keep offering her the bottle. Acc. to her the key is to get the baby to suck by instinct (rather than by desire), so use distraction techniques while simultaneously putting the nipple into the baby's mouth. She also suggests using a fast-flow nipple initially so that the milk comes through before the baby has had a chance to think about it, then switching to slow flow once the baby is sucking.

Good luck with it, sunshinemummy. I don't have a specific deadline yet, but I can't bear the thought of having to be constantly available for BFing. Everybody needs a break!

OP posts:

LolaBella · 23/01/2009 22:52

Just seen this thread and my 12 weeks old has also just started refusing bottles of EBM after weeks of happily taking them from anyone
We have also tried a few different types and i'm going to buy a cup tomorrow to see if that helps but i feel so down about it. I have got my first proper night out tomorrow and have been expressing milk for a week and a half in preparation but unless he starts to take one again tomorrow i will either have to cancel or wait until he goes to bed before i can go out (usually about 10 or 11pm)
Just can't bloody believe it
Sorry others are suffering too

SazzlesA · 23/01/2009 22:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

neenztwinz · 23/01/2009 23:00

My twins started refusing at about 12 weeks old after happily having a bottle of ebm twice a day from about 2 weeks old. They didn't take a bottle again until they were about 7mo when they were sat in their high chairs (ie not cuddled up to me). If you perservere you might get somewhere, just keep pressing the teat against the lips so they get the taste of the milk. Buy loads of different bottles/teats to try (if you dont mind the expense). Get DH to do it when you are not around. Try to perservere with the BFing - you are over the hard bit now!

neenztwinz · 23/01/2009 23:02

Sunshine, is she feeding enough in the day? If she is not having enough BFs in the day that might be what is causing her to feed at night.

rushinrussian · 01/11/2010 16:13

DD did the same at about 4 months and we went straight to Doidy cup and Tommy Tippy sippy cup - wonderful, never looked back.

ClimberChick · 02/11/2010 05:23

DD at 4 months got a bit funny with the bottle and we also switched to a sippy cup thing. She had to have it lying down for a while as she couldn't tip it at first.

Fifilottie · 02/11/2010 09:05

Again..my DD refused a bottle of EBM at three months. Maybe they start to know the difference. I left it for a while but realised I wanted her to take a bottle sometimes as I don't bf publicy...I am just one of those silly people who are too shy. It took me about one month of perservering everyday, and almost let it be a game. I tried different bottles(NB breast flow aswell but they are really difficult to use..try drinking out of them yourself :-)..not easy)In the end I left it five hours one time between feeds and offered her a bottle of formula from an avent bottle(that was at 6 months)..wokred since!!!As I was attempting a bottle everyday I didn't use EBM as the waste would have been very disappointing.

My DD wont take a full cup of milk as she likes to just take little sips and spills half of it.

Misspaella · 02/11/2010 09:59

DS2 did this at about 4 1/2 months and never had a bottle of ebm again. I was beside myself and tried again and again but he just wouldn't have the bottle.

If I ever wanted to go out and he needed a feed we used a doidy cup or sippy cup. I even managed a weekend away when he was 10 months and he was fine.

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