HELP- BF baby 6months (had 1 bottle a day since 3.5 months) now REFUSING bottle totally. WHAT DO I DO?

[twinmumma]

My ds is just over 6 months
I exclusively bf for 3.5 months, then introduced bottle of formula at 6.30 to

1. supplement my milk as I have 4yr old twins to run around after too
2. to ensure that he didn't refuse a bottle

BUT - over last few days he TOTALLY 100% refuses bottle at 6.30pm and only wants a breastfeed. I don't think I have enough for him anymore... as the last 2 nights that he has refused bottle,and just had a BF he also has woken at 5.30am.

This is my day:
7am -BF and then breakfast solids at 8am
11.30 I have just dropped the milk feed and weaned him onto just solids and water
2.30 - BF
5pm - solids
6.20pm - bottle which he is refusing.

I am concerned that he isn't getting enough milk now because of this refusal of milk and because he is now waking early.
I have considered dropping the 2.30 feed and making that a bottle and then doing BF at 6,30 instead - but I am really concerned that my milk will dry up quickly - and I really do want to start getting him onto bottles now as I am going back to work on 1st July - AND I am mum of 3 and feel the need to get my boobs back....

We used Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles, which he has taken well..... but not now.
Won't take AVENT
Tried Doidy cup - not much good - he spits out the milk and isn't v good at using it.

ANY ADVICE welcomed. I am getting stressed and he is getting upset as I battle with him for 30 mins every night trying to force feed him with a bottle before giving in and having to BF
He won't take bottle AT ALL from husband - and never has done! He only wants mummmy (lovely but grrrrr)

My dd, 23wks, is the same. I started giving her a bottle of ebm when she was one wk old, so when the time came to wean her she'd have no issues with the bottle. She took it for a couple of weeks but then started to refuse it so I gave up (good excuse to stop expressing) Anyway, now she's approaching 6mths and feeding 2hrly (your ds sleeps from 7 till 5.30? ). She took an oz or so this evening but didn't enjoy it.
Your milk supply should increase over a few days should you decide to scrap the bottle and just try to give milk in a sippy cup during the day. Otherwise, just persevere with the bottle. The nam teat is worth a try. Good luck.

Sorry to hear that you are feeding 2 hrly. That makes me feel v bad for getting so cross with ds for suddenly refusing bottle!
This morning he woke at 5.15am. Getting earlier and earlier!
I bf him and he went back to sleep until 7.15 - so am hoping that he will start to sleep more in the day and then not be so crabby in the evening and then take his bottle. Think tiredness is also an issue for him.... as he only slept 30 mins in am, 30 mins at lunchtime and 15 mins in pm, despite waking at 5.20am yesterday. he must have been shattered
Good luck and thanks for the tip re bottles

Sorry to hear that you are feeding 2 hrly. That makes me feel v bad for getting so cross with ds for suddenly refusing bottle!
This morning he woke at 5.15am. Getting earlier and earlier!
I bf him and he went back to sleep until 7.15 - so am hoping that he will start to sleep more in the day and then not be so crabby in the evening and then take his bottle. Think tiredness is also an issue for him.... as he only slept 30 mins in am, 30 mins at lunchtime and 15 mins in pm, despite waking at 5.20am yesterday. he must have been shattered
Good luck and thanks for the tip re bottles

could your dh run after the twins while you lie and bf him? your body will resume making the feed you replaced with formula given the time and patience. he can have it quickly.

give the bottles a break and give him the tommee tippee sippy cup to play with. then put water in it during the day then maybe once he knows what is up you can put formula. viola, no more bottles. or, you can just give the bottles a break and reintroduce.

bottle refusal is not uncommon. dd1 did the same.

ps waking earlier is not a sign of low milk supply. it is the sign of a healthy brain that is becoming increasingly complex.

that doesn't sound like a lot of milk feeds to me. My 9 month old loves his three huge solid meals plus snacks, but still has at least four breastfeeds and one bottle of formula in 24 hours. something like this:

7am - BF
8am - breakfast
10am - BF
2 hour nap
1pm - lunch
snack at some point
5pm - BF
sometimes a little cat nap
6pm - dinner
8pm - BF - off to sleep
11pm - FF

I'm also thrilled if he can sleep from 11pm (bottle feed) until 7am so your schedule still sounds pretty reasonable.

but for what it's worth, my DS also went through a phase around 6 months where he rejected the bottle and would only breast feed. It lasted only a week or two.

last night i gave dd a mix of ff and bf at the evening feed. she'd suck a bit on bottle then spit it out and push it away so i'd stick her on the boob for a bit, then try the bottle again. She ended up taking a few oz which is more then she's ever taken. I'm going to do that for a week but if there's no improvement then i'll ditch the bottle altogether and do the cup thing as foxytocin says

My DS did this for a couple of weeks when he was 4 months old, then he went back to taking it again (but he still sporadically refuses it). It could just be a phase - unless you want to give up the bottle I would suggest you always offer it first but if you or LO get distressed then just BF. Hopefully one day he will take the bottle again?

Good luck.

Both my daughters did this and I felt rather imprisoned by the BF as I could not express and leave a bottle at all. However I ended up going back to work for one week (to finish contract) and leaving DD1 with DH all day with her still refusing a bottle. My HV persuaded me that at six months she would not starve and would take bottle when I was not there, but she still did not crack and waited instead for me to get in (with Jordan boobs by this point) and give her a BF!!! The girl knew what she wanted!! We just kept trying different teats for both girls and eventually they both took a bottle. Nuk teats worked for DD1 as the hole is at the top of the teat and mimics BF. DD2 liked the Nuby ones, not sure why. Am pretty sure my boobs are not that bobbly!!! I even tried for DD2 one of those ones that basically looks like a giant boob and costs about £20 from Blooming marvellous. She liked it, but did not love it, it was hard to fill and I was dreading whipping it out of my bag in the debenhams cafe!!! Good luck xx

twinmumma - MY DS2 (8months) is the same and although i've no advice this is out routine now.

he's been mixed fed since 6 weeks with one bottle of formula a day. for the last 2 or 3 weeks he's been refusing formula at any time of the day out of any cup or bottle.

at the moment his routine is:

4am: BF
7am: BF
8am: breakfast with cows milk and cows milk (150mls) to drink
11am: BF
12noon: Lunch with water to drink
3pm: BF and sometimes a snack
5pm: tea with water to drink
7pm: bed with BF
10pm: now refusing a bottle and i'm not BFing him so he's opting to cry and go back to sleep

my concerns are that he starts nursery tomorrow and wont drink formula (will take water out of bottle so its not the bottle). have asked them to give him cow's milk as its better than nothing.

Thank you guys for all of your messages.... so sorry to hear that others going through it too - but also kind of pleased (in a not horrible way!) to hear that I am not alone and that my little man is not the only little monkey who does this! Bless him.

Laughed out loud at some of the messages!

Chandellina - did you keep offering bottle before BF and then yours just eventually took bottle?
I think I will keep trying with bottle each night first - before giving in!! Just as u suggested ChocOrange05. He has had bottle before - that's what I can't understand. He will also drink from beaker of water in the day - but won't have it in his mouth at night.
Am also going to try the number 2 teat as he will have to work harder to get it out - but that is only if he will give it a suck to start with! At the mo he is on a X teat which varies the flow.

Which formula have u tried Fledtoscotland?
Aptimil 2 is what I am on. It's meant to be most like Bmilk according to midwives
Anyone know if there is a better tasting one?

twinmumma - i was told by the BFing support group that HIPP organic is closest to breastmilk. its definitely less creamy than aptimil and cow&gate (DS1 was FF). also please remember that MWs recommend the brand that the reps give them the most freebies for

(also it was DS2's 1st day at nursery today and he took 2 bottles so i have come to the conclusion that he is at it. when he knows i'm around he will hold out for boob it seems)

the other thing you could try is a tommee tippee beaker with a nuby teat. its a cross between a teat and a soft spout. you can get them in boots for £3 with a disney design. my friend has had a problem getting her 9mth old taking a bottle when she returned to work. this is the only thing he will take.

twinmumma, we did keep trying to give the bottle first. What would happen if you just left him to sleep, and then you could always BF later if he wakes? Will he go down without his milk? I understand your concern about him waking early though. Another trick might be to load up his dinner with milk. My DS always has a big bowl of plain yogurt after his meal too.

can also attest that my DS is quite keen on the tommee tippee with nuby teat that fledtoscotland mentioned. Just got it last week and he seems to prefer it to his previous cup. (though we are only using it for water at the moment.)

oh, i also wonder - is he teething? because my DS seems much more keen on BFing than bottle when he is teething.

yes - definitely teething. He has 3 and sore gums... chews onthe bottle if I can get it in his mouth. Will get that beaker today - thank you.
Will wait before changing formula and see if this works first.... but if not - I'll be on the HIPP!
He is also now waking at lunchtime (used to sleep 2 hrs) - and is v tired in the afternoon .... and as a result may be crabby and not want the bottle at 6.30pm
He does have a nap in the afternoon if he hasn't slept well at lunchtime but is only having about 1.5hrs sleep all day - which isn't really enough. If he had a good sleep at lunchtime that might help him to be more chilled at 6.30pm....(hmm)
He is crying now!! I am off!
Thanks again

Update - he took 5oz tonight .... I gave calpol at 5.45 after tea and before bath.... and maybe that helped (maybe not!) who knows. Tonight he took 5oz and then refused to have the bottle anywhere near him and got really cross until I bf - but it was progress.
Have bought and washed the nuby tommee tippee one.... but not used it as he used his closer to nature (number 2) teat tonight.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

still laughing about your Jordan boobs popsypie!

Hmmmm, wish I still had them now, but without the milk content!!

Mine are like 2 golf balls in socks!! Loved it when the milk first came in - during first few days - they were so pert!!
Long gone are those days! !!!!

Just to update u.... he has taken bottle better for last few days... but only 4 oz tonight. He picks and chooses his days - but certainly better. think it may be to do with teeth too.
I just keep offering it - and then give him BF afterwards to keep him happy! (and to ensure he gets through the night!)

He is rejecting it again - for the past week he has been a NIGHTMARE!!
(I have warned him that I may take him BACK to the hospital as he is obviously faulty!!! ) that has made no difference, surprisingly!!!

Anyway... last night battled with him for 45 mins. Tried ALL teats, beakers, doidy cup. He took 1.5oz!
Then bf him and he has by that time sooooo tired that he fell asleep whilst bf.
He woke at 4.30am and chatted til 5.30am when I had to feed him cos he started really crying.
Will go cold turkey and wean him in 3 wks after holiday - and just BF at night before bed I think.
Got to give up soon - cos back to work on 1st July.