i am begining to resent BF

[forevermore]

don't get me wrong i am happy for DD2 and really love hat I am able to feed her, but now after 13 weeks I want to mix feed so I can go out and no one mentioned that it would be this hard for her to take a bottle. I tried at 4 weeks and she was fine so never tried again till maybe 6 weeks; wasn';t too concerned that it was a struggle and have tried on and off till now and now impossible. she just plays with it.

I have tried numerous teats and nothing. now iI am panicing and crying and worst of all rresentful. I want to go out; sounds childish but i want time alone. I want to take DD1 out alone who is finding new baby hard.

I look at DH and want to shout at him for allowing me to go down this road which is really is not for working mums that have to go back to work at set times and do not have the luxury of BLW and letting the baby dictate when they want to wean themselves off the boob....sorry for rant and no offense intended, i just feel awfully trapped and now not enjoying maternity leave. I am also jealous that DH has had so many unbroken nights sleep and I am exhausted and tearful and fed up.

to leave this on a positive note; i love being able to BF at night and when DD2 is not fussing and we ae relaxing on the sofa iit can be magical.

also now cannot face my mother who is anti-BF and is giving me that 'i told you so' look.

Mother's love the I told you so look, if it wasn't this it'd be something else. Well done for getting so far. Have you tried using a cup instead of a bottle or getting DH to try with the bottle? The baby might be able to smell your milk if you do it.

i haven't tried a cup i think she is too young and would only give her wind?

It's a learned skill, taking a bottle. It will be harder now but not impossible. Keep trying - each day - at a non-stressful time (eg the middle of the day, and after she's had a bit on the breast so she's not starving).

When I was teaching DD to take a bottle I swicthed from boob to bottle and back again, keeping eye contact up.

Keep at it - and curiosity's suggestion of getting your DH to do it is a good one (remove yourself from the room so she can't see you - or your boobs!)

I know how you feel I love BF but sometimes just want a couple of hours.

My dd is 6 months now and will not take a bottle but she will happily drink out of a cup and does it very well too I only found out she could do this when she swiped some of my water out of my glass .

I didn't try this but somebody suggested trying a bottle when in the night when they wake for a feed, but are still quite sleepy and not really with it. Your dp could do that one! May kill two birds with one stone if it means you get some more sleep as well.

You have my sympathies. DS2 wouldn't take a bottle/cup/beaker til he was 7 months old. Lucikly I didn't have to go back to work or anything so I didn't really perserve enough and it wasn't to much of a problem. Btu I do remember getting that trapped feeling sometimes.

forever - depends on her development. There are different cup feeding methods you could try from letting her lap up milk from an open cup (messy) to letting her drink from a beaker. You could also try a syringe but this would take forever to get a whole feed into her at her age. My dd was able to hold a tommee tippee first cup beaker from 3 months and drink from it herself (refused a bottle entirely) and it didn't give her wind. It depends entirely on her development, motor skills and co-ordination. My DS would could not do this until around 5 months but he would take a bottle.

My DD is 14 months old and has never drunk from a bottle. I did exactly the same as you, she drank from one at 4 weeks so I assumed she would again when I wanted her to but no,no.
I've spent over £20 on bottles and various teats, she just gives me the, 'I aint putting that in my mouth.' look.
My BF counsillor said stuff the bottles go for a cup, so I bought a Doidy Cup and I was set free.
I've had nights out and even one weekend away.
Please, please, please be strong and ignore your mom, she, like mine are from a generation of 4 hourly bottle feeding and they just don't get it.
I've had 3 BF baby's and my mom still comes out with the same old same old, 'You feeding again'...'your milks not satisfiying'...'have you checked to see if it's coming out'...'don't feed in public, you're embarrassing the baby'.
Do you have any BF cafe's locally or access to a BF councillor?
BF can feel like hard work when you feel unsported however I think it's dead easy, no bottles to wash, sterilise, make up feeds, no feeds to warm on the go or at night, it's free and jam packed full of ever changing antibodies.
Keep going sister.

I am in the same position as you (although my daughter will take tommee tippee bottles) and am beginning to resent the lack of freedom. After much upset and guilt I have dropped the 11pm feed and give formula (I found expressing too time consuming). I feel like I have some of my life back, have been out for dinner and can go to bed at 9.30 - I am like a new woman. I figured that this way I will continue to breast feed for longer as I was ready to give it up completely. Good luck with the cup!

londonmackem and forevermore, another tip, express from one breast whilst your child feeds from the other.
The baby's technique of feeding is far more effective at stimulating your let down reflex and it's less time consuming because you're sitting down feeding anyway.

thanks for all of your encouraging words. I do get more success when its a dreamfeed ( i think she is too tired to protest); i also bought a doidy cup but thought she was too young, iw ill try this in a few weks i think as she finds swalowing calpol from a syringe arduous enough.

i feel if i don't replace just one feed i won't BF he full 6 mths which would be a shame afte coming so far.

sorry my keyboard is knackered;

oh yes and i think its easier to just lie to my mum about the bottle feeding; i can't be arsed with explaining myself anymore.