Breastfed baby won't take bottle - are there any alternatives?

[Flowerface]

If my breastfed DD continues to refuse to take a bottle, are there any alternatives for getting expressed milk into her if I need to leave her for longer than a couple of hours? My Mum reckons you can use a feeding cup from about 3 months.

We will keep trying with the bottle, but there are few signs of hope at the moment...

Sorry can't help but really, really want to know this.

DS took a bottle of EBM no problems and I (foolishly!) assumed DD would be the same.

Just showed me that each child is different and has taught me not to make too many plans in advance where children are concerned

Is there a solution?

My DD has refused a bottle - I first tried when she was 6 weeks.
But from 12 weeks I've been giving her a Doidy cup, which she drinks from quite happily. Not a huge amount yet, but I start the 11am feed with the Doidy, and this morning she did 3oz from that, before I bf her. She's now 17 weeks.
At least I know that she CAN take milk from another source which is a huge relief.
She also seems to really enjoy it and trys to grab the handles and pull it towards her.
I really recommend a Doidy - it has worked as a great compromise for us.

I promise I don't have a vested interest in promoting this brand but I just wanted to share since it saved my sanity (and helped keep me breastfeeding)...NUK bottles were the only brand that my DS would drink EBM out of, and I tried a doidy cup and about every other brand of bottle on the market (I spent a fortune before a friend recommended NUK). Now that DS is a bit older he loves his doidy cup too.

Had to reply to this as I have just had the most stressful fortnight of my life but have finally managed to get my three month old bf baby to take a bottle.

I used the Playtex bottles in the end with the natural latch latex teat and a hell of a lot of perserverance.

Spent about a week just putting ebm into the bottle just before his feed and getting him happy with it in his mouth and eventually worked out that he would take a bottle if he was hungry, not tired, sat in his baby chair in front of ceebeebies for distraction and then I sat behind the chair feeding him so he couldn't see me. Sounds mad but it worked. I only had three days feeding in front of the TV and now he is used to it he takes it from me in the normal fashion!

I started with ebm in the bottle then introduced formula until he was happy with that. For the last three days I have managed to give him a 6oz bottle of formula!

how much of a fight should it be? have tried getting dp to give her a bottle before feeds but she becomes incandescent with rage very quickly. should we be giving up as soon as she starts crying? is it true, as the hv says, that this will get worse as she gets older? i sort of feel it might be worth waiting a bit. dd is 6 weeks...

I used to stop when he got cross because i didn't want him to get any bad associations.

DS was so bad it took a good few days before he would tolerate a teat in his mouth. Distraction worked well- i stood in the kitchen where it is nice and bright and sang baa baa black sheep lol.

I think the older they are the more difficult it is as your hv said. I just took it relly slowly and exercised the patience of a saint!

wilmouse - did he just one day start sucking?

I'll be watching this thread for any tips, I tried my DD on the odd accasion with EBM in TT CTN bottles and she took it fine, all before 4 weeks old. Now at 7 weeks Im desperate to let OH do a feed or go out for more than an hour on my own but she wont take a bottle no matter what. We've tried when she's not really hungry, while she's halfway through a feed, MAM bottles all to no avail.