Have to stop BF for med reasons, can't get baby to accept bottle , Please help!

[theGreatPumpkin]

I have been exclusively bf my DD since birth, am very proud of myself since only managed a week with my DS before giving up. DD is now 4 months and I have just found out I need to take certain drugs which means I will have to stop bf. I have got about a week to make the transition but I just can't get her to take a bottle. I have been expressing to try to ease the eventual introducution of formula but she just screams and screams and refuses the bottle compltely. I have tried Avent and Tommee Tippee bottles. My DH has been trying to feed her while I hide upstairs but he is finding the endless hysterics really upsetting (so am I) and after hours of trying each time I have given in and bf, but I am not doing us any favours in the long term. We HAVE to sort this, please can anyone give us any tips or even just reassure me that she will get used to it eventually?

Please do check the only option is to stop bf, Pumpkin....every week someone posts on mumsnet that they have been told to stop because of meds and it is hardly ever necessary.

Most drugs are fine when bf, honestly.

You can check this yourself by looking at the info at www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk and/or by calling their drugsline, or by searching here: toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT

Obviously you'd discuss your findings with your docs to help you decide.

this happened to me recently and tried my dd on the 4 months plus mam bottle - instant success. bought it from mothercare - good luck!

Old enough to try and take milk from a cup? Try a doidy cup, my DD would drink from one around then, even a soft beaker.

Yes, you can also call LLL and get them to check Medications & Mother's Milk by Dr Thomas Hale, or check his website.

neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/medicationforumspage.html

Agree with the others - double check re the drugs

Otherwise I found MAM teats to be the best with bottle refusing babies

Thanks so much everyone. I didn't know about those websites Tiktok and Slouching, I will check them out. Although I think with the extra stress of everything and feeling lousy if I can get her to take the bottle it would probably ease life a bit. I will be in Mothercare first thing buying a MAM bottle (and I've got a doidy cup, never even thought to try that!)

It sounds like you think bottle feeding will be easier. I understand how bottle feeding can seem easier in some ways when you are tired and ill - BTDT, long story

But, remember to factor in bottle washing, sterilizing, preparing feeds, transporting bottles, formula, hot water etc, having to plan ahead, keeping things at the right temp, etc.

That stuff is not so easy, especially if you are ill, and of course BFing also releases all sorts of relaxing feel-good hormones into your system too.

A breastfeeding mother can ask for support so that when she is not feeding, she is able to get the rest she needs. When your DD is a couple of months older, she'll be on solids as well and the burden on you to provide all her nutrition will lessen. She'll also be stronger at feeding and feeds will be shorter and less frequent.

Pumpkin - check out the medications first, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Sounds to me that the stress of trying to get your dd to take a bottle is tiring and upsetting for all of you....why bother if it's not necessary? Slouching makes the valid point that bottle feeding is really not easier or less time-consuming in any way, not compared to breastfeeding that's going well. Why would a bottle ease things for you??
Hope you work out something that suits you, anyway

Hope you find the solution that works for you Pumpkin. I'm on quite a lot of medication at the moment but still able to bf DD after checking out the meds with the breastfeeding network's helpline. Its really great to have the excuse to have to sit down and feed her when I'm not feeling well, and to have breastfeeding as an option to calm her down etc, and for me the thought of weaning from the breast seemed far more daunting than continuing feeding. However, your DD is younger than mine, and obviously your medical situation will be different, so I just hope you manage to find a solution that works for you.

Hi tiktok,

I'm interested that you say "Most drugs are fine when bf, honestly" - I thought the opposite was the case.

Pretty much everything I have in my medecine cabinet has a warning saying it can't be used while breastfeeding (e.g. cold/flu remedies, antihistamines etc).

I'm suffering from bad insomnia at the moment (and bf my 11 week old DS) and was told by my GP that there is absolutely nothing he can give me. I feel like I'm sleepwalking through life at the moment, and am seriously considering giving up BF just so I can take some sleeping tablets.

(OP - sorry for the semi-hijack!)

MissIng, check out the links I gave, especially the one to the breastfeeding network where there are several good factsheets explaining generally about meds and bf.

Most drugs are fine - I quote the factsheet on bf and meds at the breastfeeding network: "It is safe to continue breastfeeding when taking most medications" - and there are only a very few that a truly contraindicated and these are mainly anti-cancer drugs, heavy-duty tranx and other stuff in the psychiatric cupboard. There are many in the 'ok' corner, where you would perhaps not want heavy doses given long term without monitoring the baby; other meds which you might avoid with a very new, sick or preterm baby. Some drugs are thought to be quite safe, but may have an effect on milk supply, so not 'dangerous' for the baby as such.

Other drugs might have an effect on the baby but it is not a dangerous effect. Other drugs might get through in such tiny amounts it is immeasurable. Anyway, if you read the info all this stuff is there.

It's certainly worth going back to your doctor and asking again. Ask him what exactly would be the risk to your baby, how much would get into the breastmilk (doc can find all this stuff out if he wants to) and whether a shorter or lower dose would be considered.

Hope this helps.

TBH I think it's prob best to go woth what your Gp advises rather than a pro bf website.

I only took paracetomol whilst bf on advice of GP and pharmacist.

MissIng my insomnia went off the scale as a result of waking up to bf ds and my GP pretty much oredered me to have 5 days worth of sleeping tablets and get some rest as i was v unwell, hallucinating and all sorts.

I had zopiclone 3.75mg which worked partially and dh fed ds through the night with ebm or formula. It was a much needed intervention for the sake of my sanity. My GP did say no bf for 12 hours after taking the tablet so I took it at 10pm and was able to feed ds at 10.00am the next morn. This was here call however and she rang and spoke to a few colleagues before suggesting it.

Hope you get some sleep x

The breastfeeding network drugline is run by a pharmacist, and only gives out information based on the research that is available on the safety of drugs in breastmilk. They always advise you to discuss this information again with your own GP/pharmacist and obviously the responsibility for prescribing comes down to your own doctor. GP's can't be experts in everything, so its worth getting your own information from an expert in the field (i.e. a pharmacist who is expert in medication and breastfeeding) to help you and your GP make a decision about the safest course of action.

It's sad but true that many GPs don't know much at all about what meds are and aren't safe for BFing.

If your GP is confused, s/he can look the drug up and if still in doubt, contact a pediatrician or Dr Hale.

Whatever you decide, I hope you get some rest and are feeling much better v soon.

Drug companies can only say a drug is safe for a particular group/purpose if they have tested it thoroughly on that particular group in a randomised study, which is not usual with pregnant/breastfeeding mothers. Because of this many drugs have instructions not to be used, because there is no absolute evidence that they are safe, rather than because there is evidence that it is dangerous IYSWIM.

Of course, if you want to stop breastfeeding you have already done really well already, and should be proud of yourself , but if you do want to continue it would be worth pushing your GP to actually check the facts and see if there is an alternate to stopping, rather than going for a blanket ban on everything.

Good luck either way, and hope you feel better soon

minx - no one would suggest that information from the web should be followed without discussion with an individual's GP.

It is a fact that many people are told they 'must' stop bf, or they 'can't' bf with a particular drug, by their GPs, and on further investigation, this info turns out to be incorrect, a fact the GP can himself or herself confirm by doing further investigation.

It is foolish to assume a GP just knows what is and isn't safe, however - how on earth can they know everything?

To answer the original OP, if you do have to stop BF and will introduce formula anyway, I'd go ahead an offer a formula feed and see how that goes.

DD would never take a bottle of expressed milk regardless of bottle/teat/temperature but when I did introduce formula at around 8 months in preparation for going back to work she wolfed the first bottle (ungrateful little tyke).

In my case, I don't think my expressed milk stored very well (? high lactose) but it's also possible that your DD is assocaiating EBF with you and might be OK to take formula from a separate source.

Best of luck

i was given some advice recently which was the opposite of what it says in the book re introducing a bottle (i tried to get dd to take a bottle of ebm) - it was to try and bottle feed dc yourself but hold the bottle where your breast is and try and get the dc in the same posistion as for bf.

fwiw i couldnt get on with dh feeding dd with a bottle. every time she dribbled or split any he moved to teat away - which obviously doesn't happen with bf.

we had the same problem was advised nuk teats by scbu and i'm afraid just perseverance!

'TBH I think it's prob best to go woth what your Gp advises rather than a pro bf website'

That makes no sense at all

Try a bottle when lo is really sleepy - perhaps having had a small amount of bm.

This worked for someone who had to stop bf for cancer treatment