Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

DD refusing bottle. At wit's end. Any suggestions?

27 replies

Neeko · 07/06/2010 21:36

I'm losing the battle of the bottle with DD2 who is 10 weeks and EBF.I love feeding her myself and have no problems with supply or expressing. I am not keen to try formula at this early stage. I want to feed her myself at least some of the time until she is a year old. However if she won't willingly take the bottle, I know that when the time comes to go cold turkey and force her by completely withholding the breast, I wont be able to bf her anymore .

I only want her really to take one occasionally but we have been trying regularly for 7 weeks now and have tried 5 different types (Avent, Medela, Breastflow, Nuk & Mam.) I have tried feeding her myself and having others feed her. We've tried when she's hungry and when she's not. We've tried on our knee, standing up and in her bouncy chair.Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance.

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 07/06/2010 21:42

sorry, i don't really understand why you think wou will have to go cold turkey?

if she won't take it she won't take it. part of the reason a lot of babies refuse a bottle is nothing to do with what's in it, or what shape teat/bottle you are using
it's because breastfeeding is about so much more than the milk. it's about YOU, and the feeling she gets from suckling from you and being held close to you

I would just choose the bottle she resists least, and try maybe once or twice a week, not when she is hungry because then she'll be more upset, and eventually I am sure she'll accept one

fwiw neither of my last 2 babies would even think about having a bottle until theyt were around 9 months old

Original poster

Neeko · 07/06/2010 21:47

Thanks for replying. I completely understand about the bf bond as I bf DD1 too.
The cold turkey will come when I need to go back to work. Also I'd like to be able to go out for a few hours occasionally and not leave a screaming baby. What did you do if you had to leave your DC before they were 9 months old.

OP posts:

Scarlett175 · 07/06/2010 21:48

have you tried the Tommy tippee, closer to nature?? My DD is 7 weeks and took this for the first time Saturday, it has a slow flow teat so seems good for BF babies.. good luck!

Original poster

Neeko · 07/06/2010 21:52

Thanks Scarlett175 It's probably about the only one I haven't tried! I guess it's worth a shot.

OP posts:

cleanandclothed · 07/06/2010 21:59

Don't worry. To be honest even if she did take it now chances are she would go through a refusing phase later on anyway. If you are only going to be away for a few hours at a time at the moment then that shouldn't be a problem whether, when it comes to it, she takes the bottle or not.

And childcare (at say 9 months) is a whole different kettle of fish - by that time she will be using some form of cup anyway, and may well just want water, and be fine with that, when she can't feed from you.

Original poster

Neeko · 07/06/2010 22:06

Thanks. Would she really be ok without milk at nine months if i was at work all day?

Have to log off now but will check for any replies tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 07/06/2010 22:07

neeko, i didn't leave them! if i went out they came with me. normally snuggled up in a sling and very unobtrusive!

and tbh I just put going out on a back burner for a while. I accepted that this was the way it was and just went with it

as pp says, by the time you go back to work it may be a completely different matter... when are you due back? some mums find that their baby just has water during the day in a cup, and breastfeeds before and after work and that's fine for them
i know that doesn't help on the odd occasion when you;d like to go out though

thisisyesterday · 07/06/2010 22:09

to add, it depends how long your owrking day is, but she'd be on solids by then, and drinking other fluids from a cup, so you could easily do a morning feed or 2, then one when you pick her up and one at bedtime and be ok

cleanandclothed · 07/06/2010 22:14

DS at 9 -10 months was fine from 8 till 5/6ish with no milk from me. I expressed till he was 1 so he had the option of a small bottle of milk during the day, but 9 times out of 10 he refused in favour of water during the day (although if I was around, at weekends, say, he was happy to have a mid-afternoon breastfeed). I still fed him morning and night.

stressheaderic · 07/06/2010 23:11

If your plan is to try and get her to take a bottle, I would try the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature ones as they are most definitely more 'breast shaped' than the others, and the milk flows at roughly the speed of BFing.

harverina · 08/06/2010 01:04

Hi, my DD is 9 weks old and we introduced an expressed bottle a couple of weeks ago in preparation for me spending 4 hours in the hairdressers!

The very first time I gave DD a bottle, I also breastfed her during same feed. Started off by breastfeeding, then when she came off the breast for a breather I introduced the bottle to her. Put it to her lips, rather than shoving it on, and she sucked it in herself. Once she had finished the bottle (only 2oz the first time) I finished her feed by breastfeeding her. Not sure what the experts would say about this but it worked for us and DD will now take bottles no bother on the days that I need to use them. For example, I was at a wedding last week and she took a bottle in the church. The first time that we gave her a bottle I feed her 1oz and my DH fed her the second oz - again, Im not sure what the experts would say but it seemed to work for my DD. Not sure if this helps - I know that some babies just wont take a bottle.

Original poster

Neeko · 08/06/2010 10:59

Thanks for all your replies.JKeep them coming.
I'm not due back at work for ages yet but I am a bit of a worrier
I'll try your suggestions and see how it goes. Buying one more bottle won't make any difference to the cupboard full!
I guess if all else fails I'll just have to wait until SATC2 comes out on DVD [sigh]

OP posts:

Original poster

Neeko · 08/06/2010 17:19

OP posts:

herewegoloopyloo · 09/06/2010 09:53

Re. going back to work - DD absolutely refused bottle no matter what we tried, despite taking bottle of EBM from early days until about 3 mths -and we tried everything (sorry!). However had v. helpful HV who helped me wean her straight to a cup at around 6 mths (we had already introduced as part f weaning). I used up my stores of EBM (had lots from mths of trying bottle!) then had to move to formula. But she was completely fine all day on this and I just fed her once from breast in eve til she was about 10mths. If you do this, you will prob find they drink very little from cup - nothing compared to bottle fed baby - so need to make sure gets calcium etc from diet (easy with fromage frais etc) and liquid in food (eg milky baby porridge etc).
I remember this being enormously stressful at time of trying to get her to take bottle but in the end rhe cup worked really well and had added bonus of not having to wean off bottle! Am not saying dont bother trying bottle - will give you more freedom - but if you don't get her take bottle - don't panic!

rots · 09/06/2010 12:29

I was also going to recommend a cup (even for a tiny baby). Speak to your HV for advice as herewe suggests, to see what type is best. Or a breastfeeding counsellor would help too - NCT ones for instance. 0300 330 0771 is the number.

Original poster

Neeko · 09/06/2010 13:35

Thanks. Did speak to HV who said just to keep trying and that she bf her two til they were one without trying a bottle.

Think I'm going to stop trying for a couple of weeks and just enjoy her. She can't resist it any more than she does now anyway and, as others have mentioned, the fighting is both stressful and exhausting.

OP posts:

mears · 13/06/2010 10:38

I didn't try a bottle till a a couple of days before returning to work. I did what herverina did and started a breastfeed and slipped the bottle in place mid feed. I would definitely give it a break for now. I would also go on the premise that a baby will not starve itself to death If you want to go out, go.

Do you have a confident babysitter around? My sisters babies would not take a bottle when she tried so enlisted me one night because she knew I would not have a problem with a baby that would not take a bottle. That night her DS took EBM from a bottle with me holding him around the waist facing away from me, walking around. If that had failed I would have given him milk off a spoon if he needed it.

You won't need to worry about milk when going back to work at 9 months. I never left milk unless I was night shift. I breatfed when I was at home. On days off I breastfed when ever babies wanted it. When I was working, babies had solids and water/juice and were breastfed when I came home.

Just chill and enjoy breastfeeding at the moment.

Original poster

Neeko · 13/06/2010 23:10

Hi mears Was hoping you'd post. Going to try the bottle again this week and see what happens. DD2 is now so chunky that missing a few feeds wouldn't harm her but I wouldn't be comfortable to leave her screaming, even with my capable DH.
Just to add to the mix, she has suddenly decided she doesn't want to feed from my left side. I'm offering it at every feed and expressng to relieve engorgement and keep up supply. No idea why she won't take it but hope it's a phase.

Have a feeling this one will be trouble

OP posts:

MumNWLondon · 14/06/2010 09:55

Don't agree re: the cold turkey. What you do when you go back to work is that you stop feeding and express instead, say 3 times a day. You give the baby bottles only (so cold turkey for her) containing formula and or EBM. Once she is happy taking the bottle (around 2 weeks) you then fed her in the evening and morning from you - the milk will still be there from the pumping. DD did not want to take a bottle but 2 weeks after I went back to work she was happily drinking a bottle and equally happy to be back on the breast.

re: SATC2 - feed just before you go and then feed when you come home, I went when DS2 was 6 weeks old and it never occured to me to leave any food for him. DH would have had to cuddle him if he'd been hungry but was sure he'd be ok for 3 hours.

re: left side - need to offer her it first - or try rugby hold so she doesn't know what side it is. My DD did this and I ended up very lopsided.

Original poster

Neeko · 15/06/2010 10:07

Thanks for your tips MumNWLondon I'd never heard of anyone weaning onto bottle and then being able to mix so that's encouraging.
Feeling much better today and she's feeding from the left boob again. This has helped me feel able to keep going again and just keep trying the bottle on and off.

OP posts:

mears · 15/06/2010 10:26

Remember though at 9 months she won't need a bottle - she will be able to drink from a cup. In the meantime you could use a spout feeder - will see if I can find a link. I'll babysit for you Neeko if you need a break

mears · 15/06/2010 10:31

something like this

mears · 15/06/2010 10:31

Dr Brown's bottles are good too for breastfed babies

Original poster

Neeko · 15/06/2010 10:33

Thanks for the link but be careful of making offers that I might call you on!

OP posts:

ReneRusso · 15/06/2010 10:38

Neeko, my baby (11 weeks) is not too keen on the bottle either, but I just keep persisting and she sometimes takes it. I have tried Avent and Tommy Tippee. Have had a bit more success with Tommy Tippee. Once you do have a bit of success, I would advise doing it at least once a week so she doesn't forget. We have found that she is more likely to take the bottle if I am not around and she is with DH or MIL. She happily drank 4oz of EBM the other night when I had to go out. But I tried to top her up with some last night and she was having none of it. In fact she looked a bit like this:

Flip

1 2