Feeding advice needed please

[RMTx]

Hello all, looking for any advice/tips.

Baby is EB. They were combi fed at one stage as I felt I couldn’t keep up with the cluster feeds and this worked perfectly. Out of nowhere LO decided they didn’t want the bottle. We thought it would just be a phase, but it’s been around 2/3 months now. They won’t take formula or my milk from a bottle. I’ve tried different milk in all different types of bottles, with different teats and flows, but still nothing. I’ve tried sterilising bottles in a pan versus the steriliser. I’ve followed all the advice I can find online and still nothing.

For my sanity, I need baby to take the bottle sometimes. We’re travelling very long distance soon to the other end of the world where BF is viewed differently there, so I want to be able to venture out worry free with a bottle or two for the day where needed. I have mum guilt even wanting to go to the shops because if I’m away and LO gets hungry, the full onus is on me.

I hope this doesn’t come across horribly in anyway. I absolutely love breastfeeding my LO, but I need to be able to also fall back on a bottle when needed.

Any advice would be appreciated, TIA x

How old is your baby? Are they old enough to use a sippy cup?

4m 2w. Would the free flow of a sippy cup not be too much at their age?

No, 4 months is too young for a sippy cup. You could probably start on one as soon as baby can sit upright independently.

The real answer is that your baby will drink from a bottle if there's no alternative. But no mother wants to put a baby through that if they don't have to. I think you're just going to have to continue to breastfeed. Don't worry about the cultural difficulties you might experience: babies have been breastfed all around the world since the beginning of humanity, and really if anyone raises an eyebrow they're the ones who need to think carefully, not you (and I'm by no means a militant breast is best type! It's just logic and common sense). Take all the cover ups you need: you can get ones that clip around your neck, you can use a large muslin square or a large scarf. When you're used to it you'll barely need to lift your top up a bit and the baby will latch on.

If you're struggling with the lack of independence from your baby because all feeding duties are on you: I'm afraid that's a fact of your life with a bottle refusing breast fed baby. The first of many restrictions early motherhood imposes on us! If you're anything like me, you'll be able to get your baby to latch on and feed without even a break in conversation. You won't even remember doing it (although admittedly it was a long time ago for me!).

Don't fight it, make the best of the situation you find yourself in. This time is fleeting.

It seems a shame you want to reduce breastfeeding mostly because of fear of other people's judgment. Surely there's some way round that and surely people BF in all countries?

In two months baby will be 6 months and able to use a sippy cup and have some food when you go out for a few hours. So if they won't take a bottle you've literally only got 8 weeks till you can have a bit more freedom.