Want to stop breastfeeding 6 month old but she is a bottle refuser

[blondeirishmummy84]

Hi im sure this has been on before but looking for some help/advice/tips as Im at my wits end and starting to feel down.
Baby girl is 6.5 months old,took a bottle (mam) around 6 weeks once a day now and again but around the 10 week mark started refusing it (doesnt matter whether formula or ebm) I maybe left it a few weeks and she maybe randomly took it about 6 times since,rest of time refuses. Ive been trying everyday for the last 6 weeks or so with no luck. Ive tried Mam,nuk (latex teat),avent,tommee tipee and the one that she seems to have taken the most is the asds own brand wide neck teats (they fit my mam bottles).
She has refused for hubby & other friends and family whilst ive been out of the room or house. Have tried different positions too.
Ive tried a sippy cup but she doesnt take much and still getting the hang of it.
I dont mind feeding her a bit longer but really want established on bottles and i am ready to stop bfing altogether,but she clearly isnt! Our bf journey has been great so far,shes been the textbook baby with no latch issues,no reflux,good weight gain etc but now i am really beginning to resent it. I feel so guilty but know its better all round if i can get a break so her dad or someone else can give her a bottle.
It is a bit easier now we are weaning on to solids but we gave got into the habit of feeding to sleep and for the past few weeks she has been waking 2 hourly (worse than newborn days!)for a nurse and im utterly exhausted. I know bottles may not help the sleep issue but at least her dad can help out. She is cutting her first tooth and thankfully i havent felt it yet with bfing.
I have a 19 month old too and want to take him out of childcare an extra day or two but its hard when my baby girl just wants nursed to sleep for naps.
I know the sleep issue is separate so dont want to ramble about it but am considering gentle sleep solutions for that.
Has anyone any advice how to get her on to bottles? I was consdering buying minbie teats to try....
Someone suggested lemon juice on nipples but dont know if i could do that!
Ive asked the HV for advice but she just said do whats best....??? I dont know whats best! The bf group i went to made me feel bad for wanting to stop bfing,saying clearly baby isnt ready and wouldnt be fair to her to stop.....
Just worried its affecting my mental health so hoping for some useful tips,sorry for long post,thanks
Xx

Is it out of exhaustion you want to stop?could you get a breast pump and Express your milk into a bottle to help ease the transition?x

I’d give cheap supermarket bottles a try, or Boots as they’ve got a narrow teat so a very different shape. They’re be only bottles one of mine would take & at least they’re cheap so worth a go. I’d also persevere with different cups.

I went back to work at 6 months and was worried about how DD would drink milk during the day at nursery since she was a bottle refuser. I guess from a combination of nursery magic and necessity, she did start to accept them once she went to nursery, despite showing really no signs of doing so before. Minbie didn't work for us, the Lansinoh ones did, but every baby is different. In a way this made me feel more able to continue bf as I did get some freedom and I knew I could reliably leave her with someone. I would say just persist. The thing about babies is they change all the time! 4 months on btw and she drinks a lot less milk anyway and eats a lot more food, can drink water by herself from a cup etc. so I feel that she is even less dependent on me, and that's a weight off my mind. So again I'd say persist, hang in there, allow for some gradual changes and all will be OK.

Try feeding her the milk in a small plastic cup.

We tried every type of feeding cup available until we found one that DS1 could figure out - he used that one for a bit, then moved onto straw cups.

You could try a real cup as well - DS2 went straight to a real cup, he just seemed to naturally know how to get food into his mouth in a way DS1 didn't!

Another vote here for a cup. My boy didn't like bottles really and much preferred a cup. He used the ones with the silicone spouts - I can't remember what brand they were now. They sell them in supermarkets, boots etc though

John Lewis sell those teats that look and feel like real nipples. Not sure what the brand name is though

I , too, would go with a cup.

My bottle refuser eventually took a Minbie bottle at nursery.

No advice on stopping, but if you're suffering don't worry what other people think, you need to look after yourself and your MH.

I’ve just got a Medela bottle to try and it’s meant to be similar to the nipple but she won’t take that, I’m going to keep trying but she has a cold so not sure it’s the best timing. It’s so hard my DD is nearly 6 months and like you I just want her to be able to take milk from someone other than me! If you find a magic solution let me know. I’m just going to preserve trying this bottle for a week.

I had a bottle refuser too and he did eventually take to the minbie (after trying every brand out there £££!) but the really key is persistence x

Thanks for you replies everyone. Ive ordered lansinoh teats as they will fit my mam bottles and only a fiver for two. We will see how we get on. Ill persevere foe another month. If bottles fail i have a few cups to try her with.
Im just exhausted now with the bfing and in a selfish way want my body back and be able to wear clothes without thinking can i feed in them. Im proud we have made it this far but ready to wean now.x