Introducing a bottle

[livinthedream1995]

My 11 week old has been EBF since day 5 (was FF but changed my mind once my milk came in). Prior to breastfeeding he was very difficult to get milk into and was admitted for treatment for jaundice on day 2, likely cos he wasn’t taking a decent amount of milk (it was a total battle to get even 30mls in him and they said he should of been having 40-50mls per feed). Since moving to breastfeeding, we’ve had no issues and he has been gaining weight well.

We’ve started to introduce a bottle of formula after his bath. Reason being I never planned to EBF him after having no choice but to EBF my middle child until he turned 1 as he wouldn’t take bottles, cups, formula or expressed milk so even though I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. I don’t want to breastfeed for that long again. So wanted to start getting him used to taking formula and bottles so I can move to weaning him off the boob when I’m ready.

The last 3 nights he’s taken a bottle of formula but only 2-3oz, so not really a full feed. I’ve still had to feed him afterwards as he’s refused any more of the bottle but is still hungry or wanting comfort maybe.

If we keep going with this, will he start to gradually take more at this feed? I’m feeling a bit of deja vu and am worried I’m going to be still breastfeeding in 9 months time when I know I kind of want to be done by 6 months.

Any advice welcome! Thanks x

Bump

Hi I was in the same position when I had my first she refused bottles was a nightmare and had to EBF for over 2 years.
Anyway, formula is a lot heavier than breast milk so he might only have 2-3 to start with and I imagine the wanting breast afterwards is for comfort. I would just keep offering the bottle even with expressed milk aswell she how that goes.
Try not to worry to much at the moment he's only 11 weeks and not all babies are boob fiends 😂

Will he take a dummy? Can his Dad give him the bottle? I gave a bottle of f a day to my dd but started very early (for the same reasons as you)and at first she took absolutely tiny amounts and gradually built up to a 6oz bottle.

@Winnie87 were going to continue to offer definitely. He’s taken bottles of expressed milk a couple of times for my nan when I’ve had to go to hospital for treatments and he took more like 4oz, but as you said formula is heavier so makes sense he took more expressed milk. My middle child is very stubborn by nature anyway, he’s no different now at 20 months. I’m hoping my youngest isn’t quite as strong willed about having milk from the source and the source only hahah

@InDubiousBattle no dummy, tried from birth and have tried several times since. He’s taken it maybe 3 times but 99% of the time screws his face up and spits it out. My middle child was the same but suddenly took it at 3ish months. I kept persevering with middle as he screamed the moment he got in the car and often for entire car journeys with the exception of the odd time that he’d conk out and go to sleep, so wanted him to have a dummy to try and make car journeys less stressful (didn’t work at all). However he’s so attached to dummies now and I dread the day it’s time to give them up. So that plus the fact youngest isn’t interested, I’ve stopped offering one. Dad tried to give him a bottle the other day and he was less than impressed, but my mum managed to get him to take 2oz today so that’s something! Dads going to try again tomorrow.