Hi all,
I went back to work today and my 8week old refused the bottle. She nurses on demand when i am home. She has taken a bottle about 6 times over the past three weeks. My husband is a stay at home dad luckily and was able to bring her to work today to nurse. Unfortunately I work 45 mins from home so it is not practical to do this 5 days a week.
We have tried different types of bottles, her position, warming the nipple of the bottle and giving it when she is sleepy, just waking and fully awake. Nothing seems to be helping her figure out hey you need to take this bottle. There is no rhym or reason to it. I hate wasting all this milk on bottles that get thrown out.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Today wasn't any better. I ended up staying home for a different reason. My husband attempted to give the bottle but she wouldn't take it and the moment she started to fuss handed her to me. Feeling very discouraged. We also tied latex nipples with the cheap Gerber bottles and also a Nuk bottle. I am going to pump and just wait her out tomorrow or until she finally gives in. It is going to be a loud house the next few days
Thank you all for your suggestions.
Could be too high of a flow nipple. Try some other bottles/nipples.
The good old Gerber bottles & nipples were preferred my my son over all the pricey, trendy ones.
See what happens tonight and tomorrow. She may need to realize you won't be there, she may reverse cycle, she may even need to be dropper or spoon fed. Kelllymom.com is a great nursing resource. Remember that bottles at this age do not need to be big. 2oz is fine. In fact, my DD never took more than 5 in any one feeding the entire time I pumped. Unlike with formula, your milk adjusts to be fattier over time. Hang in there. It's a lot of changes for everyone, but she can adjust. Also, don't warm it in the microwave or shake it. Swirl if necessary, and warm it with warm water instead, to prevent hot spots.
Are you giving her breast milk or formula in the bottle? If breast milk, I would say to freeze in small amounts so you don't waste it. Put a little breast milk on her lips with a finger, then put a little on the outside of the bottle nipple, then put the nipple in her mouth. You might have to do this a couple of times. See if she reacts to being skin-to-skin too - if your husband can put her against his chest, or even against a shirt that you just wore (such as your pajama top) it might help to recreate the situation she has with you and your breast.
If formula, mix it with 3/4 breast milk to start, then down to half and half, then 1/4, then all formula. If you can pump at work (not ideal, I know), you can store the milk in a fridge and bring it home in a small cooler.
I think she just wasn't used to the bottle before you went back to work - 6 times in 3 weeks just wasn't enough. I know you wanted to get her fed and you didn't want to fight her that much especially in the first few weeks of life!
Hang in there!
This happened with all my children. The first two, just went to nipple only after one or two months, but my last child, we breastfead for a long time.
I would change nipple too, your daughter has to adjust and that does take a little time. I know it's frustrating because with my youngest my husband too stayed home and was about to go crazy because our son wasn't taking the bottle. A baby will be hungry enough that they will eventually do it. I can't remember the brand of nipples I did end up with, it was 8 years ago, but they worked so good. Also the ones that the milk comes out easier so he didn't have to suck the nipple to get as much worked better for him.
Hang in there, tell your husband to hang in there. She will cry, I promise you that. You have to give her some time to adjust, she will eat if she's hungry, then she may even prefer the bottle over the breast and you will go through more emotions then. I remember my husband saying that he couldn't do it, and I said he had too. The first few days are the hardest.
R.
Welcome to mamapedia!!
Congratulations on your baby!!
Your daughter will NOT allow herself to starve. She will take a bottle eventually, she's used to the breast. It's a transition. You will still pump and leave the milk for your husband.
If you are giving her formula after breast feeding? Yeah - there's a HUGE difference and it might taste bad to her. So pump and build up your supply and trust your husband to take care of her...what you can also do is tell your husband to relax. Your baby will be picking up on his stress as well.
Breathe. You will get through this!
We talked about this last night at a Breast Feeding USA meeting, look for a local breastfeeding support group. Breast Feeding USA or Le Leche League have breast counselers that can assist with any issues. What was suggested last night was to look for alternative forms online, medical syringe, spoon, etc Hang in there I am sure you will find something that will work. Also consider different types of bottles depending on the flow and nipple size.
As Wild Woman said...when she's hungry enough, she'll take the bottle. She's refusing right now because she'll get what she wants if she holds out long enough.
Keep offering the bottle and stop accommodating her. She'll figure it out pretty quickly.
Neither one of my kids would take a bottle. Ever. They screamed until they fell asleep and then woke up screaming. When they were itty bitty and it was needed, we fed with a small medicine cup (like spoon feeding), as suggested by our pediatrician. It was a complete mess, but it worked. Pretty quickly, we were able to switch to sipply cups, the soft spout kind with the stoppers removed. Again, messy, but it worked. Good side effect is that both of our kiddos were pretty proficient with cups at an early age.
I suggest making smaller bottles like and oz or two until she finds a bottle she likes. And then try playtex drop ins in with thr natural nipples. They are more like mom's milk flow.
