Bottle Misery

I used Dr. Brown's bottles, so maybe you could give them a try. My son took a bottle at 3 weeks. I alternated breast and bottle due to working and he took to it well. I tried a few other bottles, but this is the one he liked. All the best!

My suggestion is to try and give her a bottle at a different feeding when she is hungry. Maybe before or after a nap? Also take some of the breastmilk and rub it on the nipple of the bottle before sticking it in her mouth. I experienced the same problem with my daughter and all I can say is persistence pays off. Good luck!!

I suggest giving yourself a much needed break some afternoon when your hubby is home. Make sure that you are gone for hours so your daughter not only knows that you are not there, but is quite hungry too, then have your hubby feed her. While you are around, she knows she can refuse the bottle and you will give in (this is by no means bad, but it is going to make it harder). She may still have some problems with your hubby feeding her, but if she knows that you haven't been there in a while and may not be coming back for awhile, hunger will get the best of her. It may seem mean, but I guarantee that once you are gone, she does much better with the bottles.

I know a lot of moms that have tried every nipple on the market before finding the right one. When we transitioned our 9 mo old we ended up just going with those cheap take & toss sippy cups. Try taking a walk when your husband feeds her. There is nothing worse than leaking all over yourself while your kid is crying and trying not to scoop her up and just feed her. Once you get her on a bottle, keep it up at least once a day so that she stays comfortable with it.

I don't have a sure-fire answer. Only sympathy. We're trying to do this too. My daughter took a bottle through week 8, but then we didn't give it to her for a while and now she will only take the breast. I have done a lot of reading on this and it seems that evening time is NOT a good time to do it. They also recommend that mom not be in the house. I have also read, like you that it should be when the baby isn't too hungry - but I'm starting to wonder if the exact opposite isn't true (I don't think I have the courage let her get that hungry anyway). One mom online suggested inserting your finger with the nipple to get the baby sucking and then slowly withdrawing the finger. Another suggestion is to experiment with nipple flow rather than nipple shape. You could try expressing some milk to see what your stream flow looks like and then select a nipple with a corresponding flow level. Avent nipples have significantly different flow rates. Dad should sit in a different location in the house from where you normally nurse. Dad could try wearing one of your dirty, milky shirts - (if you're a leaker like me). Also, I have read that you shouldn't try for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time, otherwise the baby gets too worked up and frustrated. Give the baby a break and come back to it once they are calm again...say another 5 or 10 minutes. You might leave the house for a 3 or 4 hour window to give Dad a better shot at it. We have taken a short break from this because we needed to address some sleep issues first and we didn't want to push our daughter to learn too many things at once. Good Luck!

My son did the same thing and Dr. brown's bottles ended up working the best! Good luck.

My guess is that you're just training her to cry for 30 minutes to get what she REALLY wants. :) Don't give in. Pick an "easy flow" nipple for whatever bottle you're using, to let her know that milk comes out of these (you'll want to go back to the more difficult flow nipple once she gets the hang of this, until she's a little older). And that's what she has to use. She won't starve herself. And, you might even try giving it to her yourself. She's used to getting her milk from you, not from dad. Yes, she might expect the breast but you can give her the bottle. Hope this helps. Just stick with it! Good luck! :)

I give my son the Breastflow bottle by The First Years. They are made for breastfed babies. You can buy them at Babies R Us. Or order online. I bought my first ones on ebay brandnew.
My son latched on right away but I made the mistake of giving him a bottle (he had jaundice). He would not nurse anymore (this was all in the first week). I read about the Breastflow bottle and ordered it. He drank from it and then latched back onto me perfectly! These bottles are awesome and we used them a lot during the first 6 months. He is 9 months old now and rarely drinks from the bottle but when I do need to give it to him he has no problems going back and forth.

You can try poking tiny holes with a pin into the bottle nipple to better imitate how it flows from your breast. If you still have problems before returning to work, I would highly recommend hiring a lactation consultant or visiting a breastfeeding clinic. What you pay her will save you lots in the long run.

my 7 week girl wouldn't take any "special'' bottles. we finally tried one of the cheap "regular" nipples and she took right to it! I still breastfeed her too... no nipple confusion at all.

I would choose a bottle with a nipple that is clsoest to the breast nipple (the fatter, shorter, wider ones). I would graduate to trying more than once a day. I would try EVERY feeding so she knows that this is the new and only option. If she cries I would put her in her crib for a few minutes to collect myself and breath and then try again. You might want to try pushing her feedings a little later than usual as well so she is more hungry and might be more willing to take the milk in the form you are giving her without the pickiness. I am not talking hours but push it back 15 minutes. Also, make sure the milk in the bottle is warm enough for her liking. When it comes from the body it is warm so making the bottle milk warm creates less differentiation. You guys will find your rhythm!

I had a friend go through the same thing you are describing and her baby wouldn't eat the entire time she was left with the sitter while the mom went to work. After continually being offered the bottle, she finally drank from it a couple of weeks after initially being offered it. I think it just takes time to adjust. I don't know if I'd try to feed her with the bottle on the last feeding of the night b/c you don't want her to wake up at night hungry earlier if she doesn't take the bottle. Whatever you do, you have to be consistent. Try for 30 minutes, then have your husband take her on a walk for a while. Come back, and try it again. I think you're doing well by not being in the same room with them though. That would probably just make things a lot harder. I hope it gets easy soon!

It's not easy. My daughter never did take a bottle. I wasn't home when she was offered a bottle and never took to it. SHe ended up going from breast to a cup at 7 months. Good Luck.

we spent big bucks on all the fanciest bottles and nipples and found the good old gerber "nuk" nipple (cheap) was our son's preferred non-breast option..

I loved the playtex nurser with the collapsible bag, so you don't have to tilt back. Have your husband face your baby away, not cradled like she is going to nurse. Facing away walking around would be great. Like she is in a bjorn facing out. So she isn't expecting the breast.

The "MAM" brand bottles, are great!
And it is BPA free.
They are often used in Europe. I've seen them there more.
You can get it on Amazon.
My breastfed son LOVED it, and it does not accumulate air bubbles in the bottle as they drink.
It is cute, BPA free, sold in singles or 3 packs and is great!
LOVE those bottles.

good luck,
Susan

I have a 9 week old also! =) I breastfeed so I don't have any bottle advice but I think that by the time you go to work, she will be used to it. I think everything will work out fine no matter which way you go... good luck to you and congratulations!