I have to have surgery on Wednesday, and will be spending 24 hours in the hospital. My 3 month old baby will be staying at home with my husband. She will have to take a bottle (formula--I don't have stored breastmilk). I did a trial run tonight at one of her feedings, and she cried and refused the bottle!! What do I do?? HELP!!
Hi--
I would pump as much as you can. Worst case scenario, a friend of mine's Mom had to spoon feed the baby breast milk. I know she's not eating solids yet, but you could probably use a syringe to get it in her mouth. However ,if you're not there, there really is a good chance baby will take the milk from Daddy in the bottle. I would try to make it breast milk if you can--even if you mix it with the formula. It might help.
J.
You have some time to pump a little bit, even if it is by hand. That might help. Make sure you are not trying to give her the bottle so she isn't mad about it (she knows what's what). If she won't take the bottle he can try a cup, a medicine dropper, a spoon, etc. She will not starve even if they have a miserable 24 hours away from you. Try not to stress too much since you will need to be resting and they will survive and she will not remember this at all. Leave something with your smell on it for then to snuggle with, like a blanket or t-shirt. Hope everything goes smoothly!
Oh, and if your husband is trying, it really might help for him to feed her without a shirt or to open his shirt--babies need that skin-to-skin contact and it might help her relax more and take the bottle.
She probably fought you as much as she did since she could smell the real deal right there. My twins were breastfed, and when I went back to work they fought the bottle like crazy even though it was still breastmilk. My husband would "force" them to take it. Basically he would keep offering it until they stopped crying and would eat. Sometimes it would take a few seconds, sometimes minutes. But, he was persistent.
Good luck with the surgery!
you can rent a pump from the hospital and just pump some milk for storage...that way your hubby can feed her breastmilk and he can sprinkle a little of the milk on the nipple so she can smell it. trust me = they can smell that stuff from a mile away!
I agree with Carrie, let your husband do it and make sure you leave the room. I got my young one to adjust by feeding her the bottle when she wasn't necessarily hungry. That way she didn't flip out on me.
"The happiest baby on the block" (GREAT BOOK) book talks about the 5 "S's" one of which is sucking and he says in regards to trying to help baby from spitting out a pacifier PULL it out of the mouth and they will naturally want to suck on it. Just a thought that this would work with the bottle too. My first didn't like pacifiers and although I hardly ever used a bottle (nursed for over 2 years) she would take it. She was also 3 mos when I went in to have my gallbladder removed. Good luck with everything and a speedy recovery!
Let your husband do it- leave the room or house. We also tried to replicate how he ate with me- i.e. on a pillow(boppy). It was never easy or pretty... but they got through it!
not going to repeat the other 2 responses..both good btw...but also there are bottles with nipples very similar to the breast. Good luck with your surgery & have a speedy recovery.
I wouldn't stress too much. It probably would help a little to have someone other than you give her the bottle...but, even if she screams and cries...it really won't cause any long lasting trauma. Tho' it may not happen until she's really hungry...she won't starve. It may never be her ideal source (it never was for any of mine...who wants rubber, when you can have nice warm flesh?)...but...like I said...she won't starve :). Just be glad it's only 24 hours!
Can your husband bring baby to you after your surgery and stay the night with you so that you can nurse? Most hospitals will let you do this if you express your wishes. Otherwise, spoon or syringe are viable alternatives to the bottle, too. The hospital should be able to provide you with a hospital grade pump for your stay if baby can't come to you so you could pump and have a friend bring the milk to your husband. You're going to have to pump anyways so that you don't become engorged and get plugged ducts or mastitis. You could also call La Leche League for other ideas. Good luck!
i found my 4 month old will only take a bottle if the contents are warmed. she refuses the bottle at room temperature but if i put the bottle in hot water for 5 minutes she sucks it down (test the temperature of the liquid before giving it to your baby of course!!!)
J.,
Good luck! With it all. I've never had that problem before so I have very little advice, my best advice would be.... My sister in law's 3 month old eventually took a bottle from someone else when she returned from work... it was hard and he cried a lot and ate very little, but he eventually decided he'd try it. Still preferred mommy to bottle. He's 3 now and doing fine. My friend Karen has had to feed her babies when they are sick with syringes... TORTURE for everyone, but if that is how they will swallow at all, then that is how it's done at her house!! When she's doing this, I leave, I can't handle it... I'm so sappy!! :) My older sister is trying to wean her 9 month old, he weighs almost 22 pounds now and is eating food and doing quite well, but won't take a bottle... or a sippy.... That one has no answers, mom is best for him. Heaven help her! :)
Good luck on your surgery!!
V.
So this is just a thought. My daughter refused a bottle from me because she knew the boobs were there! See if your husband can get her to drink out of a bottle and you leave the room. Maybe also pump a little and mix it in with the formula? Good luck!
I say relax. Most BF'ed babies will not take a bottle from MOM or if MOM is in the house even. Most will take it from dad tho. She might fuss some and at first reject it but I have never seen or heard of a 3 month old not taking one for a full 24 hours. Dad will just have t take his time in getting her to take it. With my niece I just kept squirting the formula from the bottle into her mouth until she got the hint it was food. Then she drank some.
Try to pump as much as you can, so he can mix it half and half to help ease into the taste of it. Keep offering it over the next couple of days, and let her get hungry, do not just give in. Once she is hungry enough she should be willing to try. Make sure you have a slow flow nipple meant for new babies.
