how to successfully introduce bottle, FAST?

[dagny.galt]

My 2.5 mo has been EBF, but I need to introduce a bottle FAST, and need any tips for making it as painless as possible.

I found out yesterday that I need to have a procedure done to eradicate a bunch of stones in my left kidney, and after going through 5 days of pure misery this weekend passing one 5mm stone, I need to have it done sooner than later. I can't afford for another to try to pass (or, gods forbid, get stuck!!) while I'm waiting, especially since my dh is away from home and won't be able to help with our 3 boys should I have another ER-necessary attack.

My dh had this procedure done a few years ago with an 8mm stone, so I sort of know what's going to happen, and there will be quite a few hours where I'll be completely unavailable for nursing during the procedure, possibly several more after while I'm recovering from the anesthesia. I've seen the "if you can hold the baby, you can nurse" advice/info, but I'm not sure I'll be recovered enough to make that possible right away. I'm planning for worst-case scenarios, here.

I already have a Lansinoh double-electric pump, and after lunch today I tried it out. (I've only pumped before this to relieve a stubborn plugged duct, and I dumped the milk after.) I got 2.5 ounces with my ds nursing on the other side. Since he usually takes only one side per feeding, I should be able to pump the opposite side at least a few feedings a day without much trouble to build up a stash.

The big question is...how do I get him to take the bottle? My first ds would not take a bottle ever. We tried everything, all the different brands of bottle/nipple, different temps, different times of day, me out of the house, me in the house, etc. etc. etc. If it wasn't from the tap, he didn't want it at all.

If this were a one-time thing, I'd try non-bottle options, but there are also some events coming up in the next few months where I'll need to be separated from ds for short periods of time, so it's better to get him taking something other than me now, assuming I can.

Any advice, tips, anything?

ETA: I will have to do this alone, since dh is away and I don't have any friends/family to help. That means no leaving the baby with some bottles of EBM at gram's house or wherever and going someplace else for a while...he'll have to take the bottle offered by me.

[HappyMommy2]

My DD never took a bottle. Since you are just talking about one occasion for several hours, you might have the caregiver offer either a spoon or a small medicine dropper full of milk. That is what finally worked for us.

[Ruthla]

I would simply leave the ebm in a bottle with the baby and the trusted caregiver when you go into surgury. I'd also leave a few different kinds of bottles (or at least nipples) and some other feeding devices (an oral sringe and a medicine cup, both of which can be used for dosing medicine later) just in case.

Let them figure it out together. You don't need to ever expect your baby to take ebm from any kind of container when you're home, and certainly not from you personally.

You worry about building up a stash. It's not unreasonable to also buy a package of formula to keep in the cabinet JIC (as long as you can trust the caregive to use ebm first and only use formula if it's absolutely necessary!) But you don't personally need to worry about the bottle stuff. Your baby might get uncomfortably hungry and irritable, but he or she won't starve.

[MamaPhD]

DH tried this but you might as well. The idea was to introduce bottle feeding as a new, exciting(?), different activity than a normal eating at the boob. So, this way, baby doesn't feel like he is missing the boob, but it's a kind of a game or something extra. DH put DD in baby bjorn, facing out, and walked up and down the hallway. DD was sort of intriqued and confused what the heck was going on but did take some breastmilk from bottle.

[buttercups.nest]

My little girl would not take a sippy cup...at about a year I was trying to get her off the bottle and onto a sippy cup. Instead of putting her milk into the cup and getting her to drink out of it, I'd just leave a bunch around the house in amongst her toys (with water in it) and let her explore it. It didn't take her long to start drinking from them!

Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

[Viola]

One thing I would try is offering the bottle before he seems really hungry. My first daughter took a bottle once when she really hungry early on, but once the breastfeeding relationship was well established, she would just cry through attempts to give her a bottle. But when it was offered before she started showing all the signs of wanting to nurse, it went better.

[dagny.galt]

Thanks for the ideas, ladies.

I tried the bottle yesterday afternoon during one of ds's usual "snacky" feeding times. He was confused, and not too happy until I warmed the milk more (it wasn't quite warm enough the first try) but he did figure out that it was momma juice eventually and took most of the bottle. I'm jumping for joy now....if he keeps this up, we might avoid all the misery we had with our first when he wouldn't take anything but momma. : I might have been worried for nothing!

Thanks again!