would a different bottle help?

[seafox]

I went back to work this week - will be working 4 days a week while the mr. is home w/ our three-month old. He 'takes' a bottle, but is drinking *way* less from it then he needs in the 8 hour day - the first day he drank 4oz, second day 5oz, we are hoping for more today but he really isn't liking milk delivered that way. When I get home he nurses fine - I guess he must be taking in more to make up for it but its not easy for me to tell.

Anyway, we are just using the medela bottles. Its not like he is refusing them - just only taking an oz at a time and only if he's super hungry. Once he takes 1oz and DH burps him, he refuses any more.

DH also doesn't seem to like the medela bottles that much either - screwing on the nipple is tricky and can make it leak (sounds like a lot of bottles have this issue though!) so I was thinking of maybe trying a new bottle, and maybe something more breast like would make DS take more at a time? or is he old enough to know really its not a breast and being more breast like won't help?

so
a) would a different bottle make him eat more or will he just learn to eat more as this schedule plays out? (breastflow comes to mind?)

and
b) if we just get different bottles so we don't have the leakiness hassle, what do folks recommend? I was thinking the sassy mam's or maybe born free? I have dr brown bottles too that seem less leaky, so we could try those. The nipples aren't quite as wide as the medela ones, and even the medela's are narrower than widemouth bottles - born free/avent/etc.

I wish *I* was the IT consultant that could work during naps/evenings/etc instead of my husband so I could stay home but my work requires a lab, etc., so I have to be here. At least I've negotiated for one day at home a week!

[phrogger]

How much is he getting at night (like is he nursing all night?) cause if you think about it, when babies this age sttn (the few that do) they are going 6 hours with nothing, so 5 oz in 8 hours then him eatting at night like he would if you were home all day might be ok if you are ok with being attached to a nursing baby all night long. Otherwise, maybe try a different bottle. My baby uses the soothies bottle and pacifiers when he takes a bottle and that boy will guzzle down 4 oz in less then 5 minutes with that thing.

[seafox]

he used to nurse at 8pm, 10/11pm (when I went to bed), 3am, 5am. Now w/ him not eating much all day he had added back in a 1:30am nursing, but actually didn't do that last night. I thought if he truly was reverse cycling he'd sleep more during the day tho? he's not doing that . . .

[KangaTwo]

DS keeps changing his mind. We were using Playtex disposables, then DS had whooping cough and didn't want anything to do with bottles (or the same milk in a sippy or a medicine dropper). MIL got a hold of one of my old Medela bottles with an orthodontic nipple and he started eating again. Then, she's been gone on vacation this last week, and my mom couldn't get DS to hardly eat with that same nipple. So she pulled out some bottles she had at her house, that had long narrow nipples. DS eats again! So I'm taking some of those to MIL when he goes again on Monday.

[cdmommie]

I am watching a baby durring the day 3 days a week that is breastfed when mom is with him. He refused to eat from the bottle the first couple days until he was starving. Then he started this ounce or two here and there thing. (I wanted to ask if I could just nurse him for goodness sake but don't know the mom well and am embarassed). Anyway, today I noticed that if the bottle is super warm he takes more, but as soon as it cools down ANY at all he spits it out and won't take it. Perhaps see if your DH is getting it warm enough.

[Carita]

my ds would only use a wide mouth bottle Dr. Browns bottle in the early days and we eventually transistioned him to the medela by using the Dr. Brown's standard nipple instead of the medela. I think I have also heard some moms that they rave about Adiri sp? - anyway - I think the wide moth is easier for them to "latch."

our babies can be so picky!!! LOL

[Anastasiya]

We love the Adiri bottles. They are the ONLY bottles my boys would take. (DD wasn't so picky.)

The Adiris are very soft and lots of the bottle can be drawn into the mouth rather than just the nipple like with some bottles. They also help the latch stay the same when switching between bottle & breast.

DH runs the bottle under hot water before giving it to DS3 so it's warm like me. And he started eating 5 ounces, now he's up to 6. Not too impressive. He has one bottle a day when I'm working and I come home at noon to nurse him. He won't tolerate more than just that one bottle - and he can't be cradled when eating with DH, either (apparently cradling is reserved just for MY arms!) DH has to sit him on his lap and face him away from him.

If you do get Adiri, I recommend the white bottle. Blue tends to choke them unless they are very fast eaters, and orange - well - it'll drown them! Waaay too fast.