help! she wont take a bottle

[inky leeuhhh]

i unexpectedly have to go back to work and we cannot get dd to take a bottle AT ALL. we have tried everything. leaving her with someone else to give it, etc. she will take some off a spoon or from a dropper when she isnt too hungry but when it comes down to her being hungry those things will not do. she wants mommy. im supposed to start work the week of dec 1. she will be 8 mos old then. she takes solids 2x per day, and will take a few sips from a sippy but not much. i will hopefully be able to go feed her on my lunch breaks. i left her for a while with dh and hid out here in the comp room while he tried to give her a bottle, and her crying was just breaking my heart. i cant imagine her doing that in a daycare all day long . if i dont work, we are going to use up our entire savings between now and her being a year old and big enough to eat solids during the day. does anyone have any ideas? would she maybe get used to just nursing at lunch time and having the occasional sip from the sippy with a meal? i am so heartbroken about having to go back to work in the first place, this is just making it so much harder. any advice of thoughts would be appreciated.

[LadyCatherine185]

I would suggest working more with the sippy cup rather than the bottle. I think this worked well for DS because he doesn't have to suck as much, so he doesn't associate drinking from a sippy with comfort sucking, like with a bottle.. does that make sense? Since the bottle is a fake nipple, it was like a replacement for the breast, and he would have none of that. Since a cup is, well, a cup, it didn't seem to have the same effect.

I'm sorry you are in this situation. I wish you all the best!

[HappyMommy2]

OMG - Mama - I have totally been in your place. My DD never took a bottle. I think yours will be ok. Just expect a TON of nursing right after you pick her up from daycare. Things will work out!

How old is she? It is going to be ok. You are doing the right thing by your family.

[isabellamirac]

I'd try a cup at this age, or even a straw. Good luck!

[Super~Single~Mama]

I can relate!! My son HATES bottles, sippy cups (with milk), regular cups, spoons, ANYTHING when it has milk in it! As long as its filled with water or something other than milk he will take it. But milk? No way, no how.

He does fine though. He nurses a TON when I get home from school though, and more at night that he did before I went back to school.

If you can nurse her on your lunch break, and thats her lunch, and then she has solids midway through morning, and for an afternoon snack she'll probably be ok. You will have to nurse her before putting her in the car to go home though - the moment I walk in the door after school Lincoln is practically ripping my shirt off!

Good luck!

[inky leeuhhh]

thanks you guys. i was able to get her to drink a bunch from an eye dropper while sitting in the high chair. im crossing my fingers that between this and the fact that she loves her solids she will be ok. she would be in daycare i think from 7:30- 3:00, then with dh till i got home around 5:00. so away from me quite a while. im going to leave the house for a few hrs tomorrow so dh can work on it with her. i will feel so much better knowing this is somewhat resolved before i go back to work. i dont care how much she nurses when i get home as long as i know she is ok during the day. there are several home daycares near where ill be working, so im hoping to get one ill be able to travel to on my lunch. i worked SO hard at bfing this kid, the thought of anything messing it up really kills me. i didnt bf dd1 because of body image issues, and it took so much to overcome those issues so i could bf dd2. now it is going really great and i love our nursing relationship .

[pumpkinhead]

Try a sippy with the valve taken out. You can dribble milk into her mouth until she gets the hang of sucking to get it. My babies would not take a bottle if i was anywhere they could see me. Someone else had to give it, it had to be very, very, warm and they'd usually mess around with it for a good 5 minutes before sucking it back.

Try not to stress. The chances are good that her care giver can get enough milk into her with a sippy, spoon etc. to keep her hydrated while you're away from her and then she'll marathon nurse when you're back together .

[kryztuh]

excess lipase?

DS also refused my milk in any container and it turns out I have excess lipase in my milk. I tasted samples every half hour and at 6 hours, it starts to be funky. DS rejects my pumped milk unless I scald it immediately after pumping.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. I wish I had tried a bottle sooner because I ended up not being able to use my entire freezer stash.

If you haven't already, pump and taste your milk the next day to see if it still tastes fresh. You can also search for lipase, I know I've seen other threads about it. Good luck!

[peainthepod]

Have DH or someone who isn't you (because she'll probably always prefer it straight from the tap) hold her upright and facing out. They should walk forward (laps around the house are fine) while gently holding the bottle to her lips. Chances are good that the babe will start drinking from the bottle immediately. The key is the motion of walking forward while being upright.

I don't know why this works, but it worked for my son (I had to leave him with DH for short periods of time so I could go to doctor's appointments and such) and like five of our friends' babies. Good luck! I know it's miserable.

Edited to add: You should also not be in the room or audibly nearby while they try this the first few times. The baby should think she's alone with the bottle-feeding caregiver.