8mo has started refusing a bottle

[crystal_buffaloe]

I returned to work at 3 months PP, and my DD took a bottle, reluctantly at first, then with gusto. Once, she at 10 ounces while I was away for 4 hours (and then I had a talk with my sister about how to support breastfeeding when she babysits). Since 3 months, she only has a bottle when I'm away from her -- usually for 5 hours 4 days per week -- so she'd take one bottle, occasionally two, and generally 4-6 ounces total.

I was off for one month over Christmas, and she didn't have any bottles at all over that time. Now that I'm back at work, she's started refusing the bottle/waiting for me to get home. She's had 4 ounces from a bottle this whole week, and nothing at all today, when I was gone from 1:30 to 6:20. She was asleep from 2-4, but that's still a long time to go without eating. She eats about every two hours when I'm at home, and I'm not too keen on the idea of reverse cycling.

Do you have any tips to help her get back on the bottle?

Is it a problem that she's not eating while I'm at work? Could it affect her weight gain? (She doesn't eat very much solid food and she's not a large baby.)

And finally, does not taking a bottle when I'm away lead to more waking at night?

[Marissamom]

5 hours isn't a hugely long time for an 8 month old to go without a bottle (especially if she's eating any solid foods in that time), it shouldn't do her any harm, but I would expect more nursing throughout the rest of the day. I don't think it will really affect her sleep, because you are only gone half-days. when I was working full time when DD was 9 months she would only take one 5-6 oz bottle the entire 9-10 hours I was gone, and had the same amount of night-wakings, she would just nurse a lot in the morning and after I got home. 

[crystal_buffaloe]

The thing is, she was already eating about every 2 hours during the day before she decided she didn't need a bottle while I was gone. Would she just eat more frequently than that?

She was also up about every 2 hours last night, which is not usual for her, but I guess that could just be a coincidence.

I'm just reallly not thrilled about her going her 5-hour stretch without eating while I'm at work, and not while I'm asleep, IFKWIM.