DD won't take bottle

[GolfAddict]

DD is 7 wks old and has been EBF her whole life. But I have to go back to work on Monday and she isn't taking a bottle.

We live at least 45 min away from my work. The only daycare close enough to work that I could take breaks and feed her is $285/wk...ridiculous.

I have tried 5 different bottles and will be getting a Mimijumi in the mail today to try. She has taken a Tommee Tippee from grandma the very first time and 1 oz from a Born Free from me. I know I wasn't supposed to give her bottle but I'm getting desperate and thought maybe she would take it from me. I stopped at an oz thinking she's finally got it so why finish the bottle and possibly cause confusion. But she wouldn't take it later that night from DH or MIL.

I'm not sure if it's latching problems or behavioral. I do feel like she couldn't latch to some of them well. But fact that she took two different nipples makes me think it is more behavioral. And I say "behavioral" for lack of better term. I'm wondering if it has to do with the other benefits and feelings she is getting from the breast - comfort, security, love, etc - that she knows she isn't getting with the bottle.

I'm dropping her off at the sitter's tonight to see is she has any luck.

Anybody have any suggestions/experiences?


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[bonamarq]

My dd was the same way - but she's now 7YEARS : ) so it was a long time ago - I do remember trying everything under the sun to get her to take one - but in the end I used my flexible job/schedule and just accepted it - she was then and continues to be a very persistent and strong willed child who KNOWS what she wants and doesn't - she DID NOT want the bottle...

I would keep trying and let the people who will be caring for her know how hard you have tried - It might take a while and be rough on everyone for a time - I have heard of babies just adjusting and making up for lost time by nursing all night long - so co-sleeping might be a help if you can do that? (I found it helpful but i could sleep through nursings and wanted to do it - but don't know your particular situation)

You are probably right in that dd just prefers nursing to the bottle and she is making her preferences very clear - whether she persists through long days at day care is another matter and it's very difficult for YOU to be the one to solve this -

In the end she may come to accept that at 'day care I have to accept this bottle' but always prefer to nurse with you - which is preferable to getting 'lazy' with the ease of the bottle and giving up on the nursing - so you could look at her strong preference as a GOOD thing : )

I tried many bottles and many 'expert feeders' - (my midwife even tried feeding her but couldn't get her to take one)

But I have to admit in my case, it was never a NECESSITY - I wish I had more tricks or answers to give you but I don't...

Good luck and be ready for a kiddo that know what she wants!

[Blanca78]

Not writing from personal experience, exactly, but I researched this a few weeks ago. Dr. Sears has some tips:http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/faq%E2%80%99s-about-milk-supply-and-breastfeeding-challenges/getting-baby-take-bottle

Also, I've heard some babies will take milk from medicine droppers if not a bottle. Or perhaps it's also a matter of more practice? (Not sure how long you've been trying)

[~Adorkable~]

I do tend to like the ones with the wide base, similar to the tommeetippee. We use the comotomo and it has thebenifit of being squeezable, so I can get the milk flowing for them. That might help convince her it's yummy.

Other than that have you ever tried a pacifier? I know o lot of folks talk bad about them but they have their uses, even in a very AP lifestyle. In this case it could let her play and get used to something new and different snapped in her mouth. I would stick to pretty symmetrical ones that are similar to bottle teets.

Once you find what works, make sure you use it once a day about, I have heard of too many folks just testing it once or twice and it not working later when they needed it because it was never part of the daily "normal"

Good luck, I'm sure it will be fine. Sounds like you have breastfeeding well established so please don't fret about that, millions of babies go back and forth everyday just fine.

[Adaline'sMama]

DD wouldnt take a bottle very well, but she would drink out of these bottles:
http://www.amazon.com/Adiri-Natural-Nurser-Ultimate-Bottle/dp/B000VUN41G

You can really only buy them online because the company is out of business. The top is silicone for the whole top 2.5 inches, which allows the baby to hold it and it moves, like a boob.

Are you there when Dh or MIL have tried? i have always had to be gone for DD to take a bottle.

[melon]

Ugh, I am having the same problem with my 11 week old. I haaaave to go back to work asap. I started a thread in Breastfeeding on it, if you want to see if any posted anything helpful there.

Thanks, Adaline's Mama, I just ordered one of those bottles.

[ZakareyasMama]

DS won't really take a bottle or a paci. He done both a couple of times but got pretty angry about it! He is older than your LO but he will drink from a sippy cup. I guess the shape is so completely different he's willing to give it a go. It may be worth trying if bottles fail... I know it must be stressful going back to work!

[Neuromancer]

My son was the same way at 7 weeks, when we started trying the bottle, and 9 weeks, when I went back to work three days a week. I had to go home on my lunchbreak to feed him most days for several weeks (30 minutes each way, so it really extended my break past what's technically allowed, but my boss was VERY understanding), and he also nursed much more in the evenings and overnight.  However, we kept trying bottles.  Dr. Brown's, Playtex with drop-ins, and Mimijumi (my favorite) were all no-gos.  The Playtex Ventaire with fast nipple FINALLY worked for us.  At first, he just "sort of" took it, but over a few days he really figured it out. Also, I know you're supposed to use a slow nipple under 3 months, but the "slow" seemed so much slower than my let-down.  And now, at 4 months, he's been taking a bottle well for my husband for several weeks.  Probably even a month or a little more.  He doesn't drink a lot -- maybe 8-9 oz. in the 8-9 hours I'm gone -- and he still nurses a lot after I get home, but he's happy most of the time and gaining weight well.  And solids will be here sooner than I think.  Don't be too hard on yourself.  My coworker's son NEVER took the bottle.  He fully reverse-cycled and wouldn't take the bottle while she wasn't there (I doubt they tried cup or spoon feeding, which is something I would have done if the bottling hadn't kicked in).  But he's a happy, healthy toddler now. 

I hope it works for you soon!

[crayfishgirl]

My DD (now 28 months) never took a bottle and caused me and my husband much anguish.  I probably spent over $100 obn different brands and nipples (including the Adiri...my boobs never looked like that!), and my husband tried different temps for the milk, positions, light and dark, cups and droppers, to no avail.  She would scream all. day. long (he is the at-home parent), and I ended up going home 2-3 times a day to feed her.  I live a mile from my office and was able to have flexibility with my work schedule (i.e. work from home and extend my work day), but I know this isn't an option for you given the distance.  Our ped insisted that she would eventually take a bottle, but the degree of her anguish was so extreme that we elected to accomodate her by adjusting my schedule (that, and I thought my husband was going to have a breakdown).

I know this isn't encouraging.  Like a PP mentioned (Hi Neuro!), I had a friend whose son reversed cycled, which worked well from a feeding standpoint, but had other challenges in that she got even less sleep than a mama of an infant might otherwise get.

I hope that your daughter accepts one once you return to work....I know how stressful it is!

[Skippy918]

I'm in the same boat.  DD won't take a bottle or a paci and I go back to work in a month.  I also have a long commute so going to the daycare for feedings is not an option. 

[caseykn]

My DD2 wouldn't take a bottle from DH or any other family member and I went back to work part-time when she was about 4 months old. We actually didn't try bottle feeding her very many times because it was stressful and frustrating and I didn't want to "waste" the time I was home and able to be with her 24/7 by trying to force bottle feeding on her. Her first couple of days in day care she fussed and seemed mad about the bottle, only drinking a few ounces. By the 3rd of 4th day, though, she was drinking with minimal protest at the beginnings of her feedings and then started taking the bottle just fine, guzzling almost all the milk I sent with her.

I have a coworker who went back full-time when her baby was 3 months old and she didn't even try giving a bottle at all before her son went to child care. She had the same results- a few days of fussing and then her baby took the bottle fine.

Try not to stress about it (easier said then done, I know) and it's likely your babe will figure out that that's food comes when you're at work. It's promising that she's drank a little from bottles before so chances are she and her care provider will figure it out.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by melon 

Ugh, I am having the same problem with my 11 week old. I haaaave to go back to work asap. I started a thread in Breastfeeding on it, if you want to see if any posted anything helpful there.

Thanks, Adaline's Mama, I just ordered one of those bottles.

I just saw this. Its a great bottle if your DC wont take anything else, but it is a PIA to heat up breastmilk in it. My milk was always frozen, so it didnt really matter because I just thawed the ziplock bag and poured it in the bottle. However, if your kiddo doesnt drink it all and you put it in the fridge, you have to dump the milk back in the ziplock to heat it (in water of course) again. HUGE PIA for some people. I never used formula, but I'd imagine its easy to make formula in it. Because the top is shaped like a boob, the bottom is the cap, and it leaks water into your milk if you submerge it. There are special caps you can buy for it, but honestly, my kid was drinking a bottle about once a week so I didnt bother.

Good luck and let me know if your babe takes it. I saved all three of mine (clear, blue, and orange for different flows) and plan to use them for the one on the way!

[scrappin-mama]

My 7 month old is the same way. We've tried every bottle under the sun. We did have a small breakthrough this week though. On a whim, I poked a few extra holes in one of the nipples with a sterilized needle, and lo and behold, he took the bottle. I don't want to use that for the long term, but I do plan on getting some fast-flow nipples and see if that makes a difference.

[Laurski]

A friend of mine was going through something similar, and was freaking out about going back to work.  Her daughter just would not take a bottle.  She went to an LC, who did the following (and it worked!):

1. Get one of those exercise balls (you may already have one as a birthing ball).

2. Sit on the ball, facing the wall.  Put baby on your lap, facing away from you.

3. Bounce gently while offering your baby the bottle.  Bounce gently the entire feeding.

It sounds crazy, but it worked for my friend.  Something about the movement, the new position, and the utter boringness of the wall.  It might be worth trying this, to see if it works.

(You may have to experiment with the timing of the feeding--my friend does an evening feeding, b/c her baby was more willing to take the bottle then.)

Good luck!