11 month old not nursing well, won't take bottle

[porcelina]

x-posted in Life with a Babe

I'm not sure what to do! I'm not really ready to wean, and he won't take the bottle well anyway! My babysitter has tried giving my 11 month old my breastmilk in every possible way -- in a sippy cup, bottle, regular cup with straw (this is the most successful one so far), cold milk, warm milk, in the carrier, in the high chair, etc., etc. He will usually only take about 2 ounces when I am gone during the day. In the past, I was only working 4-5 hours at a time, so this wasn't that bad, he would still nurse the rest of the day. Now, however, I have had to increase my hours away from him, and am gone from 8:30 or 9:30, depending on the day, to 3:30. Problem is, sometimes he won't nurse right before I leave, and often he won't nurse when I get back. So, instead of nursing at 6, 9, 12 and 3, or maybe 6, 10, and 2, he is only nursing at 6, only sometimes around 8-9, and then at 5-6 pm. I try to nurse him at 3:30 and he does not want to, no matter how I offer it. I keep trying every hour and he won't accept until late in the day. That drops us from 4 sessions a day to 2!

On the one hand, he's 11 months, so he's already gotten a lot out of my breastmilk, and it might not be a big deal if I ended up weaning from most day feedings. He could probably get what he needs from formula, or even milk (he'll be 1 in a couple of weeks). On the other hand, he's not replacing my milk with any other milk source/formula, so I feel like he's completely missing out on all of the great nutrition my milk gives him. Plus, he has had a dairy sensitivity in the past. I think he may be over it now, since we tried cheese and yogurt the other day and he seemed to be okay.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[tincia]

As far as the milk sensitivity, my oldest was lactose intolerant as a baby but could handle yogurt and cheese. Some ppl find this to be the case because of the process used in making yogurt and cheese.
As for the nursing/bottle strike, i don't have much experience, but will he drink fluids other than pumped breastmilk or formula? For example water? I know u want to ensure he is getting the nutrients he needs, but if he will eat solids, water would just help hydrate while u r away. Maybe consider nutrient dense foods that also offer a lot of hydration as well? Whole goat yogurt is good and u can add their favourite fruit..very hydrating and lots of protein.
Two or three nurses per day at that age doesn't seem toooo bad..i know not your ideal, but definately better than nothing
Hope u come to a solution that works for you both!